History UTS Harmony

Published on 15 February 2016

Globalization greatly influenced the moving industry and many changes occurred since the end of the 1980s. Due to the continual process of worldwide economic, political and cultural integration, organizations and their production facilities have spread worldwide.

Driven by international trade, a growing number of organizations developed the need for service providers that could assist with the transfer of employees to other countries. In response to this, a group of movers formed an alliance to provide unparalleled services, which led to the formation of UTS in 1990.

Nine Dutch movers, including Voerman, originally joined UTS Germany to form UTS Europe, which grew into UTS International (led by Ed Voerman until 2005). More than 70 other European moving companies later joined UTS International and an alliance was formed with United Van Lines Inc. The combination of a logistics network, a shared brand and shared commercial objectives bolstered UTS as we secured our first multinational client, IBM.

By loading shipments together and coordinating the transport, UTS was able to ensure high quality, continuity and secure a leading position within the removals market worldwide. The current UTS network includes over 150 affiliated moving companies sharing a common drive to benefit international customers across the globe.

Over the years, the structure of UTS has remained relatively unchanged with all members being joint shareholders in the organization. In this way, all affiliates share the success, maintaining a competitive position that delivers significant advantages to clients.