Achieving Quality - Everybody's
doin'it
Fidi Focus, Oct/Nov 96
Moving towards the 21st century
The News, 09-08-96
Moving with the times, Portuguese
company gets ISO quality award
Mary Sworder The
Anglo-Portuguese News, 13-06-96
Achieving Quality - Everybody's doin'it
Fidi Focus, Oct/Nov 96
With the news that another four companies have recently obtained the ISO 9002 standard, it is clear that this benchmark of quality has taken a significant hold on the moving industry.
White & Company in the UK has obtained ISO for all fifteen of its branches throughout the country, H Klingenberg has achieved accreditation in Moscow, Desbordes in Paris and L. Rettenmayer in Portugal.
These announcements come hard on the heels of several others from companies all over the world.
"We are the first company in the Iberian
Peninsula to achieve this and it's a major, major achievement for
us" says Tony Segundo of Rettenmayer. His company recently
moved into new facilities where it has 1150 sqm dedicated to
removals with 120 storage units of 5.5. cbm each.
A twenty four hour laser security system protects the premises and special attention has been paid to fire protection installations. All sales and operations are handled by computer and the company's Quality Control manager João Santos is the only FIDI Institute Diploma holder in Portugal.
Tony Segundo who master-minded the company's certification has been the driving force behind Rettenmayer's fast growth into the corporate and diplomatic market as well as its rapidly expanding storage activities. He joined the moving industry m Mozambique in 1960 and moved to Lisbon in 1982.
Over in Paris, Desbordes says it is one of the first French moving companies to have obtained the ISO 9002 standard for international moving. Jean Michel Piriou is delighted to have achieved this success so close to celebrating his company’s 75th anniversary.
''Although it is not very well known by the general public, the ISO 9002 quality standard is very much appreciated both in manufacturing and service industries where it is recognised as a definite indication of quality he says. "Each of our employees now has a strict quality schedule to respect, from sales right through to the packers, which we believe will result m the best possible service at the most economical cost."
His company obtained certification in the same month as its neighbour Lavanchy where Marc Cool also really need to drive it through and your staff have to be committed. "If you don't, it will drag on for ever, people will lose interest and you won't achieve anything significant."
In Germany, H Klingenberg started services to Moscow in the 1950s when Chancellor Adenauer took up diplomatic relations with the USSR and the Federal Republic opened an embassy there. This has since developed into a serious moving company with offices, packers, drivers and local and long distance trucks. It also has a Customs-bonded warehouse.
It is one of the few companies in the city to have the ISO standard, an achievement it shares with its offices in Hamburd and Bonn.
Moving towards the 21st century
The News, 09-08-96
Tony Segundo is justifiably proud of the vote of confidence bestowed upon L. Rettenmayer earlier this year. The firm, one of Portugal's leading removals and storage companies, was awarded the Quality System Certificate ISO 9002 by the German Association fo the Certification of Quality Systems - the only company of its kind in Portugal to hold such a prestigious document. For Segundo, Rettenmayer's Director and Partner, it was a crowning achievement and testimony to the company's commitment to customer satisfaction and guaranteed safe delivery of their household good, personal effects, antiques and pets, as well as other items such as industrial packing, exhibition material, and palletised storage containers. Rettenmayer also takes care of documentation and customs clearance procedure.
L Rettenmayer, which was founded in Germany in 1842,was established by Segundo in Portugal in 1990 expressly for the purpose of providing the highest level of service to "corporate" relocating personnel of major blue-chip multinational organisations and embassies. Its client base includes Siemens, IBM, Colgate Palmolive, General Motors and Warner Lambert, plus over 20 foreign embassies. Of course, the company also works with private customers who are proffered the same high level of service as that given to corporate clients.
The company offers worldwide moving by air, ship, road and rail, depending on consignment volume and specific customer requirements. However, Segundo predicts an eventual trend towards high-speed rail delivery. "It is envisaged that the future transport of household goods, and also that of general cargo, within the next ten years, will be carried out by rail services incorporating an intermodal system consisting of containers which can be transported by road as well as rail."
In fact, as from January 1st, 1997, under EU guidelines, all transport companies will have to employ the use of this new intermodal system with Brussels banning the use of long trailers. Segundo is not unduly worried by this latest example of EU legislation. Rather, he believes it will boost business. What's more, he feels the benefits of such a proposal far outweigh any inconvenience it may cause. "The main reason for this action is to curb pollution levels. The well-being of the environment is now a major issue and this will help reduce carbon dioxide levels."
It will also reduce traffic congestion, he adds, and with it the cost of maintaining Europe’s roads. "Eventually, of course, it will mean that whoever decides to move by road will pay far more than it costs to use the railway".
Rettenmayer is: an active observer (as opposed to agent) of FEDEMAC - The Federation of European Movers Association. FEDEMAC regularly lobbies Brussels on issues affecting the moving and storage industry. The Association also prompts the discussion of environmental matters and other green issues it feels warrants urgent attention.
| But the main supervisory body which controls all moving companies worldwide is FIDI - The International Federation of International Furniture Removers. Rettenmayer, with FIDI backing, is formulating a programme of recycling at its storage and office facility in Albarraque, near Sintra. The company is encouraging its packers to reduce the amount of waste and to start thinking more in terms of recycling. To promote this green school of thought. The company no longer prints its own logo on the side of its packaging. Instead, emblazoned in bright green is the FIDI stamp. "This not only gets the message across here in Portugal," comments Segundo. "It also means our colleagues abroad can recover the cartons and reuse them in subsequent moves." | From January 1st, 1997, under EU guidelines, all transport companies will have to employ the use of this new intermodal system with Brussels banning the use of long trailers. |
Born in Mozambique, Tony Segundo is well versed in his chosen profession. He has been in the business for nearly 40 years and worked extensively in his native country and South Africa before moving to Portugal. Initially based in Oporto, he relocated to Lisbon in 1982. The joint venture with Rettenmayer consolidated not only by the distinction of the ISO 9002 award but also by the fact that business has become so buoyant it has necessitated the move to the new, larger premises in Albarraque. The warehouse 1,150 sqm. dedicated to removals with 120 storage cabins of 5.5 cbm. Storage capacity each. There are crating facilities available and the packaging materials used are the most up-to-date on the market, and are of certified quality. State-of-the-art security, fire and flood prevention measures have been installed as standard and the location is quickly accessed by a network of main roads and motorways.
Rettenmayer is dedicated to invest in everyone in the company through a continuous procees of internal and external training and appraisal. Staff are regularly sent on courses and training programmes and often attend FIDI seminars in Brussels. Indeed, the company's Quality Control Manager João Santos is the proud recipient - and the only one in Portugal - of a certificate awarded by the FIDI institute. The company also has in force a Quality Performance Report where customers are invited to record, on a scale of one to five, the level of service and competence provided by Rettenmayer employees.
As if moving with the times, Rettenmayer is on the threshold of installing an email facility and will soon be connected to the Internet. "This will provide a far more rapid communication network and will substantially reduce costs," stresses Segundo, pointing out that Rettenmayer is linked to dozens of moving organisations around the world, and are agents for Van Lines and other moving companies.
"We are increasing our share of the market every week," he adds. "And despite the company's high quality reputation and its use of computer technology, much of the business is still generated through recommendation, or word of mouth. That's still good to hear as we race towards the 21st century."
PB.
Moving with the times, Portuguese company gets ISO quality award
Mary Sworder
The Anglo-Portuguese News, 13-06-96
THERE can be few people in Portugal as knowledgeable about world-wide moving as Tony Segundo, Director and Partner of L. Rettenmayer, Portugal.
Mr. Segundo has made a career out of moving his customer's objects, however small or large, and however valuable in monetary or sentimental terms, from A to B, and ensuring that they arrive there safely and soundly. It is said of him that "only his daughter's successes at college come before his enthusiasm for removals."
It may be a job which requires a short journey, such as from Lisbon to Sintra, or much longer for example from Cascais to Cairo. "There is no distance too great or too small," Mr. Segundo told the APN in a recent interview.
'The same goes for the object to be moved. It could be a priceless piece of fine art, a huge marble table, a car or even a pet. We are able to, and will do, anything the customer requires."
Customer satisfaction is extremely important to Rettenmayer, a company which has its founding roots in Germany more than 150 years ago, and was set up in Portugal as a joint venture with Tony Segundo at the end of 1990. Today it has carved a niche for itself at the top end of the market.
The company counts among its clients a number of embassies and well-known Portuguese companies, as well as blue-chip multinational concerns such as Colgate-Palmolive, Ford, Ford Electrónica, Unilever, Siemens, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and General Motors.
Mr. Segundo was quick to point out, however, that Rettenmayer also works with private customers, and that these are every bit as meaningful to the company as the moves. "All of our customers are regarded with paramount importance; meeting their satisfaction is our goal," he said.
Rettenmayer puts its success and rapid growth down to two fundamental points - its heritage and its philosophy.
The company has a long and solid past behind it. Tony Segundo has been in the business since 1960, starting off in Mozambique, then moving to South Africa, and finally to Portugal where he was based initially in Oporto before moving down to Lisbon in 1982.
As for the company's and the man’s philosophy they are one and the same - dedicated to progress. not only does the company offer world-wide moving by air, ship and truck, fine arts transportation, freight forwarding, customs clearance and insurance but also storage and a "Help Line" and "Help Services" .
Help Line provides the customer with free advice regarding all aspects of relocation such as information on the local schools, tax procedures, import duties on cars, available medical insurance and so on. Help Services is there to make life easier for customers to find domestic help, a decorator, a plumber, a baby-sitter, a gardener, a doctor, and so on.
Recently Rettenmayer scored two other major victories. Firstly they moved themselves into new, larger, state-of-the-art premises in Albarraque, near the Estoril-Sintra road, and secondly, the company was awarded, at the end of February, the Quality System Certificate IS0 9002 by the German Association for the Certification of Quality Systems.
Both are sources of pride for Mr. Segundo, but the gaining of the IS0 9002 by Rettenmayer is something he is justifiably boastful about. "We are the first removals company in Portugal to achieve this, as well as in the Iberian Peninsula," he told the APN. "It is a major, major achievement and speaks volumes for the company and its staff".
"It's a very tough thing to get and there is no resting on your laurels - the standards have to be maintained and are checked annually."
The process of gaining the IS0 9002 Certificate included a very thorough on-site evaluation which lasted several days. It is an internationally-recognised quality system standard and companies holding the award undertake to work only with, as far as it is possible, other companies holding the IS0 9002.
'The follow-on advantages of being an IS0 9002 holder are tremendous, and we are in a position to take them up," said Tony Segundo.
The new storage and office facilities provide 1,150sq.m. dedicated to removals with 120 storage cabins of 5.5cu.m. each. Packaging materials used are the most up-to-date on the market, and are of certified quality, and the whole area is protected by a 24-hour Prosegur laser security system which warns against intrusion, fire and flood.
Particular attention has been paid to fire protection measures and the building has been inspected and certified by the fire brigade. The location is good for access to main roads and motorways, and another plus point is the fact that there are no factories nearby, meaning that the air is relatively clean.
"Only the minimal amount of dirt from pollution will enter the building," said Mr. Segundo.
Technology also plays a crucial role in the new premises. "In few other areas of business has the computer revolution been put to such good use," he says.
From the initial estimating for the job, and the preparation for the move, through to the actual removal process itself and the setting up in a new location, the process is tracked on computer from the head office. All the main items are logged in and out on the computer. During this year the company will be connected into the Internet.
Staff training has always been regarded as a priority at the removals company. Quaility Control Manager João Santos, who has been working in the removals business since 1979, is the only Portuguese person to hold a certificate from FIDI Institute in Brussels, having been sent there by Rettenmayer.
Other members of staff are regularly sent away on courses and training programmes, and there is also in-house training. Most of the staff are fluent in English and French, as well as their native Portuguese.
Rettenmayer has membership of a dozen or so moving organisations around the world, and are agents for major U.S.A. Van Lines.
Tony Segundo appears to be a man who never sits still, in more ways than one. He returned only a short time ago from an international moving convention in Australia, and has a number of plans to be put into action in the near future to further improve the company and the services it offers.
