DE: www.DHL.de

DHL are the first letters of the last names of the three company founders, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn.

The founders began to personally ship papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu, beginning customs clearance of the ship’s cargo before the actual arrival of the ship and dramatically reducing waiting time in the harbour.

With this concept, a new industry was born: international air express, the rapid delivery of documents and shipments by airplane.

Deutsche Post World Net and DHL Consolidation

At the beginning of 2002, Deutsche Post World Net became the major shareholder in DHL. By the end of 2002, DHL was 100% owned by Deutsche Post World Net.

In 2003, Deutsche Post World Net consolidated all of its express and logistics activities into one single brand, DHL. The DHL brand was further strengthened by Deutsche Post World Net’s acquisition of Exel in December 2005. The DHL expertise is pooled from a number of companies acquired by Deutsche Post World Net. To name a few:

Deutsche Post Euro Express: in operation since 1997 through internal growth and investments in leading European companies, network for parcel and express services in more than 20 countries, market leader for business customers in Europe.

Danzas: founded in 1815, based in Basel, Switzerland, acquired by Deutsche Post World Net in 2000, world leader in air freight and ranked second in ocean freight. Overland transport and supply chain management complete the Danzas service portfolio.

Air Express International: largest American air freight provider, integrated into the Danzas group in 2001.

Exel: at the time Deutsche Post World Net acquired Exel in December 2005, it had around 111,000 employees in 135 countries. Exel primarily offers transport and logistics solutions for key customers.