10 May 2015
DHL, the world's leading logistics provider, opened the doors to its largest Air/Ground operations facility in Riyadh located at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Ken Allen, DHL Express CEO Nour Suliman DHL Express Middle East and North Africa CEO and Prince Mohammed bin Saud bin Naif who opened the center with the traditional unveiling of the plaque.
The $20.2 million state-of-the-art facility is part of DHL's expansion strategy in the Kingdom.
The bonded facility is 12,000 sqm with a built up area of 4,000 sqm, a great milestone for the future of Saudi Arabia's logistics industry.
It is the second of three new facilities that DHL Express has in plan for the Kingdom and that would total an investment size of over $95 million.
According to a report, Saudi Arabia is ranked second in logistics in the Agility Index just behind China with the UAE, Oman and Qatar being ranked for their 'market ompatibility'.
The investment will help support DHL's continued growth in Saudi Arabia and the wider region resulting in even better transit times and network reliability.
Nour Suliman, CEO, Middle East and North Africa, DHL Express, said: "The Middle East and North Africa and its trading links are growing in importance in the global logistics industry with strong growth projections for the next few years. Our plan is to be right at the center of that growth to serve our customers. Saudi Arabia is one of the region's biggest markets for DHL Express. Our capability in Saudi Arabia is a key revenue and service driver for the region."
DHL Express' new Riyadh facility will introduce a new network flight plus the continuous use of commercial flights which will bring in 7,500 shipments daily that will now be promptly cleared as the facility will have its own on-ground customs clearance that is Transport Asset Protection Association (TAPA) certified.
Spanning across an area of 12,000 square meters which is equivalent to 1.5 football pitches, some features of the new facility include:
4,700 square meters of indoor sorting and loading area.
Approximately 1,400 square meters of office space which will also serve as DHL's new head office in Riyadh/ Saudi Arabia.
Indoor loading for up to 38 courier vans, giving more security to customer's shipments, without exposure to sun or rain.
Over 90 CCTV cameras keeping track of every shipment across the facility, filming three months' worth of footage in just one day.
A conveyer and sorting belt extending across two floors measuring 600 meters.
The conveyor belt will automatically weigh, measure and photograph up to 18,000 shipments per day Geoff Walsh, country manager, DHL Express Saudi Arabia, commented: "This is a proud moment for us, our development in our capacity and network will allow us to meet the growing customer demand for fast and efficient shipment deliveries. The new facility will reduce the transit times by a day or two and will allow us to increase our flight capacity and schedules by 400 percent therefore boosting customer satisfaction."
DHL has been a pioneer in the Middle East logistics industry for more than 30 years and currently has 261 service centers and service points across 19 countries in the region and employs 5,000 employees across the Middle East of which nearly 1,000 are in Saudi Arabia.
Through its innovation, service excellence and commitment, DHL continues to offer customers superior logistics solutions.
DHL, the world's leading logistics provider, opened the doors to its largest Air/Ground operations facility in Riyadh located at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Ken Allen, DHL Express CEO Nour Suliman DHL Express Middle East and North Africa CEO and Prince Mohammed bin Saud bin Naif who opened the center with the traditional unveiling of the plaque.
The $20.2 million state-of-the-art facility is part of DHL's expansion strategy in the Kingdom.
The bonded facility is 12,000 sqm with a built up area of 4,000 sqm, a great milestone for the future of Saudi Arabia's logistics industry.
It is the second of three new facilities that DHL Express has in plan for the Kingdom and that would total an investment size of over $95 million.
According to a report, Saudi Arabia is ranked second in logistics in the Agility Index just behind China with the UAE, Oman and Qatar being ranked for their 'market ompatibility'.
The investment will help support DHL's continued growth in Saudi Arabia and the wider region resulting in even better transit times and network reliability.
Nour Suliman, CEO, Middle East and North Africa, DHL Express, said: "The Middle East and North Africa and its trading links are growing in importance in the global logistics industry with strong growth projections for the next few years. Our plan is to be right at the center of that growth to serve our customers. Saudi Arabia is one of the region's biggest markets for DHL Express. Our capability in Saudi Arabia is a key revenue and service driver for the region."
DHL Express' new Riyadh facility will introduce a new network flight plus the continuous use of commercial flights which will bring in 7,500 shipments daily that will now be promptly cleared as the facility will have its own on-ground customs clearance that is Transport Asset Protection Association (TAPA) certified.
Spanning across an area of 12,000 square meters which is equivalent to 1.5 football pitches, some features of the new facility include:
4,700 square meters of indoor sorting and loading area.
Approximately 1,400 square meters of office space which will also serve as DHL's new head office in Riyadh/ Saudi Arabia.
Indoor loading for up to 38 courier vans, giving more security to customer's shipments, without exposure to sun or rain.
Over 90 CCTV cameras keeping track of every shipment across the facility, filming three months' worth of footage in just one day.
A conveyer and sorting belt extending across two floors measuring 600 meters.
The conveyor belt will automatically weigh, measure and photograph up to 18,000 shipments per day Geoff Walsh, country manager, DHL Express Saudi Arabia, commented: "This is a proud moment for us, our development in our capacity and network will allow us to meet the growing customer demand for fast and efficient shipment deliveries. The new facility will reduce the transit times by a day or two and will allow us to increase our flight capacity and schedules by 400 percent therefore boosting customer satisfaction."
DHL has been a pioneer in the Middle East logistics industry for more than 30 years and currently has 261 service centers and service points across 19 countries in the region and employs 5,000 employees across the Middle East of which nearly 1,000 are in Saudi Arabia.
Through its innovation, service excellence and commitment, DHL continues to offer customers superior logistics solutions.
© Arab News 2015
