Allied Pickfords is the largest moving company in the world, with a total of 800 offices in 40 countries. As general manager in Japan, Scott McCaskie manages a strong team of people in the company’s Tokyo and Kobe offices. Allied Pickfords’ staff believe that being a good neighbor and giving back to the community goes a long way in maintaining and building long term relationships.
How long have you been in Japan?
I have been in Japan for about 12 years, with the first three years spent in the hospitality industry and the remainder in the moving industry. Working in the hospitality industry gave me the backbone in customer service which I believe has assisted in developing the necessary skills I use today.
Please tell us a bit about your company.
The Global Allied team consists of more than 800 offices in 40 different countries, which makes it the largest moving company in the world. With this network, we can ensure that whatever countries or cities you are moving between, we are likely have an office of talented and capable people to look after you. The most important aspect when deciding a mover is ensuring that your personal household goods are safely transferred from your old home to your new home, and it is much easier dealing with one single company door-to-door than with two different ones.
What is your background and how did you arrive at your current position?
I am originally from Vancouver, Canada, and as mentioned before, I have been in the moving industry for about nine years (with Allied since 2005). After spending five years with a different foreign moving company in Tokyo, I was recruited to Allied about four years ago. I started as the director of sales, and about a year ago was promoted to general manager. My current day-to-day duties include overseeing both the operations side of the business and the sales side.
What are some of the major challenges your business faces in Japan?
Currencies play a critical role in our business. Over the last year, the Japanese yen has strengthened significantly, which causes fluctuations in our costing and inevitably to our quotes.
What kind of advice would you give to aspiring professionals?
In our industry, the personal attributes of having good organizational skills and the ability to multi-task are essential to success. There are so many variables that factor into controlling a door-to-door move, so being focused and acting quickly are very important. I would also say that caring and getting along well with customers, being a good listener, and reacting immediately to customer needs is essential in any business, and especially in our industry.
What do you do for fun in Japan?
I have a eight-month-old son who is just learning the mobile art of crawling, so he keeps me pretty busy chasing him around the house. Besides that, I am a member of the Tokyo Canadians ice hockey team, and I try to get out for a little exercise as often as I can.
External Link:
Allied Pickfords homepage
