DHL Express opens €85m South Asia Hub


DHL Express has opened its €85m DHL South Asia Hub, a 24-hour express hub facility located within Changi Airfreight Centre (CAC) at Singapore Changi Airport. According to DHL Express, the 23,600 sq m facility is outfitted with the industry’s first fully automated express parcel sorting and processing system in South Asia.

According to the company, the average daily shipments for Oceania grew approximately 50% between 2012 and 2015, whilst South Asia saw 30% growth over the same period and Southeast Asia rose by 25%. The new facility is 33 percent larger than the previous hub, providing DHL with additional capacity to handle the growing shipment volumes for regional and international destinations. With the hub located within the CAC, a 24-hour Free Trade Zone managed by Changi Airport Group, consignments can be shipped or transhipped within an hour.

Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express, said, “Over the years, we’ve invested significantly to bolster our network and services in Asia Pacific. Our investment in the DHL South Asia Hub is the most recent in a series of global network investments made, and is the largest infrastructural investment made in Singapore to date. The country’s strategic location not only boosts our operational network capabilities, but also supports growing trade in the region aided by a stronger global economy¹.”

Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, “The DHL South Asia Hub is a significant milestone in further enhancing our multi-hub strategy in the region. With four hubs in Asia Pacific – Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok – this links over 70 DHL Express Gateways located throughout the region. Together, these facilities reinforce our customer commitment to provide the most efficient international express connectivity between key markets in the region. This will also allow us to add more network flights in and out of Singapore, such as the recent introduction of the Phnom Penh-Bangkok flight that adds to our existing Bangkok-Singapore service, as regional trade continues to grow.”

The facility processes up to 24,000 shipments and documents per hour and can handle more than 628 tonnes of cargo during the peak processing window. The company states that this processing speed is six times faster, while the handling capacity is three times more, as compared to the manual operations in the previous facility.

The increased efficiency is achieved from the improved sorting speed and accuracy of the automated system, multi-dimensional tunnel scanners that accelerate barcode reading, and automated X-ray machines that scan packages up to three times faster than previous systems. These automation systems also enhance productivity, enabling employees to focus on higher value tasks such as risk mitigation to prevent potential shipment delays, issues management, and additional security inspection.

Source: Deutsche Post DHL Group