The Evolution of Corporate Relocation Throughout the Centuries

Businesses have been relocating to different regions for centuries, and for many of the same reasons that corporations choose to relocate today. Operations in a new region means more economic opportunity, new access to previously barred business, and the chance to grow reach and influence in the market. Discover the evolution of corporate relocation throughout the centuries in this blog.

However, this endeavor was much more difficult back in the day. Take for example, the United East India Company (VOC), founded in 1602.[1] This is regarded as the first multinational corporate relocation, and perfectly illustrates how far relocation services have come. In the 1600s, corporate relocation meant hopping on a boat and hoping for the best. Although the company had substantial backing from the Dutch government and private investors, there was still a great deal of risks involved with establishing an operation in a new region—one of them being death. Without a lot of luck and even more planning, the operation and those running it would perish.

Fast forward a bit to the 1940s. In the span of 340 years, the United States of America was established, long distance communications improved, and business on a national scale became much more commonplace. With the invention of trucks came the introduction of movers, and moving companies began to take off when American soldiers started their own families and businesses after World War II. [2] But move management methods were slim to nonexistent, so when a corporation decided to relocate its operations, there was no established system to facilitate the move. Companies in this predicament often lost a lot of time, physical resources, and financial opportunities trying to accomplish relocation planning on their own.

It wasn’t until the late 20^th century that move coordinators began helping businesses relocate as a profession. Corporations who began utilizing move consultants for their relocations found that hiring someone to manage their moves meant their internal teams could continue normal business operations without interruptions. Even better, a skilled move manager minimized downtime and allowed companies to remain profitable throughout their transitions. Corporations immediately saw the value in using move coordinators, and so the corporate move consulting industry gained a loyal following. Corporate move consulting continued to innovate processes into the 21^st century. Today, the top move coordinators in the business have a specialized knowledge of relocation procedures that extend to different business sectors and cover industry-specific requirements. Every business, organization, and institution can be moved effectively and efficiently.

A lot has changed since the United East India Company began relocating across Europe and Asia. With each technological advancement, the job of moving office space evolved. However, even as recently as the 1900s, a business had to plan and complete its entire move by itself. There was no way to Google Search the best practices for corporate relocations, and companies had to guess at the right ways to accomplish their moves. This always resulted in stressed out internal teams who were out of their element and, understandably, made costly miscalculations throughout the process. Successfully transitioning to a new relocation requires an expert who specializes in accomplishing these tasks full-time. Highly organized individuals saw the gap in the relocation services market and filled it with risk-free methods and an ambitious attitude. Thus, the corporate move consulting industry was born.