DHL Express has strengthened its sales staff in Austria to target the country’s numerous small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and help them expand their export business.
The company said it now has 20 customer sales staff dedicated to supporting the internationalexpansion of the 300,000 SMEs that represent 99% of all companies in Austria and which account fortwo-thirds of all jobs.
“SMEs account for about 92% of the customer basis of DHL Express,” explained Ralf Schweighöfer,managing director DHL Express Austria. “The challenge is to support them successfully in theirexport activities. Although more than 99% of firms in the EU are classified as SMEs, their exportshare to non-EU countries is below 4%,” he pointed out.
According to a study conducted by IHS for DHL, international trade is an important successfactor for SMEs. Companies that are internationally active are twice as successful as those thatpurely focus on their home markets, the study found.
“As a logistics service company we provide important infrastructure and create a path forinternational trade. We can help our customers overcome barriers with our expertise and bydeveloping efficient solutions. With our expanded sales team we want to present this expertise evenmore strongly,” Schweighöfer concluded.
