• DHL celebrates 50 years of leading the logistics market through innovation
• DHL Express South Africa awarded Sunday Times Top Business Award

DHL celebrates its 50th anniversary this month and as an added surprise to elevate the celebrations, DHL Express South Africa was recognised for its excellence of service by receiving the Sunday Times Top Business Award in the category of courier companies last week. 

Jed Michaletos, Managing Director of DHL Express South Africa, says that this significant milestone is an opportunity for the company to reflect on its journey so far. “The world has evolved dramatically over the past 50 years. DHL revolutionized the world economy 50 years ago with an idea.

In 1969, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn had the revolutionary idea of transporting cargo vessels’ shipping documents in hand luggage on board aircraft. This meant that the customs clearance for the cargo could begin before the actual arrival of the ships, thereby exponentially reducing waiting times in the port. It also marked the birth of a completely new industry – the international air express service – and the start of DHL’s unparalleled journey. 

Until today, our approach and dedication has remained the same. With innovative logistics and transport solutions, we want to help simplify peoples’ everyday lives, whether private or professional. Being honored with a Sunday Times Top Business Award serves as further affirmation of our commitment to building a truly customer-centric organisation that evolves with the changing market.”

The outcome of the Sunday Times Top Business Awards was based on a survey of 382 C-level decision-makers, evaluating factors such as brand familiarity and awareness, the perceptions of users and non-users, as well as the size of brand presence in the market.

“DHL is extremely proud to be recognised for the hard work that all of our employees have put into building the forward-thinking organisation that we have today. Every accolade that we receive serves to strengthen our resolve to keep our brand at the forefront of innovation.”

Looking forward, Michaletos says that robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation are going to play ever-increasing roles in global logistics. 

“Over the past 50 years, DHL Express has established itself as the global leader in express logistics and is well positioned to connect businesses and private individuals to global opportunities. We are committed to driving the evolution of logistics through ongoing innovation well into the future as we continue test and deploy innovative technologies along the entire supply chain to make the delivery and transport process as efficient as possible and to assist our employees in their work” Michaletos concludes.