The DHL Innovation Centre, located between the cities of Cologne and Bonn, has been expandedwith an interactive “Hands-on Lab” room where the company presents its latest developments.
The prototypes presented at the Hands-on-Lab are not being produced yet but test runs for themare about to begin. In addition, pre-series products are exhibited which were designed in thelaboratory of the DHL Innovation Centre.
Counting about 10,000 visitors annually, the centre has been integrated into the newlyestablished DHL Solutions & Innovations unit, which bundles all innovation-related activitieswithin DHL.
“It is essential for the success of our development work that we provide solutions which reflectthe needs of our customers. Therefore, we have integrated the DHL Innovation Centre into the DHLSolutions & Innovations unit, thus ensuring that requests from each DHL business unit andvarious industry sectors will be incorporated into the development processes at a very earlystage,” explained Petra Kiwitt, Head of DHL Solutions & Innovations.
One of the prototypes displayed at the Hands-on Lab is “digitalStrom” which is an innovativesolution to control electricity consumption in an intelligent way. Another exhibit is “CargoguardSecure” that enables shipments to be secured through an electro-mechanical seal.
Customers can gain first-hand experience of all these prototypes. Based on their feedback, finaladjustments can be applied to the prototypes prior to the field testing. Logistics innovations andsector-specific solutions that have been tried and tested in the Hands-on Lab and already beingused in practice are presented in the showroom.
In time for the Innovation Centre’s third anniversary, important exhibits have been updated. Thelatest application enables real-time transmission of information on the transport status ofshipments. This solution offers customers 24/7 access to information on the position and conditionof their shipments and contributes to enhancing the security of freight transportation.
“Innovations stand for progress and the future – and the DHL Innovation Centre is the placewhere the future of logistics takes shape. For three years now, we have been cooperating withpartners from both the industry and the scientific sector to develop solutions that ensure thelong-term success of our customers,” said Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL.
Meanwhile, many products have proven themselves in day-to-day operations. The DHL SmartTruck,for example, is an intelligent delivery vehicle currently in use for DHL Express in Berlin. Itcoordinates deliveries, integrates pick-ups, takes account of traffic jams and automaticallycalculates the best route. Another example with future potential is the Smart Sensor Temperaturealso developed in the Innovation Centre. This electronic device monitors the temperature and otherexternal influences of a shipment throughout the transportation and is especially suited forbusinesses in the pharmaceutical, life sciences and food industries, DHL added.
