DHL introduces time-definite delivery

DHL introduces time-definite delivery    DHL Express said it has started offering time-definite delivery between many international destinations.
   While the company has offered delivery by the end of the business day, last week it launched a portfolio of premium door-to-door time definite guaranteed services.
   While transit time varies by destination, shippers can pay a premium for a guaranteed delivery time of 9 a.m. or noon to major business centers in Europe, the Americas, and parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. (In Mexico, the early delivery time is 10:30 a.m.)
   Shippers will also be able to import from those regions to the United States with guaranteed deliveries by 10:30 a.m. and noon.
   Customers can also move shipments between countries outside the United States and obtain the 9 a.m. or noon delivery times.
   The company said transit time is one to two days in most cases.
   DHL Express said the 9 a.m. product is available from the U.S. to about 20 airport or International Air Transport Association locations. The noon product is available from the United States to about 99 airport or IATA destinations. For U.S. imports, the 10:30 a.m. delivery time is available from about 500 airport or IATA origins, and noon delivery is available from about 600 airport or IATA origins.
   The company said shippers will pay an average premium of about 30 percent to 35 percent for the 9 a.m. instead of end-of-day delivery. The premium for noon delivery will average about 5 percent to 8 percent.
   DHL said it thought the new service would appeal to a broad range of companies including legal and financial firms, small business, high-tech companies, and those in the life sciences. The per-piece weight limit is 66 pounds for the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services and 150 pounds for the noon service.
   Ian Clough, chief executive of DHL Express U.S., said that while in some major cities, DHL will be “on parity” with services offered by UPS and FedEx, in some smaller cities DHL will “offer a broader and improved service relative to the competition.”