Interview with Axel Schurbaum, Managing Director UTS

Mr Schurbaum, could you please tell us what services UTS currently offers?
We specialise in the planning, organisation and execution of
removals (household and office removals). A particular strength is our internationality and experience.

Are your customers mainly private individuals or companies?
That depends. In the case of household removals, the balance is even: 50 % private customers and 50 % employees of our corporate customers. For office moves, it's 100 % corporate clients.

How often are there moves that are not standard and for which UTS has to find individual solutions?
Every move is individual. The reason is simple: our customers want a service that is tailored to their individual needs. Deadlines, the scope of the service, but also the budget are the essential criteria. This has to be taken into account and the customer has to be shown good solutions, but also alternatives.

Can you tell us what a company planning an office move should think about first?
We think good planning with the participation of the people and department involved is a good starting point. Good implementation requires thorough preparation.

Let's talk about relocation. What are the most popular countries at the moment?
Real racetracks are relocations to and from the USA. But we are also noticing an increase in enquiries to Mexico, for example. But the number of European relocations is also on the rise.

Is there a sustainable development strategy within the company?
Yes, and has been for quite a long time. With our loading and unloading services as well as the central dispatching, we save on transports and empty runs. Our packaging materials are largely made of recycled materials. For international transports, we often use rail. More details can be found on our website

How many UTS partners are there in Germany at the moment? Are you planning to expand the partner network?
We currently have 12 partners in Germany. Then there is UTS The Netherlands with 10 companies in the Netherlands.

What was the biggest professional challenge in logistics with UTS?
The biggest challenge was the impact of COVID 19. From one day to the next, our customers were either no longer allowed to leave or enter the country. We had to find quick and good solutions to help our clients. This was a real challenge, especially in the international environment.