DHL Express expects historical peak season in 2020

• Globalization and digitalization are driving online
  shopping and worldwide shipping to new heights whilst Covid-19 accelerates e-commerce
  boom
• DHL Express’ global network expects more than 50% increase in volumes during 2020 peak season, compared to 2019
• DHL Express is prepared: More than 10,000
  additional hires, new aircraft, and significantly increased operations capacity
  through annual investments of approx. EUR 1 billion

SINGAPORE�- Media OutReach - 28 October
2020 - DHL Express, the
world’s leading express service provider, expects unprecedented online shopping
and shipping volumes during the upcoming peak season of 2020. With continued
globalization and the Covid-19 pandemic driving consumers to shop online like
never before, especially during upcoming mega shopping days such as ‘Black
Friday’ and ‘Singles Day’, DHL Express is expecting an all-time high in e-commerce
trade around the globe. Having already experienced around 35% e-commerce shipment
volume growth in 2020, the upcoming peak season will further accelerate this and
result in more than 50% higher shipment quantities compared to last year’s peak
season.

DHL Express expects more than 50% increase in volumes during the 2020 peak season and has hired more than 10,000 employees globally.

“Over the years, we have seen consumers and even businesses shift their
purchases online, but the pandemic has truly pushed the trend to leapfrog a few
years ahead,” said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific. “At DHL Express, it is our mission to enable
global trade and support our customers during the most important days of their
business. The upcoming peak season will be challenging to the logistics industry,
but we stand ready to make sure that our customers’ shipments are delivered as
fast and as safely as possible. We are proud of the steadfast commitment of our
employees and couriers who are out there to fulfil our mission of connecting
people and improving their lives.”

DHL Express has taken numerous
precautionary measures for over 100,000 employees operating in more than 220
countries and territories, such as providing face masks and disinfectants, and implementing
social distancing and remote working where suitable. The company has also developed
safe delivery procedures including removing the need for customers to sign for
their shipments. These steps taken helped to secure business continuity for DHL,
our customers and global trade.

DHL Express is prepared for
significantly higher volumes and an earlier peak season start

It comes as no surprise
that e-commerce numbers are rising given its growth trajectory in past years.
However, the volume of shipments have grown tremendously higher than expected
due to Covid-19. Numbers from the most important shopping occasions from
earlier this year have already shown an increase in online e-commerce shipment
volumes by at least 35%.

Facing
such increasing volumes and Covid-19 spreading around the globe in parallel,
the challenges for logistics providers are tremendous. In addition to the
consistent observation of the situation and flexible management of precautionary
measures to keep employees safe, the unprecedented peak of shipments poses an
additional challenge for logistics. To be prepared, DHL Express has hired more
than 10,000 new employees globally. Thanks to its annual investments in
infrastructure such as hubs and gateways, aircraft, vehicles and
state-of-the-art technology, the company was able to multiply the capacity of
its operations significantly and therefore manage the upcoming volumes.

“In
Asia Pacific, we are expecting this year’s peak season shipment volumes to be
30-40% larger than last year. While these are extraordinary numbers, our
state-of-the-art facilities, dedicated aircraft fleet, and insanely customer
centric employees are fully prepared to meet our customers’ requirements. DHL
Express invests approximately EUR 1 billion annually to improve its
infrastructure, network and people, so that we are prepared for these kinds of
situations and to ensure that global trade continues even in the most
challenging periods,” said Sean Wall, Executive Vice President, Network
Operations & Aviation, DHL Express Asia Pacific.

To
manage the demands of e-commerce shipping and also of highly important personal
protective equipment and medical goods, a large number of additional cargo
flights is necessary, as most commercial passenger aircraft are still on the
ground. To counter this, DHL Express has increased the number of its daily
flights significantly. This year alone, the company has already commissioned four
new wide body aircraft of the model B777 F in its operations, and two more units
are expected in the next month. These six additional aircraft enable the
company to carry out more than 3,000 additional intercontinental flights per
year.

DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand
in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of
logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery,
e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air
and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000
employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects
people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade
flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including
technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing &
energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The
logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group
generated revenues of more than 63 billion euros in 2019. With sustainable
business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group
makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to
achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.