As online shopping and international purchases become ever more commonplace on the part of the consumer, major players in the cargo industry are increasingly heading down the promising e-commerce route. DHL is doing just this, tapping into the global B2C market, expected to grow 28% a year from its current US$400bn to a total global volume of $1tn by 2020.
DHL eCommerce plans to make substantial investments in the US in the coming years in an effort to expand its capabilities to serve businesses that are selling their products overseas. In a press release, Charles Brewer, CEO DHL eCommerce, said: “It is expected that one billion people will shop online and across borders by 2020 with the US being the most popular origin for 25% of consumers worldwide. With our investments we lay the foundation to expand our leading role in cross-border e-commerce logistics, serve our US customers with the best possible infrastructure and solutions, and gain future market shares.”
The announcement was made in conjunction with that of the DHL Supply Chain divisions implementing further regional fulfilment centres in Los Angeles, Columbus, Ohio, and New Jersey, increasing the company’s capabilities in North America.
Most recently, DHL announced the opening of a US$1.3m service centre facility in Chicago, established to cope with growing demand owing to the increase of international e-commerce from local businesses in the state of Illinois. The new facility, located just north of Chicago’s Midway International airport, measures 38,000 square feet, making it capable of processing over 2,500 shipments an hour, from small parcels to container freight. The build bolsters DHL’s already strong presence in the city of Chicago, becoming the second of two regional facilities; just south of Chicago O’Hare airport DHL already operates a much larger 80,000-square-foot facility that not only serves businesses situated in the centre of Chicago, known as “The Loop", but also serves Northern Illinois.
