John Pearson became official Board Member for DHL Express on January 1, 2019
With focus on quality and digitalization DHL Express will ensure its leadership in the industry

The new CEO of DHL Express, John Pearson, is expecting continued positive developments for the global express market and the company, thanks to booming cross-border e-commerce, digitalization and its excellent positioning in all industry verticals. Member of the Board effective January 1, 2019, Pearson was instrumental for DHL Express' decade long success story and expects growth figures to continue in 2019 and beyond for the Express division of the Group. Pearson took over from Ken Allen who became CEO of the newly established DHL eCommerce Solutions division.

"We are pleased to have John Pearson join our Corporate Board," states Frank Appel, CEO Deutsche Post DHL Group. "He has a proven track record and a deep understanding of the Express business. John's extensive operational knowledge and business experience within the division will ensure a continuation of the successful growth path of DHL Express in the years to come."

DHL Express aims to capitalize on developments in global trade in the coming years with its unparalleled network in 220 countries and territories. As a result of increasing e-commerce, markets in Europe, the US and Asia are registering continuous economic growth and represent significant potential for cross-border express shipping in the consumer area. In addition, these markets continue to form the foundation for B2B-driven logistics services for industry sectors such as automotive, life sciences and healthcare, banking, retail and technology.

"DHL Express has experienced a tremendous success story over the last ten years, where its annual top line growth has made substantial financial contributions for the Group. This development was very much driven by our dedication to quality, the uncompromising engagement of our 100,000 employees worldwide and the insane customer centric culture." asserts John Pearson. "I am proud to take Express to the next level. We will use all existing channels to transform every opportunity into top line growth. We are modernizing our regional and intercontinental air fleet, we will continue to invest in our international infrastructure and innovative technologies, while making sure to further align our delivery processes with the needs of our customers in order to maintain our excellent level of customer experience and satisfaction."

Together with Cargo iQ fellow member and long-standing partner Cargolux, Panalpina has just been awarded with the first prize of the first ever Cargo iQ Q Rally, an industry initiative aimed at continuously improving data quality in air freight. As Panalpina’s Marie Seco-Köppen explains, “Better data quality results in a better air freight product, for example in terms of shorter transit times.”

“The air freight industry is a fast-paced business – and much more complex than many people would think,” says Marie Seco-Köppen, corporate Air Freight systems and processes integration manager at Panalpina. “When air cargo is moved from A to B, it passes approximately 20 milestones, as defined by Cargo iQ.”

Cargo iQ is an IATA interest group, whose mission it is to create and implement quality standards for the worldwide air cargo industry. The group’s roughly 80 members – major airlines, freight forwarders, ground-handling agents, trucking companies and IT solution providers – have developed a system of shipment planning and performance monitoring for air cargo based on common business processes and standard milestones.

Ultimately, Cargo iQ’s activities help reduce costs and improve the commercial value of air freight, thereby contributing to a sustainably profitable industry.

As one of 13 board members and as a member of the group’s committee for Technology & Data, Panalpina plays a very active role in Cargo iQ, ensuring that the group follows a coherent technology strategy.

“The strategy has been laid out to enable the seamless connectivity of different IT systems, provide industry tools for controlling shipments and processes, support automation, capture shipment data and improve data quality, completeness and real-time availability. We want to build a platform where we can analyze, control and – through continuous learning – improve air cargo shipments,” says Seco-Köppen.


In 2018, Panalpina has defined and worked on over 30 Cargo iQ improvement projects with airlines.

In the first ever Cargo iQ Q Rally, Panalpina worked together with Cargo iQ fellow member and long-standing partner Cargolux to significantly improve data quality and performance at Luxembourg Airport. The joint team was able to improve the quality rating at Luxembourg Airport from 69 to 94 per cent in just six months, beating the target that they set for themselves by nine percentage points.

The successful initiative in Luxembourg has just been awarded with the first prize by Cargo iQ. 14 Cargo iQ members in total took part in the group’s first data quality challenge of this sort.

“This great achievement and the award show that we are on the right track with Cargo iQ and that local Air Freight teams, in close collaboration with their partners, can take ownership to greatly improve data quality. Best possible data quality is crucial because it impacts many areas including shipment visibility and ultimately the management of our customers’ supply chains. Better data quality results in a better air freight product, for example in terms of shorter transit times,” explains Seco-Köppen.

Consumers more demanding about production and environmental protection
DHL offers tailored logistics solutions for designers and brands
DHL has had a close partnership with the fashion industry for many years. In addition to providing logistics services for major industry events, the company also cooperates with important fashion associations and awards prizes to up-and-coming young designers.

DHL's newest consumer survey provides an overview of current trends and consumer expectations. About 6,000 people from the UK, the United States, Italy, Australia and Japan took part, answering questions about their buying habits and the reasons behind their purchases. As a long-time logistics partner for designers, events and brands, DHL commissioned the survey to underscore the importance of a smoothly operating global network, precision, dependability and speed in the fashion industry.

"DHL commissioned this survey to take a closer look at current fashion trends and point out their parallels with the world of logistics. Both industries operate global networks and work creatively, accurately and fast," says Arjan Sissing, SVP Group Brand Marketing.

Among other things, the survey shows that consumers in the UK value ethical production especially highly, while women in Japan give priority to the quality of products. 15% of survey participants read the label to see where a piece of clothing was produced; in Italy the figure is as high as 41%. In addition, buyers want to know whether and how the product shipment chain might affect the environment. And one-quarter of the respondents say that production under fair working conditions is important to them. Experts like the British fashion journalist Karen Kay also emphasize that there is a trend toward increased awareness of environmental impact and social aspects, especially among the younger generation.

Since 2008, DHL has partnered with various fashion weeks and offers tailored services to deliver the designers' irreplaceable sample collections to the shows reliably and on time. Among its current commitments are partnerships with the fashion weeks in London and Copenhagen, the Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo, and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks in Sydney and Moscow.

DHL also works with leading industry associations worldwide, among them the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the British Fashion Council (BFC), the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFW Organization) and the Artefact Agency in Russia. In October 2017, DHL and the CFDA jointly published "The Human-Centered Supply Chain," a study on business models for the future of fashion. It analyzed and outlined solutions for the main challenges and fields of action for supply chains in the fashion industry. The "Designer's Playbook," which was developed from the results of the study, helps aspiring designers to establish their businesses successfully. In addition, DHL promotes and supports young designers with workshops and award programs that include transport services and logistics mentoring to aid designers in internationalizing their businesses. DHL also works with various established designers, including the VETEMENTS label, which dedicated a separate capsule collection to DHL as part of its Spring/Summer 2018 collection.

DHL provides information about current fashion issues and partnerships through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The "DHL Fashion" Facebook page has nearly 200,000 followers.

Decades of expertise in fashion logistics

As the leading logistics partner for the fashion, jewelry and lifestyle industry, DHL has decades of experience and expertise in the field of fashion logistics. The company provides a wide range of customized logistics solutions including a variety of services for e-commerce, delivery to boutiques and shopping centers, or comprehensive warehousing and value-added services in special fashion distribution centers. DHL's services are intended not only for large fashion businesses and established designers but for talented and ambitious newcomers as well. DHL assists the latter in making a name for themselves in the fashion industry with flexible logistics solutions to bring their creations to the runways of fashion events or to boutiques around the world.

For more information about DHL’s fashion program, visit fashion.dhl-in-motion.com.

Panalpina’s relief flights at the end of the year have become a tradition whereby the company offers its air charter expertise to UNICEF. Same as last year, Panalpina assisted UNICEF by flying relief aid to Africa to help children in South Sudan, where the humanitarian needs after years of conflict remain massive. A Panalpina chartered cargo aircraft landed last night in neighboring Uganda, carrying nearly 70 tons of supplies including emergency health kits. The supplies will be trucked to South Sudan and distributed across the country as the dry season begins.

Panalpina’s Charter Network arranged the flight in support of the respected UN organization. The consignment of relief aid left Belgium on Wednesday afternoon and items such as health and education kits as well as therapeutic milk to fight malnutrition,supplied by UNICEF (the United Nations International Children’s Fund), are now headed for children, women and families in South Sudan.

“The peace agreement signed in August 2018 gives us hope that children in South Sudan can be children once again and look forward to a better future. But the years of conflict have come at an enormous cost and the humanitarian needs remain massive,” says Tim Irwin, chief of communications at UNICEF South Sudan.

The staggering scale of destruction and suffering determine people's everyday lives in South Sudan. 2.6 million children have been born into war. Around 4.4 million people, or 40 percent of the entire population, suffer from food insecurity. South Sudan now also has the world's highest proportion of children who do not attend school. 2.2 million children receive no education.

Essential medicines for 50,000 people

For the flight chartered and donated by Panalpina, UNICEF gathered nearly 70 tons of relief aid, which not only includes teaching material for schools, but also equipment for midwives, reanimation equipment and “Interagency Emergency Health Kits”. The standardized health packs containing medicines and medical supplies cover the diverse health needs in humanitarian emergencies and disasters. The kits ensure a fast, reliable and affordable supply of essential medicines for 50,000 people for three months and also address the need of children for psychosocial treatment in emergency situations.

The Panalpina chartered MD-11 freighter took off from Liège (Belgium) in the afternoon of December 5, and arrived in Entebbe (Uganda) in the middle of the night on December 6. For logistical reasons, and same as last year, it was decided to fly into Uganda from where the cargo is now being transported by trucks to South Sudan. The supplies will then be distributed across the country taking advantage of the upcoming dry season when dirt roads are passable.

“I am very pleased that we have again partnered with UNICEF and donated a relief flight to Africa. We have done this for the sixth time now, instead of making gifts to customers and employees before Christmas. The relief flights have become a tradition whereby we offer our air charter expertise and bring some respite to those who are less fortunate than us, especially children,” says Panalpina’s CEO, Stefan Karlen.

“Panalpina's commitment is unparalleled,” explains Hans Kuenzle, president of UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein. “To even come close to covering the enormous demand for life-saving aid in the world’s crisis regions, we rely on the generous support from companies such as Panalpina that transport these goods free of charge.”

Panalpina already supported UNICEF South Sudan last year. In 2016, Panalpina flew much-needed relief goods to Chad, where malnutrition and natural disasters had led to a health emergency. In 2015, Panalpina supplied a charter flight to Burundi, where a recurring crisis and violence took a heavy toll on society. In 2014, Panalpina supported the fight against Ebola by flying life-saving humanitarian aid to Sierra Leone. In 2013, Panalpina’s first relief flight for UNICEF took goods to the Central African Republic.

A.P. Moller - Maersk aims at having carbon neutral vessels commercially viable by 2030 and calls for strong industry involvement.

Aimed at accelerating the transition to carbon neutral shipping, Maersk announces today its goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, carbon neutral vessels must be commercially viable by 2030, and an acceleration in new innovations and adaption of new technology is required.

Climate is one of the most important issues in the world, and carrying around 80% of global trade, the shipping industry is vital to finding solutions. By now, Maersk's relative CO2 emissions have been reduced by 46% (baseline 2007), approx. 9% more than the industry average.

As world trade and thereby shipping volumes will continue to grow, efficiency improvements on the current fossil based technology can only keep shipping emissions at current levels but not reduce them significantly or eliminate them.

"The only possible way to achieve the so-much-needed decarbonisation in our industry is by fully transforming to new carbon neutral fuels and supply chains," says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer at A.P. Moller - Maersk.

Maersk is putting its efforts towards solving problems specific to maritime transport, as it calls for different solutions than automotive, rail and aviation. The yet to come electric truck is expected to be able to carry max 2 TEU and is projected to run 800km per charging. In comparison, a container vessel carrying thousands of TEU sailing from Panama to Rotterdam makes around 8800km. With short battery durability and no charging points along the route, innovative developments are imperative.

Given the 20-25-year life time of a vessel, it is now time to join forces and start developing the new type of vessels that will be crossing the seas in 2050.

"The next 5-10 years are going to be crucial. We will invest significant resources for innovation and fleet technology to improve the technical and financial viability of decarbonised solutions. Over the last four years, we have invested around USD 1bn and engaged 50+ engineers each year in developing and deploying energy efficient solutions. Going forward we cannot do this alone" adds Søren Toft.

Research & Development is key to take the industry away from today's fossil based technology and by setting this ambitious target, Maersk hopes to generate a pull towards researchers, technology developers, investors, cargo owners and legislators that will activate strong industry involvement, co-development, and sponsorship of sustainable solutions that we are yet to see in the maritime industry.

In 2019, Maersk is planning to initiate open and collaborative dialogue with all possible parties to tackle together one of the most important issues in the world; the climate change.