Voerman and IKEA:
A Global Partnership

For years, Voerman has been collaborating closely with IKEA to provide support in the field of Global Mobility. Given IKEA's international presence across 62 countries, it is common for talents and professionals to relocate from one country to another to carry out their assignments. This applies to all countries involved, whether it's from the Netherlands to the United States, China to Portugal, or Sweden to Australia. Each country and relocation comes with its own set of regulations, peculiarities, and focal points – an expertise that Voerman deeply values and has been assisting IKEA's Global Mobility department with for many years. We spoke with Michaël Bekkema, Global Mobility Advisor at IKEA, about the collaboration.

Michaël is part of the Global Mobility Team at Ingka Services, the overarching holding company behind IKEA. Together with his team in Amsterdam, they are responsible for supporting colleagues relocating from one country to another for temporary projects or long-term assignments abroad. Michaël oversees relocations from all over the world to 19 countries, with a particular focus on relocations to and from the United States. Voerman supports Michaël's team in managing all aspects related to the move of the household goods of these international relocations for expatriates, their partners, or families.

Complete outsourcing of the relocation

"After this, a designated contact at Voerman takes over. They schedule a meeting with the employee in question and go over the details of the relocation. How much belongings are involved? How long can the transportation take? What are the regulations for importing certain goods into the destination country for the expatriate? We can entrust all of this to Voerman, allowing us to focus on other aspects of the relocation."

"The communication between Voerman and our colleagues is excellent. We receive nothing but positive feedback from our colleagues. Only in very specific cases or challenges do we involve Voerman directly. Otherwise, we can confidently leave the relocation in their hands. And that's reassuring because we deal with a significant number of relocations on a monthly basis. For instance, we have about two relocations from the Netherlands to the U.S. every month. Monthly reports keep us informed about the status of various relocations."

Global coverage through a network of partners

"What makes the collaboration with Voerman particularly beneficial for us is their ability to provide global coverage through their network of partners. For an international company with locations in over 60 countries, each relocation is unique. If, for example, a relocation to or from Asia is on the agenda, Voerman engages their local partners in that region. The communication is entirely handled by them, ensuring a seamless experience for us. This way, we can rely on global service with the right local market knowledge."

Expert handling even in complex times

In recent years, significant changes have occurred in the moving industry, particularly due to the COVID-19 crisis and associated delays. Relocations are increasingly challenging to plan. "This brings stress for our expatriates, for whom relocation is one of the most exciting moments in their lives. Voerman has kept us and our employees continuously informed about the situation. This kept us in the loop, and while Voerman can't solve everything, their human approach in reassuring us and our expatriates has made a significant difference."