1990

BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATIONS

LAID DOWN IN THE PREVIOUS
DECADE, THE 1990s SAW DHL
GROW INTO THE MULTINATIONAL
1999
ENTERPRISE WE KNOW TODAY.
Infrastructure investment, global IT
systems, standardized operations
and processes all helped to establish
DHL as the world’s leading player in
express logistics.
In tune with the times, the business
GLOBALIZATION

was taking its ‘Think Global, Act

Local’ philosophy to a new
generation of digital companies.
DECADE OF
 1990
DHL
FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
DHL started services to Bhutan,
Cambodia, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea and
Sao Tome and Principe.
Having operated in Eastern Europe since
1983, DHL was perfectly placed to support
the new trading relationships between East
and West, setting up in the Czech AHEAD OF ITS TIME
Republic following the Velvet Revolution. DHL set up its first express logistics centers
around the world to service its Customers’
future requirements and manage next-morning
delivery of their shipments to anywhere in the
world. Word spread and growth was quick – as
one DHL employee recalls, “You go in these
huge warehouses now and they are crammed
full of Customer traffic but when first built they
were like bowling alleys.”

Pat Lupo and Larry Hillblom

at the signing ceremony with
Lufthansa Cargo, Japan
Airlines and Nissho Iwai.

STRONGER TOGETHER

1991
DHL signed a historic Global Transport
Alliance with Lufthansa Cargo, Japan
Airlines and Nissho Iwai. This put DHL in
a better position to meet the growing
needs of its expanding Customer base.
As the launch of Operation Desert Storm
signaled the start of the Gulf War, DHL’s
intrepid couriers continued to make
deliveries in the region.

DID YOU DHL

KNOW? FACT
From 1987, DHL sponsored leading DHL opened offices in
tennis player Martina Navratilova; her Latvia and Albania.
dominance of women’s tennis during
It started services to Estonia,
the early 1990s reflected DHL’s own
Kazakhstan, Lithuania,
leading position in the worldwide
Mongolia, Niue, Romania,
express delivery market.
Tuvalu and Ukraine.

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 DHL
FACT

EXPANDING THE SERVICE

1992 DHL began delivering to Greenland
and the Faroe Islands.

WHO CARES, WINS

In 1992, Denmark won the European Soccer
Championship and chose DHL to transport the famous
trophy from Aalborg to Copenhagen. An on-board
courier ensured it arrived in good time for the victory
celebrations to really begin!

1993
AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
To mark the 40th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s
first ascent of Everest, the DHL Everest 40 Expedition
sponsored mountaineer Harry Taylor to reach the
summit. A few days later, it helped Rebecca Stephens
become the first British woman to do the same. DHL
even delivered a telephone to Rebecca at her base
camp. The expedition, which used no firewood and
removed all its waste from the mountain, raised
US$1.5m for the Himalayan Trust charity.

DHL
FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
DHL launched its service to Belarus
and Slovakia. The company announced a
four-year, US$1.25bn capital spending program
with investments in worldwide handling systems,
automation, facilities, communications and
computer technology.

DID YOU
KNOW?
DHL doubled the capacity of
its Brussels hub by taking over
FedEx’s European hub facility
The 19th DHL Rickshaw Derby after FedEx dramatically
raised HK$200k for local
charities in Hong Kong.
downsized its European
express services.

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 1994
DHL
FACT

EXPANDING THE SERVICE

DHL began a service to Algeria.
The first express logistics centers
became operational.
DHL celebrates its 25th anniversary
with employee events around the world.

WAR HERO
When civil war broke out in Yemen, one plucky
DHL courier went the extra mile to ensure DHL
remained the only company delivering packages
in the area. Ahmed Al Amery left his pregnant
wife and headed north out of Sana to the
border with Saudi Arabia where a delivery was
expected. He waited for seven days and nights,
sleeping in his Jeep and enduring temperatures
of over 100°F. Eventually the shipment was
allowed through and Ahmed drove south
through Yemen. He took to the desert, scaled
sand dunes, and negotiated his way through
army checkpoints before handing over the
shipment at the Sana office. His next journey
was far more pleasurable, home to see his wife
and their new baby daughter.

DHL sponsored Dolphin & Youth, the British entry in the

Whitbread Round the World yacht race. Every crew
member was under 23 years of age and disabled.

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 IMPORT EXPRESS
Import Express (originally named Consignee Selling
Program) was introduced in June 1995. This 
revolutionary product allowed Customers of DHL
Express to use their account to make shipments
from anywhere, to anywhere worldwide,
irrespective of where they were based. DHL was,
and still is, the only international express company
capable of providing such a service worldwide,
giving Customers full control of their shipments.
Today, Import Express is one of DHL’s top three
products and remains a unique offering,
differentiating DHL against the competition.

DID YOU
1995

KNOW?
Some of the most spectacular routes
taken by DHL couriers are in the ancient
land of Bhutan. DHL first set foot in the
tiny country in the Himalayas in 1990,
making it the 186th country in the
network. A regular route taken by
couriers was across mountains to an
office 2,000m above sea level.

JUMBO SIZED

1996
DHL’s Jumbo Box was
launched in South East Asia. Able to
transport up to 25kg of goods to any
destination at one flat rate, it opened up
air freight to people who may not have
considered it before.

QUALITY FIRST
DHL became the first company in
the air express industry to receive
the ISO 9002 international quality
DHL standards certification for both its
FACT hub and airline operations at the
Cincinnati facility. In Iran, DHL
EXPANDING THE SERVICE received the same certificate from
the country’s President.
DHL opened the Asia Pacific hub
in Manila, Philippines.

MONKEY BUSINESS
A very grateful Customer by
the name of Salsky thanked
DHL for transporting him to a
Email tracking of shipments safe new home in England.
was introduced.

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 1997
DHL
FACT
To improve internal communications,
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
the company introduced a global
DHL established services in Israel. intranet service to link staff in every
country to a central information source.

To celebrate its own 25th

anniversary, DHL Singapore
buried a time capsule filled with

1998
DHL memorabilia from the year.

WINNING STREAK
1998 marked an award-winning year for
DHL all over the world. Global Finance
magazine rated DHL as the world’s ‘Most
Global’ business. In Information Week’s 10th
annual survey, DHL was ranked as one of
the top 500 technology innovators in the
world. And in Singapore, DHL became the
first air express company to receive the
International Trade Award for innovative
application of information technology from
the Singapore Trade Development Board.

DHL
FACT

• DHL Connect, a desktop shipping

program for US Customers was launched
• Deutsche Post AG became
a shareholder in DHL International
• In Asia, America First was launched HERE TO HELP
– a service for Asian Customers to get
When a tidal wave hit
packages to America fast
Papua New Guinea, DHL
Australia flew 20 tons of
emergency goods out,
including one ton
personally donated by
DHL staff.

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1999
DHL
FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE

In Europe, DHL opened a new office in Budapest, Hungary.

New logistics centers opened in Japan and Florida.

A partnership was set up with the US Postal Service
to provide a two-day service to Europe.
In Sunnyvale, California, the company opened
its largest service center in the USA to cater for booming
high-technology shipments from Silicon Valley.

PRECIOUS MEMENTOS
Fans who ordered Formula One
memorabilia, such as a helmet signed by
Michael Schumacher or an autographed
steering wheel, probably had it delivered
to them by DHL. Mail order company
Grand Prix Legends entrusted DHL to
ship items such as the £2,500 helmet to
collectors around the world. How
appropriate that such a speedy sport
chose DHL for its express service!

Following the success of America First,

A PERFECT FIT DHL launched Europe First. Customers
Leading fashion designer in Asia were then able to enjoy a fast
Vivienne Westwood appointed and very efficient service direct into
DHL as the sole express carrier Europe, with its low flat fee, it
for her business. The deal covered immediately grew in popularity.
two areas: shipping fabric and
dress samples and the
documentation and shipping of
garments bought from
Westwood’s UK stores to overseas
Customers. The fashion designer
chose DHL because of its strong
network and reliable service.

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