This month we have a contribution from John Payne of JP Consultancy for ‘And finally …’. Of course, nobody can ever predict the future, but there’s no harm in having a go. Do you have a story to tell?

What will the world or removals look like in 43 years’ time?

That is a question I asked myself whilst reflecting on the past 43 years in removals.

Before I take my time machine to 2065 though I'm going to take a trip down memory lane. The physical move has changed very little in 43 years. We still had to use a crew to pack, carry goods, load a truck, drive and then unload and unpack. We also used many of the same packing techniques and packing materials as we do today, although the standard moving ‘box’ was a T Chest and not a carton. International moving was similar too.

The biggest changes have been in communication. Advances have been incredible. Back then we had very few computers, we had no mobile telephones, no laptops, no Internet, no e-mail, no texting, no social media. Surveys where always ‘in person’.  We used the telephone a lot and spoke with each other more often. Remember the phones with the finger dial?  All very primitive when compared to today’s technology.

We used thermal photocopiers (you’ll have to Google them) and telex machines. The fax machine wasn’t around then; they came and virtually went again within a few years.  Instead of sending an email, we had to write with pen and paper or type a letter. Many companies employed a typist or even a pool of typists who would sit all day typing letters to clients.

Sending a letter, sending a quote and getting an acceptance back from the client using the post would take days. Everything relied on the postal service. Overseas communications could take several days or even weeks using the airmail service if something posted overseas had to be returned completed.

How times have changed. Everything is virtually immediate nowadays. We wait for very little. 

So now a look into the future and what ‘could’ be the world of removals in 43 years’ time. You will have to use your imagination but here’s what I see.

A virtual world. Nobody will go to an office to work, instead we will work from home and everything in our lives will be automated. When it comes to the physical removal, packing and loading will be done by robots, and trucks will not have drivers. In fact, trucks will be replaced with a ‘moving pod’ that is simply programmed to move from one house to the next and literally floats in the air from house to house at lightning speed, even if it’s being used for an overseas removal, because land and sea will be no hurdle or barrier for airborne transportation.

The robots will travel with the pod to unpack at destination. They will work at an incredible pace, without cigarette breaks, so a move will be completed in very little time. It will still be priced on volume though, but maybe by the minute not the day.  It will be possible for many moves to be done in a day by one pod and crew. There will be no fuel costs and no weight limits, so no regulations as we have on the road today. And parking will be free.

There will be no waste packing materials as they will be 100% recyclable and used 1000 times before they are worn out and replaced. When they are eventually replaced, materials will be edible.

Communication will be at a new level. It will be telepathic, or we will see everything and everyone through glasses; we won’t need mobile phones or e-mail to reach each other. I think it - you hear me. I see it - you see it. Any need for legal documents confirming contracts, etc. will be virtual too and accessed simply by bringing it up in our minds with our telepathic brains and funky glasses. So that’s how it could look in 2065, or maybe not.

But for sure there are some things that won’t change. We will still be paying taxes and politicians will still play their silly games. Oh, and Tottenham Hotspur will still be looking for that illusive Premier League title.