Deutsche Post AG
Adrian Dalsey (co-founder),
Larry Hillblom (co-founder), and
Robert Lynn (DHL) (co-founder)
DHL Express 9:00
DHL Express 12:00
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| Type | division |
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| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Bonn, Germany |
| Key people | Frank Appel CEO, Chairman Adrian Dalsey (co-founder), Larry Hillblom (co-founder), and Robert Lynn (DHL) (co-founder) |
| Industry | Express Logistics |
| Products | DHL Express Worldwide DHL Express 9:00 DHL Express 12:00 |
| Owner | Deutsche Post |
| Employees | 285,000 (2006) |
| Website | www.dhl.com |
DHL Express (originally standing for Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn), is a division of Deutsche Post World Net providing international express mail services.[1] DHL was founded as a company in 1969 by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn.[2] The trio initially provided a courier service between the Continental United States and Hawaii, then expanded the business from there. In 1998, Deutsche Post began to acquire shares in DHL, finally reached majority ownership in 2001, and completed the purchase in 2002. Deutsche Post then effectively absorbed DHL into its Express division while expanding the use of the DHL brand to other Deutsche Post divisions, business units and subsidiaries. Today, DHL Express shares its well-known DHL brand with other Deutsche Post business units such as DHL Global Forwarding or DHL Exel Supply Chain.
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DHL Express's global headquarters are located at the site of Deutsche Post headquarters in Bonn.
Headquarters for the Americas are located in Plantation, Florida, while its Asia-Pacific and EEMEA headquarters are located respectively in Singapore & Bahrain.
Most of DHL Express's business is incorporated as DHL International GmbH.
Major competitors include FedEx, UPS, TNT, and national post carriers such as United States Postal Service and Royal Mail. However, DHL has a minor partnership with the USPS, which allows DHL to deliver small packages to the recipient through the USPS network. This service, called DHL@Home, saves DHL from making expensive trips to residential areas to deliver a single package.
DHL is well known for its ability to offer services worldwide, including to countries such as Iraq and Myanmar. As it is German-owned, DHL is not affected by U.S. embargoes or sanctions and will ship to Cuba[3] and North Korea.[4] Starting in 2006, Deutsche Post World Net launched its First Choice initiative, which is being rolled out to all DPWN business organizations. The First Choice initiative has the goal of improving the way DHL and its parent company DPWN communicates with its customers, as well as strengthen customer loyalty and increase the efficiency and quality of all products and services offered.
As a foreign company, DHL is not allowed to make domestic flights between U.S. airports, so these freight flights are contracted out.[5]
DHL may require some international recipients to pay any customs charges into DHL's foreign bank account and proof of payment provided, before package delivery can be completed. Such cases may involve a physical journey to the DHL bank and/or the local DHL office, although the recipient can opt to pay for the charges of the delivery at their premises.
In Major League Baseball sponsorship, it is the "Official logistics provider of Major League Baseball" and sponsors the Hometown Heroes.
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This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (November 2008) |
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DHL began as a courier service between San Francisco and Honolulu in 1969. In the next few years, they expanded to the Pacific Rim, and soon to Europe. All US domestic flights were handled by DHL Airways, Inc. which in 2003 was renamed ASTAR Air Cargo. DHL's first airline still remains with over 550 pilots in service, as of October 2008.[6]
In a mail delivery company, the methods of transportation have immense effects on the environment. The amount of pollution emitted from vehicle transportation alone is a major responsibility for DHL. The revelation of adverse affects has prompted DHL to discuss and implement alternative options that are more conducive for the environment. Their efforts have been outreaching in road to achieving environmentally friendly goals.[18] DHL plans to overcome its negative environmental impacts through its operations on the ground. This is to enhance overall efficient transportation and processes that have qualified them to reach environmental requirements set up by governments.[19]
More intensive measures have been taken to physically control the amount of polluting by use of the alternative fuel examples. They have changed vehicles in certain delivery fleets in accordance to their use of newer fuel ideas. The fuel was switched to compressed natural gas which they hope to accomplish with 50% of their vans. Through their Environmental Management System (EMS), DHL “travels naturally”. The EMS is established to develop DHL’s environment objectives and future.[20][dead link]
On 16 September 2005 DHL won a High Court injunction establishing an exclusion zone around each of its 288 buildings in the UK as well as the homes of its 18,000 UK employees. The firm has been the subject of a campaign of intimidation because of their business with Huntingdon Life Sciences. The judge banned protesters from coming within 50 yards of any DHL premises or the homes of their employees as well as any organized demonstration within 100 yards unless the police had been given four hours' notice. The injunction also protects anyone doing business with DHL from intimidation.[21]
Deutsche Post owns four airline subsidiaries operating for DHL Express[22], which are collectively referred to as DHL Aviation:
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