F E AT U RE The team at Finnish mover Viktor Ek, from left, Sales Manager Antti Lind; Move Manager Europe Seija Pasuri; International Sales Raija Karhu; Move Manager Overseas Arja Laitinen; Move Manager Overseas Tiina Sara; International Sales Thanh Doan; Move Manager Overseas Satu Alaruikka; Chairman and International Sales Michael Cedercreutz; Head of International Partner Relations Charles Gray might end up as an organisation only for the larger movers, he says. As an industry, moving can be utterly unpredictable which, for FIDI Affiliates that relish variety, is part of the attraction. For NFB, one day might bring a request for its white glove service, packaging artwork worth millions per item. The next, it might be tracking down a culprit who filed a false insurance claim; in a recent 30,000 example of such a case, Carlsen found himself turning detective. I went to the customers house with our insurance appraisal expert to inspect the damage, which we could not identify, he told FIDI Focus. When confronted by the insurance companys fraud unit, the client admitted everything. SBK has had to manage a move in Zermatt, Switzerland, where only electric vehicles are allowed to use the roads. Meanwhile, Egelrud recalls Alfas shipment from Sweden to Canada that almost didnt make it after a train was derailed. The container ended up a mangled wreck yet damage to the goods inside was minimal mainly due to well-done packing and loading and some help from Lady Luck. A BRIGHT OUTLOOK Perhaps a well-run firm makes its own luck. Across the Nordic region, FIDI Affiliates express optimism about the future. As Lyrum points out, people will continue migrating to Denmark, and Danish companies will always send their people abroad. The challenge for Aspire is to train and educate ourselves; and to develop products that fulfil future needs, she says. We believe we have the organisational talents and a great team of people. Being Danes, we see ourselves as the some of the happiest people in the world, so yes, we are optimistic. The feeling in the company and in Finland is positive, says Cedercreutz at Viktor Ek. Were pleased with the way the business is developing. However, he adds, global trends have a huge impact, so were a bit worried about US-China relations, the situation in Russia and political developments in many European countries. Ilpo Niemi adds: Were optimistic for the future because, over almost 40 years, the more we develop our services and quality, the more our current and new customers rely on us. Egelrud believes the future holds promise for Alfa as long as the firm focuses on quality and competence, and communicates closely with customers, suppliers and employees. A belief in his personnel is key to Westins sense of optimism. SBK has a strong teamwho all strive to make the best moves, he says. Volumes per shipment may be lower, yet Skaarud, too, is inclined to look on the bright side. Were optimistic because the world is getting smaller and smarter, and people are more flexible, he says. Globally our expectations are that mobility will increase. 66 FF292 AugSep19 pp54-67 Regional Focus.indd 66 WWW. F I D I . OR G 15/07/2019 15:14