Tag: DHL

Asia Pacific – Social commerce and conscious consumerism have emerged as top contributors to online shopping behaviours in Asia-Pacific, according to logistics company DHL’s latest report. 

In a survey including Australia, China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand, more than 90% of respondents reported that they have purchased from social media platforms. In China, Douyin, WeChat, and Kuaishou users also purchase from the platforms. In Thailand, 7 out 10 shoppers use the TikTok application, while Instagram and Facebook are used for online shopping in India.

Meanwhile, conscious consumerism is also on the rise with 70% of online shoppers viewing sustainability as an important factor before purchasing items online. Finding sustainability as a significant consideration are 83% of Indian shoppers, 77% of Thai shoppers, 67% of Malaysian shoppers, 59% of Chinese shoppers and 57% of Australian shoppers.

Consumers also prefer to know if their deliveries are climate-friendly with 73% of social media shoppers saying they want to know the carbon dioxide emissions of their delivery. 

Consequently, 75% of shoppers report knowing their delivery provider before purchasing online in pursuit of efficiency and reliability. 

“Online shopping behaviors are changing rapidly, driven by the rise of social commerce, conscious consumerism, and increased consumer spending. These present both opportunities and challenges for e-commerce businesses looking to penetrate and thrive in a dynamic Asia-Pacific market. With the region’s e-commerce market expected to reach over $3 trillion by 2028, businesses must tailor their strategies to target and engage online buyers, who have a plethora of shopping platform alternatives. This also means voluntarily offering information on carbon emissions and providing reliable delivery options to differentiate from competitors,” Pablo Ciano, chief executive officer at DHL eCommerce, said.

“Asia Pacific consumers will only continue to transact more online. With virtual reality, artificial intelligence and metaverse anticipated to redefine customer engagement and online shopping, companies must be quick to adapt to consumer expectations, by reducing the business’s environmental impact and picking a trusted delivery partner. Only then can companies expand their customer base and foster customer loyalty,” Ciano added.

Singapore – International express service provider DHL Express has announced several strategic leadership changes in Asia Pacific, with Yung C. Ooi as the new senior vice president for commercial APAC, Andy Chiang as managing director in Hong Kong and Macau, Ji Hun (Michael) Han as managing director in Korea, and Chee Choong Ng as managing director in Taiwan.

The latest appointment changes and elevations aim to strengthen DHL Express’ leadership team and foster the business’ growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

In his new role as SVP for commercial, Yung will spearhead the company’s commercial strategy, working to seize business growth opportunities in APAC. He will be taking over from Yasmin Khan, who has now retired after 23 years of service at DHL Group.

Yung brings with him his extensive experience in sales management and brand marketing communications to his new appointment. He previously served as DHL Express’s managing director in Taiwan, where he successfully led the team on a yield-focused growth path to achieve solid revenue and EBIT results.

Applying his knowledge of data analytics, he will continue to focus on improving the customer experience to solidify the company’s position in the region.

Meanwhile, Chiang, in his newly appointed position, will continue to build on the company’s legacy of reliability and adaptability as he steps in as the new managing director for DHL Express Hong Kong and Macau. Prior to his appointment, he was the head of global strategic finance for DHL Express.

With a career spanning more than 30 years and in various countries and regional finance roles, Chiang will use his strong finance background to lead a robust network, including one of DHL’s three global hubs located in Hong Kong, four service centres, and approximately 750 retail outlets and service points.

Also transitioning to his new role as managing director for DHL Express Korea, Han will tackle the role of leading the Korea team in delivering results and exceeding business targets as they harness customer opportunities in one of the world’s largest e-commerce markets. He will take over from Byung Koo Han, who has also decided to retire after 16 years at DHL Group.

Han formerly served as vice president for commercial at DHL Express Korea. He brings with him an expansive portfolio in sales, marketing, and general management in the retail and pharmaceutical industries.

Lastly, with more than 20 years of experience across various operational roles, logistics veteran Ng will now head DHL Taiwan as its new managing director. In this promotion, he will be responsible for expanding the company’s presence and strengthening customer relationships.

He previously served as managing director for DHL Express Hong Kong and Macau in 2020, where he led the team to overcome several challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

All four of the newly appointed heads are part of the Asia-Pacific Management Board.

Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, “Asia Pacific is a key driver for global growth. There are tremendous opportunities here that we are keen to leverage. As we prepare for global trade recovery, I am confident that the team will lead the way in our region. We always take pride in our commitment to nurturing talent from within. This is a testament to our dedication to fostering growth and offering rewarding career progression opportunities within our company.”

Singapore – DHL Supply Chain has announced an investment of €350m (US$369.8m) in Southeast Asia to expand its warehousing capacity, workforce and sustainability initiatives. The regional investment is part of the company’s €1.35b strategic investment globally.

Some of the notable developments which will benefit from the investment include 40,000 square meters DHL Maheswara Green Logistics facility in West Java, Indonesia, 18,000 square meters Penang Logistics Hub 5 (PLH5) in Malaysia, 50,000 square meters built-to-suit facility in the Philippines, and 60,000 square meters of space acquired from a local business in Singapore.

DHL Supply Chain will also continue to develop its Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) while introducing other warehouse technology in selected markets such as auto-stores, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) for pallets and large goods, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). These digitalisation initiatives also allow employees to upskill themselves in such implementations.

Moreover, it has reinforced its commitment to people development as it seeks to create over 3,000 job opportunities across Southeast Asia by 2024. In addition, the company plans to double its EV fleet in Southeast Asia over the next five years.

Oscar de Bok, CEO at DHL Supply Chain, said, “There is an incredible opportunity for businesses in Southeast Asia to strengthen supply chain resiliency. Companies are looking at diversifying their supply chains. Southeast Asia, with its efficient work environment and effective trade agreements such as the China-ASEAN FTA, stands to benefit the most. Our multi-market investment of EUR350 million in this region complements our global investment strategy.”

He added, “These are strategic investments we take – despite the generally softer market environment – because we invest in the future growth of our business and strongly believe in the strategic expansion and diversification of our regional businesses. This puts us in a prime position to support our customers’ growth and omnisourcing strategy in the long term.”

Meanwhile, Javier Bilbao, CEO at DHL Supply Chain Asia-Pacific, commented, “We are not just increasing our capacity, but we are building logistics centers that can cater to future demand for our customers through robotics and sustainability initiatives. For example, we are equipping our upcoming fifth facility in Penang – PLH5 with state-of-the-art automated pallet storage and retrieval system and goods-to-person robotics technology to handle small parts picking.”

Singapore – DHL Global Forwarding, the freight specialist arm of DHL Group, has announced three strategic leadership appointments in Asia Pacific: Karsten Michaelis as the new president and representative director of DHL Global Forwarding Japan; Edwin Pinto as managing director of DHL Global Forwarding India; and Praveen Gregory as the new SVP Ocean Freight of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. 

The new appointments are in line with the upcoming retirements of Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, and Charles Kauffman, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding North Asia and South Pacific (NASP). He will step down from his role after more than five decades of valued service to the group.

Kaufmann will hand over country responsibility for Japan to his successor, Karsten Michaelis, while continuing to look after the cluster until the end of the year.

Michaelis will take over Kauffman’s role as president and representative director at DHL Global Forwarding Japan. In his new role, Karsten will be based in Japan and report to Charles Kaufmann.

Michaelis carries with him an extensive career spanning over two decades in the logistics sector. He has been based primarily in the Asia-Pacific region, in locations such as Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Australia, and Singapore. Since joining the group in 2011, Karsten has taken on several managerial roles for Ocean Freight in Asia Pacific, including his most recent position as SVP, Ocean Freight DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, in 2017.

On the other hand, Edwin Pinto’s appointment as the new managing director for DHL Global Forwarding India comes after the promotion of Niki Frank as the new CEO at DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. He is set to assume his new role by September 2023 in India, and he will report directly to Niki Frank.

Pinto is currently serving as the head of sales and marketing at DHL Global Forwarding in Thailand and Indochina. He joined DHL in 2001 in India and has since worked in several management roles across DHL Global Forwarding. 

Working for the automotive sector, Pinto gained experience across various positions until being named sector director DGF for the South Asia, Pacific, and Africa region in 2010. As of 2012, he was promoted to head of key account management at DGF India. Prior to his current role, Edwin relocated to Thailand in 2014, working as Director of Commercial and Customer Program Management at DGF. 

Meanwhile, Praveen Gregory will also assume his new position as SVP Ocean Freight at DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific by September 2023.

In his new role, Praveen will be based in Singapore and will report directly to Niki Frank, with a dotted line to Casper Ellerbaek, the EVP Global Ocean Freight at DHL Global Forwarding.

Before joining DHL Group in Dubai Ocean Freight Operations in 2008, Praveen had worked for Maersk. In 2010, he relocated to Germany and held several roles in market intelligence and strategy and product development. He moved to Hong Kong in 2018 to take on regional management roles in Ocean Commercial Center and Account Management ISC. In 2022, he assumed his current position as VP Order Management Solutions Asia Pacific.

Speaking on the appointment, Niki Frank said, “With Kelvin and Charles retiring this year, it has opened up a few key positions that we had to fill, and I am glad that we could do so with candidates from the network. This goes to show that we can nurture and retain talent while providing the right opportunities for growth to our employees.” 

“All of them bring the right experience, the required expertise and will provide a fresh perspective to these roles,” he added. 

Singapore – Deutsche Post DHL (DPDHL) Group, the global company for logistics operations, has elevated its very own Amanda De Silva to now lead as vice president for DHL Asia Pacific’s group communications, brand, and sustainability. In this new role, she will be directing and shaping the communications function and establishing the regional functional strategy for integrated communications in the APAC region.

 
“Amanda brings a wealth of experience to her current role with more than 22 years in the communications industry. I fully believe the region will grow from strength to strength under her remarkable leadership,” said Monika Schaller, global head of communications, sustainability, and brand at DPDHL Group.

De Silva comes from her former role as head of employee & digital communications in the company for APAC. She’s been with DHL for more than 10 years, joining the team in 2011 as a corporate communications manager for Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Within this role, she led regional communications campaigns, working across the various business divisions on news development and media relations, before assuming the role of head of corporate responsibility programs in 2015. Five years after, she was promoted to head of organizational communications for DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific. 

Way before her addition to the DHL team, she’s accumulated a decade of experience in the agency side working in PR firms across the markets of Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

“I am delighted to be taking on this role and leading such a fantastic team to spearhead various initiatives for the DPDHL Group. The Asia Pacific region is of the fastest-growing regions in the world, and therefore we must employ the right communication strategies to generate adequate growth and impact for the company,” commented De Silva. 

In line with the fresh movements, Thomas Ng, currently head of organizational communications will be taking over De Silva’s former position as the head of employee and digital Communications for DHL Asia Pacific.

Singapore – DHL, a logistics provider, has announced the appointment of Lau Tian Chen as the new head of its Asia Pacific innovation center (APIC) in Singapore. Asia Pacific Innovation Center (APIC) is a collaborative platform for customers, partners, and other innovative thinkers to showcase the latest advancements in logistics-related technology. APIC is one of four DHL innovation centers worldwide.

Chen has established himself as a skilled and flexible leader in DHL’s numerous business units over the course of the last two decades. Before joining DHL Global Forwarding in 2006, Chen worked for DHL Express Malaysia, where he was named head of commercial in 2008. He was SEA’s vice president of business development before joining fast-growing Enterprise in 2010. Later, he was in charge of the Iskandar global center of excellence in Singapore.

On his appointment Chen said, “It is an exciting time to deep dive into emerging logistics trends and engage industry partners to advance innovation in the region. We aim to simply tech buzz words like loT, digital twin, big data, and blockchain and utilize it to develop commercially viable solutions that can help businesses solve real problems and to impact lives of their customers.”

“What drives me at work every day is the talented team at APIC and the possibilities they bring to solve problems of today and the future with technology. I look forward to further deepening collaboration with my colleagues across the DHL family, and forming stronger bonds with innovation partners in the public and private sectors,” Chen adds.

Matthias Heutger, global head of innovation and commercial development at DHL, shared that the world is moving at an unprecedented rate of digital transformation, with Asia Pacific at its forefront. By 2023, IDC predicts that one in three companies in Asia Pacific will generate more than 30% of their revenues from digital products and services.”

Heutger emphasised, “Digitalization is key to the future success of businesses. We strive to propagate new technological solutions through our innovation centers and collaborate with customers, partners and thought leaders to solve complex logistics challenges and create long-term value for businesses. I believe Tian Chen’s experience, commercial focus and his devotion to mentoring colleagues will be invaluable to the APIC team.”