DHL Express has completed the $204 million expansion of its “super gateway” at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport in South China’s Guangdong province, tripling shipping capacity to 992 tons per day and enabling more direct cargo flights.
The project represents the company’s largest investment in mainland China to date, supporting cross-border trade and time-definite international express services in one of China’s most important manufacturing and export regions.
A gateway in the DHL network is a regional connection point that links local service centers to the global network. Some shipments from producers in Shenzhen and trucked to DHL’s main terminal at Hong Kong International Airport if they need to reach other intercontinental hubs.
Once at full capacity, annual throughput is expected to exceed 286,000 tons, about 10 times the volume handled by the previous Shenzhen gateway, according to the China Daily News. Construction of the facility began in 2022. The heavily automated facility features high-speed sorting systems, automated storage, robotic arms and automated guided vehicles designed to efficiently and safely unload, store, handle, inspect and monitor parcels and larger shipments.
Complementing the expansion of shipment processing capacity, DHL has introduced a new dedicated air route with a widebody Boeing 767 cargo jet linking Shanghai; Bangkok, Thailand; Bahrain and Brussels, Belgium, to meet demand for air cargo transport between China and key markets across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, DHL announced this week.
The new capabilities give DHL Express more flexibility to support customers’ logistics needs, especially in target sectors such as AI data centers, semiconductors, technology, life sciences and healthcare and next-generation energy, including electric batteries. The express air network is also heavily used by e-commerce shippers.
The addition of a 767 freighter route fits with the company’s new Heavyweight Express offering, connecting suppliers interested in moving larger shipments through DHL Express’s time-definite network with predictable transit times.
DHL Group’s second-quarter profit grew 22% on $25.8 in revenue. Express heavyweight is a premium product in the DHL network and one the company is promoting to shippers with urgent consignments that can use the extra capacity in its package freighters.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.
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