DHL's focus on Africa pays off
DHL, the world leader in international express delivery, has been awarded the Frost & Sullivan award for Market Penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa due to the company’s vast expansion programme in Africa and its continued commitment to the continent.
Frost & Sullivan Business Unit Leader for Energy & Environment, Cornelis van der Waal, said that when researching the logistics and Express sector, it was obvious that DHL was making major progress in Africa through its aggressive expansion programme.
He said: “Their foray into the informal retail market, and their partnership with postal operators, has seen the company more than quadruple its retail outlets across the continent in just a few months. It is an impressive story, and one that needed to be recognised.”
Sumesh Rahavendra, Head of Marketing for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, said the key to the company’s success in Africa is due to its customer service and employee commitment.
The company has expanded from 300 to more than 2,000 retail points due to demand from its customers.
He said: “We are fortunate that we have people who place the customer in the heart of everything they do, and when you combine this with the skills gained from our global Certified International Specialist program (CIS), it creates a winning company culture.”
This latest award, which brings the total number of global external honors won by DHL Express since January 2013 to more than 20, has reinforced the company’s claim to be ‘The International Specialists’.
The external recognition, received across all continents and from a broad range of functional disciplines, ranges from superior customer service and great operational quality to marketing efforts and social impact in local communities.
Charles Brewer, Managing Director for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, said these awards are testament to the company’s passion, speed, can-do attitude and teamwork.
“An award in Mozambique, Uganda or Gabon is not just significant for that particular market; it is applicable to our entire network,” he said.
“We hope that these various awards send out a message to our customers about our commitment to Africa and the service excellence that we have built over the last 35 years.”
