Way & Way Oy
Removals service provider capable of handling bed-sitting-room furniture to entire factories
Oulu-based Way & Way Oy is a haulier specialising in removals, transportation of special goods and forwarding. Loads vary from the personal items to the transfer of entire factory production lines. Goods are carried to any destination: by sea in containers, as express freight air, and especially by road on trucks
Safe and well-planned transfers
Some examples of typical special removal items are safes and security cabinets,
large individual pieces of equipment such as copying machines and measurement
equipment, and large assemblies such as production lines and entire factories.
"We have the capacity to carry out removal operations of entire companies,
from start to finish, and including assessment, planning, scheduling and realisation.
This means disassembling at one end, removal to a specified location, and then
reassembling," says managing director Janne Tiri.
Removals jobs and special hauling assignments might be destined to the neighbouring
suburb or all the way to China.
One special assignment typical for Oulu is moving a production line or an entire
factory from one place to another without a break in production. Big contracts
of this kind have to be planned with great care so that the schedule will hold
and no stoppages ensure for the customer. Nowadays, factories are not being moved
merely across the town. Internationalisation means that factory production lines
are being moved to places far away e.g. China.
"In the case of international transportation assignments, we also take care
of forwarding, in other words, all the unpleasant paper work and legal matters,"
Tiri says smilingly.
Values of specialist know-how appreciated
This enterprise has faced a number of interesting challenges; many are such
that the average man in the street would not immediately associate them with a
removals firm.
"For example, safes and security cabinets on the company premises are typically
installed in difficult, out-of-the-way places, behind a corner, in the basement,
or on the top floor. When these units are moved to another location, you need
to apply a methodical approach because often a hole needs to be made in the ceiling
or wall, and creeper robots must be resorted to," states Tiri.
The equipment and operations are so costly to the companies that they appreciate
specialist know-how. A special job might also involve short-notice departure or
security consignments. Every once in a while we need things like GPS devices and
security guards, for example.
"Euros have become familiar to us," Tiri smiles without revealing anything
more.
Custodian of cherished things
When people move, the job on hand always involves cherished things. The customer's
natural initial expectation is that his personal items will stay in one piece
all the way and that they are handled with care. Way & Way has developed some
innovative items of equipment, e.g. a clothes-hanger box enabling dresses and
suits to be lifted in and out of the box without being taken off from their hangers.
Security cabinets represent one of the added-value services provided by Way
& Way.
"People often express their surprise and are sorry not to have heard about
us and our services in time. We get this kind of feedback on our website,"
Tiri says.
Way & Way rents out equipment such as removal crates, trolleys, carry straps,
waste containers and roller cages to their customers. The company's website also
has useful instructions to customers when moving within Finland or to foreign
countries.
"Oulu is a hi-tech city and it shows in removals services provided for both
private people and companies. The case of an engineer and his family moving to
Central Europe or to the States is an everyday event. A new conquest is people
going to and returning from Brussels. The EU Commission has found Way & Way
to be a suitable partner and many of its civil servants have moved from one place
to another with the assistance of the firm. "As a case in point, we moved
one family's household from northern Norway to the Mediterranean area in March,"
managing director Tiri recalls.
Tiri points out that "Although our operations are becoming increasingly international
in nature, it should be borne in mind that our normal workday also includes moving
personal property from the suburb of Tuira to Kaukovainio".
Specialisation is vital for survival
The competition in the hauling business is tough. Everyone is on the lookout as
to what the others are doing. Typically, co-operation means that close to home,
there may be friction, but the further afield competitors find themselves together,
the better friends they become. For example, in the case of jobs involving foreign
countries, the other forwarders have networked removal jobs to Way & Way.
This shows that competitors can play together without envy and bitterness.
The firm's rolling stock includes 15-20 hauling units ranging from a van to full-length articulated lorries with trailers. The lorries are equipped with study fastenings and protective materials. Some of the lorries are equipped with heaters, others for providing refrigerated transportation services.
Technology supports operations
State-of-the-art technology is made use of at Way & Way, but it isn't an end
in itself. Computerised systems have been invested in from the outset. Electronic
consignment notes and SMS contacts with the lorries are natural aspects of the
operations now and into the future.
Managing director Janne Tiri is proud of Way & Way's specialist know-how.
The Internet has been a productive marketing channel for Way & Way. Invitations to bid are submitted easily and fast. The tariffs in long hauls have been pushed down. This being so, the lorries should be full when they are on the move. Way & Way has developed a service called Edulliset paluukuljetukset (Inexpensive Pendulum Transportation) accessible via the Internet.
Innovation and exuberance
Product development is one of the cornerstones of development at Way & Way.
The company's staff has adopted this principal in a good way. Everyday innovations
are made continuously. These include special tables being provided with better
anti-vibration protection.
"Training, discussions and refreshment provide the only combination to be
one step ahead of the others and to be able to be more sensitive than others to
imminent changes in the weather," Tiri summarises.
Based in Oulu but prospects global
The purpose of Way & Way is to network with suitable partners and maximise
the utilisation rate of its fleet.
"We take on jobs to just about any country in the world. Either entirely
with our own equipment or assisted by our partners," is Tiri's modest but
firm claim.
As regards Logisforum, Way & Way expects enlarging of its fame and added visibility.
The company also has one concrete wish:
"It would be great if in the port of Hamburg, for example, there would one
day be an intermediate storage facility called "Port of Oulu" where
only Oulu-based logistics companies could pick up a load on their way back home,"
is Tiri's suggestion.
Source/Further information:
Way & Way Oy Transport Ltd
Suolamännyntie 13
90520 Oulu, Finland
Tel. +358 8 563 6800, Fax. +358 8 563 6831
www.way-way.com
