DHL Worldwide Express began its operations in 1969 by providing express mail delivery services between the United States mainland and Hawaii. Larry Hillbloom, Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn founded DHL, which is now a multi-billion dollar organization that has its footprints around the globe and is the main competitor for FedEx and UPS. What started out as a humble operation with just three employees now employs close to 300,000 people operating in about 200 territories and countries.
DHL’s key success factor has been its ability to adapt to the growing demands of the logistics market. It has always kept pace with its competition through continuous improvements in service levels. In a move to expand their operations one of the founders of DHL, Adrian Dalsey traveled to Hawaii, Micronesia, Guam and other parts of Asia in 1980, and sold his share and interests in DHL laying the foundation for what is now a global empire. In 1983, it became the first carrier to offer services to Eastern European countries. DHL opened a deluxe center in Brussels in 1985 that soon handled 150,000 orders every night. The period between 1993 and 1998 saw DHL expand their business to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The massive growth of DHL attracted Deutsch Post, the world’s largest logistical company, which began buying shares and stocks of DHL in 1999. Eventually, it completed the acquisition in 2002 with a majority ownership in the company. DHL now covers all forms of delivery services like air, overland, freight and sea shipping and is the top logistical delivery organization in the world.
