I ND U ST RY N E WS It will take years to rebuild Turkey-based FIDI Affiliates have spoken about the impact of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria on 6 February. In addition to the huge loss of life which some unofficial sources think could exceed 100,000 there will be knock-on impacts on businesses, according to Jan Lichtenberg, of Istanbul-based Bergen International Movers. Speaking to FIDI Focus, he said that the two consecutive earthquakes centred on the rural east and southeast of Turkey. While this is some distance from the countrys largest cities, such as Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, it significantly affected 10 cities including Malatya and Hatay with approximately 13.5 million of the countrys 85m population affected. Lichtenberg said that while most major Turkish industries are located in areas not directly impacted by the earthquakes, the region affected is one of the main industrial areas for textile factories, where all big companies such as Levis, Zara and others have their factories. Ports near the site of the earthquake, notably Iskenderun and Mersin, have been significantly affected and are not fully operational, he added. These ports are mainly for commercial goods, so will not affect our removal business very much, but will affect the commercial business, said Lichtenberg. This will also add additional workload to other main ports such as Istanbul and Izmir. However, we do not expect any abnormal increases in operational costs. The recovery and rebuilding effort in the country will have a major impact on the Turkish economy, he said. Turkey has already had a lot of problems with high inflation, devaluation, so this will get worse, he added. After the debris is moved, there will be many people left without houses, hygiene, hospitals, or work to go to. It will take years to build these cities again and meanwhile, how the people will survive is a very important issue. Ebru Demirel, partner in family business Asya International, said they had sent trucks to take aid supplies to affected areas without difficulties, and main roads were open between major cities. She added that the moving industry was largely unaffected, with domestic jobs that had already been scheduled continuing. We have a team working in central Turkey moving fine art for the restoration of a state museum, and they are able to carry on the work uninterrupted, she said. Demirel added that the firms sister company had been getting some DSP requests from multinationals with local staff in affected areas who needed to be evacuated to other cities, although this is not a big volume. Armstrong acquires Humboldt Storage & Moving Pickfords names vehicles after its people Pickfords, the UKs largest removals and storage company, has begun a new naming convention for its fleet of vehicles. The company is naming each vehicle after Pickfords employees, past and present, who have left their mark on the firm during their tenure. One of the first vehicles on the fleet to be named is a new Mercedes AXOR 1843 Wagon and Drag, which marks the memory of Mike Kelly, who joined Pickfords in 1988 and went on to manage the European Department in the 1990s and 2000s. Managing Director Mark Taylor said: This initiative celebrates the lives of our colleagues past and present. This vehicle is particularly poignant as we are naming a European Wagon and Drag after Mike, who developed and managed our European Department for so many years before he passed away. We think this is a fitting tribute to his time with Pickfords. 12 Moving and relocation firm Armstrong Relocation & Companies (affiliated in Atlanta, USA), has acquired Boston-based Humboldt Storage & Moving. The deal follows its recent acquisition of MacDonalds Moving Services in greater Boston, and makes it one of the largest movers in Boston and the north-east US. Todd Watson, Armstrongs CEO, said: Humboldt has been a highly regarded company throughout the industry for many years and our family has had tremendous respect for the business they have operated. We look forward to building on that success by leveraging our collective strengths in the marketplace. Howard Goldman, Humboldt CEO and third-generation owner, said: I am excited to transfer 118 years of family ownership of The Humboldt Companies from the Goldman family to the Armstrong family. Its comforting to know that our family legacy, Humboldt team, and valued customers are in great hands, and that there are many wonderful opportunities ahead. Humboldt President James Sullivan will become company CEO, to work alongside Armstrong President Mark McEwen. This collaboration of moving industry leaders presents significant opportunities, not only in greater Boston and New England, but also far beyond that, said Sullivan. The combined expertise not only in residential moving, but in office relocations, the relocation of laboratory and life sciences companies, trade shows and special commodities creates the definition of a full-service moving company. Humboldt becomes a subsidiary of Armstrong Relocation Company, Massachusetts.