DHL Announces US$8.8 Million Investment In NZ

DHL Announces US$8.8 Million Investment In NZ

DHL Bolsters Capabilities with New US$8.8 Million Investment in New Zealand
• New facility launched to leverage operational synergies and meet anticipated growth, following 20% company growth in past two years
• Enables productivity and processing-time improvements of 10%

Auckland, July 2009 – DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, on Friday 10 July announced a fresh investment of US$8.8 million (NZ$14M) in New Zealand. The investment goes towards a new 11,600sqm (125,000 sq ft) state-of-the-art building in Westney Industry Park, adjacent to the Auckland International Airport. The new DHL Global Forwarding office and warehouse facility will support anticipated business growth and offer enhanced logistics solutions to customers from all industry sectors.

Auckland Mayor Hon John Banks, who is spoke at the official media launch of the new building, said, “Fourteen million dollars is a significant investment in the city’s infrastructure at a time when it is particularly needed. A major multinational company making a long-term investment in the areas of infrastructure, transport and logistics sends a positive signal to business as we work to strengthen the economy.”

“We have seen our business in New Zealand grow 20% over the past two years with the life science pharmaceutical, industrial and FMCG sectors as primarily sectors of growth. In this current economic climate, businesses are looking to improve logistics efficiencies and stay competitive. We see tremendous opportunity ahead and this investment reinforces our commitment to New Zealand,” said Amadou Diallo, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding South Asia Pacific.

“The new premises will provide for business growth and improved process capabilities will enhance productivity by over 10%. By combining our Auckland operational sites into one purpose-built facility, our ocean freight service is able to use the site for the unpacking of ocean freight containers, providing delivery improvements to customers of at least half a day,” said Tony Boll, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding South Pacific.

A specific area of significant expansion over the past 18 months has been the Door to More service, an assembly service, piloted in New Zealand. The service consolidates multiple vendor shipments to a single shipment for the international movement and local customs clearance. This consolidated shipment is then broken down to individual deliveries to multiple customers (retail or domestic).

DHL Global Forwarding New Zealand, Managing Director, Brian Broom said,” Since the introduction of the Door to More service in New Zealand, we have seen significant take-up of this service to and from Australia, New Zealand’s largest trading partner. The success of this service has been evident in measurable growth in the pharmaceutical, industrial and FMCG sectors in particular.”

The new DHL Global Forwarding facility and office will meet increasingly complex customer requirements. The new facility has increased office space and greater warehousing capacity, specifically:

• Office space of 2,864 sqm (30,850 sq ft) over two levels;
o The design of office space and selection of equipment in consultation with a doctor of ergonomics; all staff members share the same open-plan space;
• Warehousing space of 4,941 sqm (53,200 sq ft);
o This space includes more bulk areas than in previous premises, supporting the company’s ‘virtual warehouse’ offering extended to customers through the Door to More product;
• Building canopies for goods acceptance/dispatch of 3,391 sqm (36,500 sq ft);
o The full weather-proof canopies ensure DHL Global Forwarding can protect the integrity of customers’ product as it is moved to and from warehousing; enhanced security features include electric fencing, CCTV, and a security house for entry/exit control;
• Chiller/freezer/transit storage of 182 sqm (2000 sq ft);
o This supports the life science segment of the DHL Global Forwarding business, by ensuring perishable products are stored at the required temperature – this new capacity has enabled the company to explore new opportunities in this market segment;
• Transit depot of 91 sqm (1000 sq ft);
o A stand alone warehouse to provide segregation or products when required, and short-term storage from the main facility.

The new building is designed to maximize the efficiency of business operations and the work environment, with the architecture aligned with principles of the New Zealand Green Building Council’s ‘4 Star Green Star’ rating : the building includes advanced green features relating to indoor environmental quality measures, energy measures and emissions and pollution control.

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