DHL strengthens network infrastructure in East India

DHL recently inauguration of its state-of-the-art DHL Service Centre in Kolkata. This 16,431 sq.ft facility will handle over 1110 inbound and outbound shipments a day weighing more than 1.3 tonnes.

East India and Kolkata are key areas of growth for DHL. An ever increasing customer base and rising demands make it very critical to have an exclusive service facility in the East. According to a company note, DHL is the only company so far to have an integrated freighter service in Kolkata (ie. Kolkata-Delhi through Blue Dart and Delhi-Europe through Lufthansa joint venture) and therefore offers seamless 48 hours transit for all shipments This greatly benefits the pharmaceutical, chemical, life sciences and tea processing industries that need the handling of time and temperature sensitive shipments.

Today, Kolkata stands as an important vantage point for bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh. With an estimated Euro 1.4 billion trade between the two countries, access to Bangaldeshi imports and access for products, Kolkata is certainly poised to emerge as an important trading bloc within India and South Asia. Identifying this significant sector and understanding the demands of the customers, DHL's Kolkata facility is the only such service centre to have its own customs clearance team and a robust self owned fleet service. With DHL's credit, sales and customer service/E-com teams, housed in this facility, the customer can avail of dedicated, instant service 24X7. This facility also serves as an important checkpoint for sectional dispatch and delivery management of shipments.

DHL's international expertise is reflected in effective all-round CCTV monitoring, enhanced safety and security procedures, weighing dimensional labelling machines (WDL) for accurate weighing, radio frequency scanners, powered conveyor belts, power stackers to handle heavy loads, piece ID to uniquely identify each shipment, next generation scanners for data transfer from anywhere in Kolkata, and access controlled movement amongst others that bring global standards to India thereby setting new benchmarks in the logistics industry.

As industry leader, with a 60 percent market share and an extensive history of nearly 30 years in India, DHL is committed to providing superior customer service and world class facilities. Inaugurating the new facility Craig Grossgart, Country Manager, DHL Express India said, "DHL's competitive edge has been its continuous investment in on-ground fully owned infrastructure that is supported by our global operational expertise. We have invested $300 million in India and this new service facility in Kolkata will prove to be beneficial in facilitating the rapidly growing trade in South Asia market which in turn will ensure faster shipments to your doorstep," said Grossgart.