DHL Express today opened a new, state-of-the-art global head office and global Quality ControlCenter in Bonn, Germany, bringing together 260 senior managers under one roof.
The move to a new technologically advanced building will create greater synergy across itskey business functions. DHL also aims to bring increased collaboration between its express andlogistics businesses as a result of the new office’s close proximity to Deutsche Post World Net’sheadquarters.
Commenting on the opening of the new office, John Mullen, DHL Express CEO, said: “This marksthe start of a new era for DHL Express. Not only have we established our infrastructure globallybut we have engaged the right talent pool in our global team to forge stronger partnerships betweenthe business units. The new Express head office supports our aim to leverage the value addedservice offerings provided by the Express and Logistics teams and will enable a more collaborativeapproach to sales, service and subsequent talent development. In addition, the Global QualityControl Center will ensure we provide the proactive monitoring of our customers’ shipments, nomatter where they are in the world.”
Bärbel Dieckmann, Mayor of Bonn, who was present at the opening, commented: “DHL Expresscurrently manages around 124,000 employees worldwide from its head office in the heart of Bonn’snew business district (Charles-de-Gaulle-Straße). As a business unit of Deutsche Post World Net,DHL Express is a major employer and driver of business innovation in Bonn and its region.”
The new head office in Bonn, when fully occupied, will be home to 260 employees and willhouse DHL’s pioneering Global Quality Control Center. Adapted from the model already in operationin the Asia-Pacific region, the Quality Control Center is a state-of-the-art concept that willdrive service quality. It provides real time visibility and pro-active operational crisismanagement in operations across the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Global QualityControl Center is designed to ensure that the shipment information is visible to the network within15 minutes of the event capture. This means that every shipment can be processed immediately, andevery query answered promptly.
“Today’s customer wants reliability and speed, and it is DHL’s commitment to ensure that weare linked, in real-time, from courier pickup to ultimate shipment delivery,” Mullen commented. Thecenter will also act as DHL Express’ Global Crisis Command Center, allowing DHL to respond moreimmediately to any service level disruptions in case of a crisis and enabling it to providecustomers with an enhanced level of customer service.
As well as improving customer service, the DHL’s new global head office also supports thegroup-wide climate protection program GoGreen and its long-term commitment to sustainability. Thenew building has been designed to optimise its energy use. The floor and ceiling of the buildingare supplied with systems for concrete heating and cooling – a modern construction technique forminimising power consumption. The construction also allows the building to utilise geothermal powerand retain that warmth inside through superior heat insulation. In addition, solar panels have beenfitted to the building and every section has energy meters to monitor electricity and heat use.
