DHL to open logistics ‘innovation center’ near Chicago

DHL is deepening its foray in logistics innovation with a new presence in the United States, today releasing plans to open an innovation-focused facility in Rosemont, Ill. The new location, located just outside the Chicago area, will offer partners and clients a look into what DHL predicts its transport infrastructure to look like in 2050, with the implementation of the industry’s most talked about up-and-coming innovations – namely, automation, artificial intelligence (A.I.), robotics, self-driving vehicles, the internet of things (IoT) and virtual reality.

The logistics giant has already established similar innovation centers in Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, with centers in Troisdorf, Germany and Singapore. This Illinois-based facility will be its third innovation center internationally, but the first in the Americas.

Matthias Heutger, senior vice president of DHL’s global head of innovation and commercial development department, said that, with the new facility, “We will be able to create a platform for research and collaborative innovation between DHL customers, startups, academia, industry partners, and innovation experts in the Americas region.”

The Rosemont location will be in close proximity to the Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and major leaders in logistics within the Chicago-hub network. The 24,000-square-foot facility is set to open by summer of 2019, areas of which will be open to the public.