Quality and environment

The Swiss removals sector has been restructured. With effect from 1 January 2020, companies that were certified under the VSU and ASTAG Plus schemes have all come under the new Swiss Movers Association (SMA).

SMA brings together removal companies committed to upholding the standards set by the association itself. The association aims to cultivate a qualified professional image that is recognised by society and policymakers and to safeguard common interests in the political and business spheres.

We are one of only a fews SMA-certified removal companies in the Zurich region to meet the high standards that are demanded.

SMA has stipulated various key membership criteria, which are set out below. Through its regular audits, it ensures that members act consistently in accordance with the following principles and performance characteristics.

A good employer
A focus on legal and fair working conditions, occupational health and safety, and staff development.

Legal and fair working conditions

We pay our employees a fair wage.
We insure them against accidents, disability and other risks under our social security obligations. Most of our members give their staff more extensive insurance cover than the law requires of an employer.
When we work at weekends or at night, we ask for the authorities’ permission and pay the surcharges required by law.

Prioritising occupational health and safety

We meet the requirements set by the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA), which also conducts regular audits of SMA member companies in order to reduce health and safety risks and prevent accidents.
However, SMA removal companies use personal protective equipment such as safety boots whether or not it is required by law. We train users of external hoists, forklifts and other machinery.

Staff development

A house move is primarily a service, not a product. The skills and expertise of everyone involved in it are the most important success factors that a removal company can have.
Professional induction, training and development programmes that are carefully supervised ensure that all the staff who you will be dealing with directly and everyone working away in the background will be receiving regular further training in line with the changing needs of our customers and other stakeholders.

Ethical role models compliant with the law
SMA members are ethical role models that are compliant with the law.

Care for the environment

By choosing an SMA member for your move, you are demonstrating social and environmental responsibility and investing in the future of small and medium-sized businesses, most of which have been owned by the same families for generations.
Switzerland would seem to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming with its clear negative impact – the melting of its glaciers, the instability of its mountain regions, the desiccation of its lakes and the flooding of entire villages. SMA companies are conscious of their carbon emissions, which are mainly caused by their use of HGVs and packaging material and are still unavoidable to a certain extent despite the advent of the digital age. SMA member companies are committed to reducing these emissions on an ongoing basis. Many of them measure their emissions and have an appropriate environmental management system in place, while some are certified to ISO 14001. SMA members are diligently engaged in various activities to shrink their carbon footprint, such as systematic recycling schemes, partnering with second-hand stores to cut waste, switching to reusable packaging and combining shipments for long-distance transport.

Financial security

Besides complying with statutory requirements, SMA companies conduct their business in such a way that their long-term viability always takes precedence over short-term interests.
The long-term survival of an SMA member is ensured by financial criteria that it is obliged to meet. In particular, SMA keeps an eye on the ratio between a company’s cash and cash equivalents and its current liabilities. These criteria are designed to prevent a customer paying in advance but not receiving a service in exchange.
SMA takes customer feedback very seriously. If customers are in any doubt as to whether their SMA removal company is upholding these principles, SMA will take the matter up with the owner of the member company concerned. The regular SMA audits by external experts also assess a member’s social responsibility and will uncover any indications of potential misconduct.

Protection of your personal data using proven methods and in line with the requirements of European law

SMA companies will ensure that your personal data is not used for purposes other than to provide the service that you have tasked them with.

Preventing white-collar crime

SMA companies deal transparently with all their contractual partners and avoid any kind of corruption, money laundering or other forms of white-collar crime.
Even though the authorities bear overall responsibility for enforcing laws and regulations, SMA also verifies compliance with these principles with the help of professional external auditors.

Complaints management

Every SMA removal company has a professional complaints management process in place. Should you encounter any difficulties, you can contact SMA at any time, which will do all it can to find a quick solution.

Quality and environmental management systems

A quality management system increases the prospect of a damage-free move in compliance with the agreed conditions and timeframes. All SMA members champion customer satisfaction and operate a suitable feedback system. Feedback is monitored and results in action being taken in the spirit of continuous improvement.
A professional environmental management system ensures that consistent effort is put into reducing carbon emissions.

Compliance with laws and regulations

Choosing an SMA member for your move ensures that the contents of your home will be transported legally. Whether you are moving just down the road or to the other side of the world, SMA members will do all they can to make sure that all parties comply with local and international laws and regulations and use tried-and-tested methods.

Ideally equipped
Ideally equipped, from work clothes and vehicles through to storage space.

Vehicles

The fleets operated by SMA members are specialised to handle house moves. Their HGVs and vans are clean, state-of-the-art and regularly maintained. All SMA members have at least one HGV in their fleet.
SMA companies will take care of obtaining parking permits from the local authorities to prevent your neighbours getting an unpleasant surprise during loading or unloading.

Equipment for the move

A house move is primarily a service, not a product. So you could argue that the most important factor in a removal companies success is the skill of the staff it tasks with moving your household effects.
Nevertheless, SMA’s members are well aware that state-of-the-art equipment is key to providing a professional moving service too. This also means having the right apparatus for disassembling and/or reassembling furniture. They will either already have the necessary gear for transporting heavy items like pianos, exercise equipment and safes or will bring in a professional provider to handle the work. Additional equipment such as external hoists, forklifts and other tools is used properly and maintained regularly.

Professional office equipment and ergonomics

An SMA removal company does not do its work huddled in a dark corner of its warehouse. Instead, it makes sure it has the equipment, lighting and IT infrastructure it needs to guarantee a professional service.

Ample storage space

SMA members are required to have more than 250 m² of storage space. It must be suitable for storing household effects and be properly secured. It must also be cleaned and checked for pest infestations regularly.

Professional packaging

The packaging material that SMA members use will be up to date and suitable for moving household effects or personal belongings.

Work clothes

Staff at SMA companies wear professional work clothing that is reflective in the dark and will not scratch any furniture or walls.
The regular SMA audits conducted by external experts ensure that all this equipment is available in sufficient quantities and is used professionally, maintained properly and replaced regularly.

Adequate insurance cover
Working with leading insurers.

We understand that your household effects and personal belongings are dear to you and may have both sentimental and financial value.

SMA member companies work with leading insurers to protect your goods against damage or loss. Many of them will offer you several options for your cover and make sure that you understand the general terms and conditions.

If anything is damaged, the SMA companies will ensure that your goods are repaired quickly or you are compensated appropriately. Every SMA company is always committed to logging instances of damage and reducing both their frequency and their severity.

Transparent information
Transparency, data protection and professional advice from A to Z.

Every step of your move is documented professionally, from the initial quote through to the handling of a potential claim. Transparency, data protection and professional advice both verbally and in writing will ensure that you always know the next step.

Comparing removal quotes is never easy. A deal that looks cheaper at first glance will often end up costing you more. Make sure you compare what services are and aren’t included in the price and the insurance cover and be careful with variable cost components such as hourly rates or costs charged “on a work and materials basis”.

A local presence
SMA removal companies have a local presence.

Specifically, they are on hand wherever their service is required. If you ask for a quote via this website, your request will only go to the three SMA members that are based closest to your address.

This ensures that you get a fair price and an environmentally friendly move and avoids any unpleasant surprises in the form of unexpected delays.

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We are one of the few certified members of the 3SA Swiss Self-Storage Association.

The 3SA was set up by specialist self-storage companies in Switzerland in order to represent its members in dealings with consumers, the authorities and all other stakeholders.

Members provide companies and individuals with their own space in which they can store their goods on a self-service basis, benefiting from maximum security and a great deal of flexibility.

Membership is subject to strict criteria. Each member is obliged to comply with a quality standard for the provision of services and with a code of ethics for their dealings with customers. They can therefore rest assured that they are dealing with experts who are committed to providing a top-level service.

The 3SA Swiss Self-Storage Association itself is also a member of and the sole Swiss representative in FEDESSA, the European umbrella organisation for the self-storage industry, which pursues the same aims at European level. In addition, the 3SA is a member of the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV) and, in this role, is currently involved in efforts to formulate a European standard that will regulate the relationships between self-storage firms and their customers in the future.

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