DHL invests $200 million in China

DHL invests $200 million in China    DHL has announced a five-year, $200-million investment program to expand its express network in China.
   The German logistics and express company will invest in additional centers and locations, personnel and new vehicles. DHL cited a plan to have 75 more stations, 1,200 new vehicles and over 2,000 additional jobs in the country.
   DHL currently has 42 branches, 160 stations and 700 vehicles in 318 towns and cities in China.
   “During the next few years, China will become one of DHL’s most important markets worldwide,” said Uwe R. Doerken, board member in charge of express activities at Deutsche Post World Net, the parent company of DHL.
   In China, DHL is recording an annual growth of 35 to 45 percent, the company said.
   The investment in physical infrastructures follows the company’s recent financial investment in one of China’s main express operators, Sinotrans. In February, DHL acquired a 5-percent shareholding in Sinotrans, its joint venture partner in China, for about 52 million euros ($57 million).