DHL Global Forwarding - Afrikan Heroes

DHL Global Forwarding Invests $8.2 million in New Facility in South Africa

January 13, 2021

Global logistics firm DHL Forwarding has invested the sum of $8.2 (126 million rand) in its new facility in South Africa which boasts of 10,000 square meters of warehousing space, doubling the existing capacity to meet future demand. The facility which is located near the Oliver Tambo International Airport Johannesburg sees the global logistics firm signing exclusive ten-year lease for approximately 13,000 square meters of office and warehousing space at the newly-developed Skyparks Business Estate.

In a strategic move that reinforces its commitment to the country, DHL Global Forwarding is investing ZAR 126.5 million into a new facility in Johannesburg. Aimed at cementing its market-leading position in South Africa, the new 13,000 sqm facility will be located within the bonded zone at Skyparks Business Estate – a hair’s breadth from the O.R. Tambo International Airport.

Clement Blanc, Managing Director, DHL Global Forwarding, South Africa said, “While it’s too early to fully grasp the economic impact of the current pandemic, our confidence in investing ahead of the curve is abetted by our diverse service portfolio and long-established foothold in Africa. As the world’s largest free trade (http://bit.ly/38G1YAp) area moves toward economic integration, our five-year strategy (http://bit.ly/3oDkcbc) to sharpen our core business offerings and accelerate digitalization will further our growth in the region and specifically, in South Africa.”

Twice the size of its current set-up, this new facility will consist of a 10,000 sqm warehouse that enables the leading forwarder to consolidate all its customers’ warehousing requirements. There will be an exclusive and specialized cold chain (http://bit.ly/3oIIssA) facility that consists of three adjustable temperature controlled refrigerators geared to handle the life science and healthcare products in and out of South Africa. The warehouse will also support other value added services including cross-docking, storage for air, ocean and road freight services, and a platform for breakbulk cargo (http://bit.ly/3bzKaZk).

“Custom-built to our world-class specifications and located in proximity to the airport, arterial thoroughfares and upcoming industrial parks, this new facility will be the game-changer for DHL in the country. We are well-poised to focus on delivering excellence to our customers as we surround ourselves with the critical infrastructure that is needed to enhance our productivity and efficiency,” added Blanc.

Even as the South African economy is expected to inch forward by about 1-2% (http://bit.ly/2K7UTiv) in the next two years, industry observers are optimistic that the government’s commitment to improve investment and efforts to revitalize townships and industrial parks will reap much-needed benefits. Equally, a flourishing e-commerce sector will drive greater demand (http://bit.ly/35udHQk) for retail warehousing and distribution space, especially for perishables and fast-moving consumer goods.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

DHL Reshuffles Management in West Africa and Morocco for Bigger Impacts

June 10, 2020

Global logistics giants DHL Global Forwarding has embarked on efforts aimed at sharpening its focus on West Africa and Morocco with three new executive strategic leadership appointments. DHL Global Forwarding which is the leading international provider of air, ocean and road freight solutions has strengthened its leadership teams in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Morocco with new country manager appointments. In the West Africa region, Gisele Bambara will now lead a team made up of almost 80% women in Burkina Faso, where they have grown the business exponentially in the past 14 months to establish DHL Global Forwarding as the preferred logistics provider of choice among its customers.

Serigne Ndanck Mbaye, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, West Africa

Lamine Junior Cisse will assume the dual role of country manager for Senegal as well as the region’s Industrial Projects commercial manager. He joined DHL from an international energy firm and takes over the country manager position from Elhadji Galaye Ndaw while Ndaw has been tapped for his expertise in business development, sales and marketing to advance the business in Cote d’Ivoire for the company. All three executives will report directly to Serigne Ndanck Mbaye, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, West Africa.

Tina Manoukian, an industry veteran who has been with DHL for 22 years, has been appointed to manage DHL Global Forwarding’s growing presence in Morocco, reporting directly to Pramod Bagalwadi, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Sub-Saharan Africa. DHL has been expanding its automotive portfolio in the past few years as the country emerges as one of the continent’s largest motor industries.

Bagalwadi is excited about the North African country prospects. “Morocco is really buzzing at the moment, thanks to the government’s efforts to invest substantially on rail and road infrastructure as part of its economic strategy. We have seen an influx of foreign direct investments, especially in its automotive industry, due to the numerous automotive free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States. I’m confident that Tina will help raise the bar further for our business in Morocco,” said Bagalwadi.

Speaking on the new strategic leadership changes, Mr. Mbaye notes that “the economic outlook for West Africa remains positive, and we are especially upbeat about the opportunities present in these three countries, which are among the continent’s top ten economies. With these new country heads, I am convinced that we are now better equipped to advance our market leading position in the forwarding business,” said Mbaye.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

DHL Global Forwarding Launches One-Stop Customer Portal for Digital Logistics

May 19, 2020

Tim Scharwath, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Freight

The role of global supply chains in keeping economies moving was brought to the fore with the disruptions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic thus forcing logistics industry to start innovating to keep pace with expanding needs. To this end, leading global logistics outfit, DHL, in line with its Group’s Strategy 2025 themed “Delivering Excellence in a Digital World” , today simultaneously launched its new integrated digital platform in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The myDHLi platform is the only fully integrated online platform for freight forwarding customers. With its highly intuitive user interface which makes it easy to use and ensures that customers have all relevant information at hand. The uniqueness of this platform is that it reflects already well established social media functions like follow and share, relevant information can be easily accessed across organizations and trading partners.

Add to that, the myDHLi offers completely transparent management of freight rates, offers, transport modes, carbon emissions, and all other relevant shipment data is readily available with just a few clicks and can be displayed in detailed analyses and reports. One of the most unique aspects is the benefit of full visibility and control over all shipping and transport modes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Despite accelerating digitalization and super-fast connectivity customers have a need for reduced complexity. And that is exactly what our tool does,” says Tim Scharwath, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Freight. “We have created a one-stop customer portal that is tailored to the needs of our customers. By combining services like online quotation and booking with shipment tracking, document accessibility, and data analyses we are creating not only 360-degrees visibility, but also have laid the foundation for customers to manage their logistics – anytime and anywhere. We strongly believe that digitalization bears the potential to ease and improve the daily business of shippers and freight forwarders simultaneously. This is even truer during unpredictable and challenging times such as those we are currently facing with COVID-19, and which might now act as an accelerator for digitizing the industry. That is what digitalization means to us and why we made it a cornerstone of our strategy 2025.”

The platform merges existing online services like myDHLi Quote + Book and myDHLi Analytics with new services and features, and incorporates them into one innovative platform. Services like a very efficient search capability enhance the user experience. On top, developed completely in-house, the new tracking service uses end-to-end information to make shipments across air and ocean visible nearly in real-time. This gives users complete control – from pick-up to final delivery. The service also offers raw data Excel extracts. Another new feature is myDHLi Documents, which offers quick and easy access to downloadable shipment documents. All documents – quotes, commercial invoice, packing list, house bill, invoice, proof of delivery, etc. – are stored in one place. The designers adapted a mobile-first approach for seamless use on all devices. Built-in popular social media features like follow and share functions simplify communication along the supply chain by enabling customers to exchange information with colleagues, customers and suppliers. Furthermore, data can be easily analyzed and exported or directly integrated to own systems, based on a suite of APIs.

myDHLi features a modular build-up. Users can individualize their portal by selecting the specific services they want. Thanks to the single sign-on registration process, all services are available from the beginning. No additional registration or sign-in processes are needed. myDHLi is free of charge for all DHL Global Forwarding customers. The launch begins with a pilot phase including selected customers from five continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa). myDHLi is being rolled out in waves to ensure a smooth region-by-region transition. Interested customers can register for onboarding to myDHLi. Regular updates based on customer feedback will be shared. The previous customer portal, DHLi, will be available until the myDHLi roll-out is complete. DHL Global Forwarding, Freight is continuously working on new services to offer its customers a state-of-the-art experience – all in line with Deutsche Post DHL Group’s Strategy 2025 goal of “Delivering Excellence in a Digital World.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

DHL Global Forwarding Wins Africa’s Certified Top Employer for 2020

November 25, 2019

For creating an environment that has led to implementation of “people first” human resource best practices in Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa, and also investing in the best team of freight forwarding experts across the continent, DHL Global Forwarding has been recognized as Africa’s top employer. The certification which was awarded by Top Employer Institute, attests to DHL’s achievement in implementing best practices, focused on fostering a positive work environment and encouraging its employees’ personal and professional development.

The HR Best Practice Survey conducted by the Top Employers Institute is designed to identify companies demonstrating a continuous commitment to empowering their employees for a better world of work. Primarily, it looks into key areas within the organization including talent strategy, talent acquisition, learning and development, performance Management, leadership development and culture.

Speaking on the recognition, the CEO DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa, Amadou Diallo said that people development anchors their business strategy “because we believe that when we invest in building motivated and well-engaged teams, they will deliver their best for our customers. Therefore, we have always invested in training and engagement programs to ensure that our employees possess the right skill sets, values and winning mindsets, to best achieve their career aspirations with the company”.

Eva Mattheeussen, Head of Human Resources, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa said, “We work very closely with the country teams to ensure that people development is at the heart of the organization and that leaders always keep an eye on employees’ personal and professional well-being. Over the years, we have built a robust program to keep employees engaged and are equipped to provide best-in-class logistics services to our customers. Our status as a Top Employer this year highlights our achievement and commitment to being an employer of choice in the region.”

At DHL Global Forwarding, training opportunities and talent development programs are consistently reviewed to ensure that they are the most rigorous, and benchmarked against the requirements of the industry. All employees go through a mandatory DHL Certified Forwarder program upon induction, to ensure that they adhere to the same global standards as colleagues in the global network, abiding by the strictest code of conduct and business principles. In Africa, DHL Global Forwarding has been running a successful Talent program since 2015, which identifies and provides high-performing non-executives with coaching and mentorship opportunities and project tasks, to prepare them for future leadership roles within the organization. Diversity in the workforce is also celebrated and there is a “Women in Leadership” program tailored to prepare selected individuals for country leadership positions in the near future.

In total, Top Employer Institute has certified and recognized over 1500 Top Employers in more than 118 countries and regions across five continents and impacted the lives of over 6 million employees around the world. As the global authority on excellence in people practices in the workplace, the organization certifies and recognizes companies in participating countries who demonstrate that they are an employer of choice in the regions in which they operate.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.