Calberson has been operating in Thailand since 1976, offering a comprehensive transport, warehousing and forwarding service. In the new venture, Global Silverhawk is the majority shareholder. But removals are nothing new for Calberson. The company decided long ago that this was a logical extension of its product and marketing - one that could be tapped with little additional effort or investment.
The difference between the original operation and the new set-up is the degree of commitment, professionalism and specialisation, according to Global Silverhawk's general manager in Thailand, Randy Nelson. "I saw their network and figured if I could get a big premium removals company to join up, we'd have two big forces coming together. We could get a lot of market share as a result,"he said.
While at first it seems to be a smart move to capitalise on the expatriate exodus from Thailand in the wake of recession, nothing could be further from the truth. "I've been working on this deal for a long time," he said. "It's more about it being the right time for Global to make another investment than anything else. We are in most of Asia, but not Thailand or Indochina. Thailand will lead us into the rest of the region." As Calberson is already well-established in Laos, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar) and Vietnam, this seems a strong probability.
But what about the timing? "It doesn't really affect us much," marketing director, Derrick Young, said, "as long as people are moving. Yes, we are moving more people out now, but others will be moving back in later."
This one-way flow does, though, have some consequences. "It's impossible to offer guaranteed delivery times," Nelson said. "Right now there is an export boom. It's tough to get space. Because imports are down, there are not enough containers and air cargo capacity is limited."
Where do Global and Calberson see growth? "We can't create a market. Our clients are there, or they're not," he said. "Our growth - and in three years we aim to be number one in the market - will come from gaining market share from our competitors. We anticipate shipping in the region of 500 tonnes in our first year."