An interview with Dees Peters following his company’s acceptance as an OMNI member

Atlas International Movers in Amsterdam has recently joined OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International).  The company is already a member of FIDI (FIDI Global Alliance) and Dees Peters, the company’s CEO and owner, has recently become the president of FIDI Netherlands.  So why, when the company is so closely connected with FIDI, is OMNI membership attractive? Particularly at a time when margins in the moving business are tight.

“I always learned from my father that quality comes first,” explained Dees.  His father is Cees Peters, who owned Royal De Gruijter & Co, a founding member of OMNI.  After his father sold the company in the year 2000, Dees worked with Voerman and Interdean before buying Atlas International Movers in 2011.

“You need to make good money, but also provide all the services.  I think that’s why Atlas has been so successful. I always have seen the OMNI companies as being the best of the best. That’s what I want to be.” 

I pointed out that being the best didn’t necessarily require mixing with other similar companies. Dees agreed but explained his second reason for wanting to be part of OMNI.  “The best companies are also the big bookers,” he said.

He explained that Atlas books a lot of traffic but, in the past, some business partners had been primarily receivers of traffic, with nothing coming in return. Some of those partners were also OMNI members but he would only be able to maximise the reciprocation from that tonnage by being part of the network.

So does Dees see OMNI as a tonnage generation opportunity, or does he feel there is more on offer? He was aware of the risk and compliance service operated by OMNI through Dow Jones.  This allows all OMNI members to have themselves and their entire supply chains independently verified against corruption, thereby providing proof to corporate accounts of their compliance with all relevant regulations.  “That was definitely part of my decision to join OMNI,” explained Dees. “It was completely new to me.”

That said, Dees is happy to admit that the main benefit to his company is business development and the guarantee of quality within the membership. He said that if he receives a container from an agent that is not packed properly, it reflects badly on his company on delivery.

What can Atlas put back into the organisation? Dees pointed out the significant tonnage commitment that all companies must make to be OMNI members and that his company is still growing.  As an example, he opened in Zurich four years ago and has recently taken over the Sterling operations in Geneva.

Dees has recently came back from the OMNI conference in Montenegro.  There he discovered another benefit of OMNI membership: the opportunity to discuss business with some of the world’s leading companies. “People have the time for you, to hear you. They give you the time to present your company.  It’s not speed dating. You can build a real relationship.”

“Although I have been in the business myself for almost 30 years, I still consider Atlas International Movers to be a ‘new kid on the block’. So it helps, when you are at an OMNI conference, to talk to other business owners. You realise they have the same challenges as you. I am really happy that I joined.”

Photo:  Dees Peters.