F E AT U RE WALK THE TALK Change is coming, but will the industry take advantage or let newcomers steal ground? Carina Bailey asks industry leaders what technological disruption has looked like in the past and whats next ahead of the FIDI Conference T he moving and relocations industry isnt well known for its technological sophistication. In fact, the last time the sector really took advantage of change was probably the global communications revolution at the turn of the 21st century, by which time email, the internet and mobile phones had become mainstream. Of course, new technologies have emerged since then, but being a conservative sector not much has changed. Now another technology revolution is knocking at the sectors door and, this time, we have to take advantage of the opportunities or risk becoming obsolete. Gerard Geijtenbeek, director at Scanalytic and Roldo Rent Holding, describes the main technologies used in the sector today as not much more than digital paper 40 FF290 pp40-47 Technology 1-Disruptors.indd 40 and pencil. PCs, tablets and smartphones are used to capture and process data, while Google and other search engines [have replaced] the Yellow Pages, he adds. The top companies, however, are more technology driven, [using] video surveys, enterprise resource planning software, [and making] investments in search engine optimisation. These companies will stay at the top of the industry, serving major customers worldwide. Those who dont invest in technology cant fulfill the demands of larger customers. Of course, there is and will always be a market for them, but [it will be] smaller and local. The moving industry has started to use other technologies such as broad, integrated systems such as Moveware, RedSky and MoveAssist, which Rob Chipman, CEO of Asian Tigers Mobility Hong Kong WWW. F I D I . OR G 13/03/2019 11:55