DHL targeting e-commerce, pharma

E-commerce fulfillment, and pharma shipments are two of the fastest growing air cargo segments, and this week DP-DHL subsidiaries, DHL eCommerce and DHL Global Forwarding have announced new facilities and initiatives to support the growth of both.

Looking first at e-commerce, on 12 March DHL eCommerce commenced operations at a new fulfillment center in Hong Kong that will support overseas merchants looking to move goods into mainland China through e-commerce channels. The center was built within DHL Supply Chain’s 92,000 sq. meter Interlink facility, which enables the integration of various DHL services.

DHL eCommerce’s front-end integration system interfaces with popular online marketplaces across China (Alibaba’s Tmall, Taobao, etc.), to connect physical inventory held within the center to the Chinese market. Such integration allows DHL to provide a host of order management and fulfillment services on a pay-per-use basis, including inbound freight, warehousing, cross-border clearance, and last-mile delivery.

Across the Pacific in the Americas, DHL Global Forwarding has CEIV-certified its first station in Bogota, Colombia. It has also outlined plans to certify seven DHL Air Thermonet stations in the United States, by the end of 2Q17. The Air Thermonet stations already run on LifeTrack, a cloud-based IT platform that provides tracking and visibility as consignments move throughout DHL’s supply chain, CEIV is the next step in quality assurance. Certification requires stations to undergo employee training, and complete a third-party audit to ensure pharma handling is in compliance with IATA’s best practices. CEIV takes into consideration a wide range of global standards such as the Temperature Control Regulations (TCR), the GDP (Good Distribution Practices) guidelines of the European Union, the Annex 5 of the World Health Organization and the United States Pharmacopeia Standards.

Stations slated for certification include:

• Atlanta, Georgia
• Chicago, Illinois
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Los Angeles, California
• Miami, Florida
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

Those interested in learning more about DHL’s thoughts on the air freight and express industry should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April, where Lars Winkelbauer will participate in a session on “The Impact of e-Commerce on Air Freight & Express.” Lars is DHL Express’ Vice President, Aviation, Network Planning & Control, Asia Pacific, and brings a deep knowledge of the industry to the session. For more information, or to register, go to CargoFactsAsia.com.