The Kingdom’s leading logistics solution provider, SNAS/DHL, has announced an ambitious modernization and expansion plan with an aim to provide support and services to the various sectors of the Kingdom, mainly oil, business, travel and tourism industries. This was revealed by David A. Wilson, who has been named as head of the DHL operations for Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.
Wilson, who has also worked as country manager for DHL Saudi Arabia, said, “SNAS/DHL has replaced its old fleet of 240 vehicles with new ones in Saudi Arabia.” “We have also doubled our heavy weight capacity, which will eventually result in doubling our customer base,” said the DHL regional chief, adding that plans are also afoot to acquire a new aircraft that will operate on the Jeddah-Riyadh-Manama route.
“DHL is currently investing millions of riyals in Saudi Arabia to create new facilities and expand its operation,” said Wilson, who currently manages the Saudi operation also. He said that the name of new DHL country manager for Saudi Arabia will be announced later next month as DHL, which has the world’s largest express and logistics network, is seeking larger presence in the region including the Kingdom.
The DHL’s Saudi operation now boasts of the best infrastructure with dedicated facilities, hundreds of highly trained staff, a world-class regional air and road transport fleet and an intra-Gulf road transport division. On the new expansion plan, Wilson said that the $35 million earmarked to boost DHL’s business presence will have a three-year staggered investment schedule under which new facilities will be created in this region.
In fact, SNAS/DHL, the Kingdom’s leading express and logistics provider, has also invested heavily in technology. In fact, more than 60 percent of its shipments in Saudi Arabia are paperless using the upgraded DHL Connect system. The addresses in Saudi Arabia where a customer can leave a shipment for delivery are expanding fast across the Kingdom. A number of office locations including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran and Dammam are serving the customers.
The company is also heavily involved in community welfare programs. Its “Be A Hero” annual blood donation program has recently concluded. It has also been supporting many community initiatives across the Middle East and Saudi Arabia.
A report released by the DHL said that DHL Connect, DHL’s web-based customer interface, is a desktop Internet enabled software solution for small to medium volume shippers. It has a comprehensive range of support functions for managing international shipments, from scheduling bookings to document creation, packaging orders and detailed tracking. DHL Express customers, who benefit greatly from the reduced time-cost and integrated, tracking functions, heavily use the service.
More than 2,000 DHL customers were using the service at the end of 2006. Approximately 8,000 shipments per month are sent using this system in Saudi Arabia, and the number is growing daily. Referring to the ever-expanding services offered by the DHL, the report said that the DHL serves every nook and corner of Saudi Arabia now. Its service network includes hundreds of locations in the Middle East.
Not only this, the report said that the DHL now provides next day delivery from Europe to all US business addresses. It said that DHL is now upgrading its service between Europe and North America. Since April 10, 2007, DHL customers in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy can take advantage of DHL's new next day service to the US, Canada and Mexico. With afternoon pick-up in Europe and next day delivery to all major business addresses throughout the USA, the new service means cutting transit times in half for most DHL parcels and documents heading west across the Atlantic.
DHL opened its first Middle East office in Bahrain in 1976, establishing what has become a major distribution hub in the region. Besides Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, DHL’s international network links more than 180,000 employees dedicated to providing fast and reliable services that exceed customers’ expectations. The company offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport and logistics solutions to individuals and companies in over 220 countries across the globe.
