DHL is the world’s most international company, says Fionn Herriott, before proudly explaining that the company represents a globally connected team of international problem-solvers who share a passion to succeed for DHL customers
Speaking in this inspiring interview, DHL Express Managing Director Fionn Herriott shares the company’s vision, results and plans to invest constantly in technologies, people, equipment etc. He also discusses numerous challenges, the shift to e-commerce, environmental responsibility and DHL’s advantages over the competition.
Your company is considered the undisputed global leader in international express delivery. Is that because you have experience of more than 50 years and a team of 100,000 experts? What does the ID card of DHL Serbia look like?
— For international express shipments, we aren’t just the undisputed global leader, but rather this industry’s pioneers.
DHL was established in California in 1969 and began operating in Yugoslavia from 1983, while it has been present in Serbia in the form of a fully owned DHL subsidiary since 1991. We operate a daily inbound and outbound service from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport on a Boeing 757. This aircraft has a capacity of 34,000 tons. Its shipments are processed at our gateway facility located in Novi Banovci, before being delivered all over Serbia, to over 220 service points locations nationwide. Together with our partners Posta Serbia, at Posta fixed locations and through Posta Paketomat lockers, A1, Laguna / Delphi, and Hyatt Regency, we provide full coverage and convenience to send and receive all over Serbia.
Your company is known for its constant investments in technology, people, equipment etc. Is that why Serbia doesn’t differ from other countries where DHL Express operates?
— Serbia is no different from any of the other 220 countries and territories where we operate. You can order a pick-up by phone or via our online tool, My DHL+, or do it the old-fashioned way and come to our locations in person. Our customers expect the same level of service and professionalism all over the world.
Thus, you can order your shipment from Serbia to be delivered to London, UK, or to Ushuaia, Argentina, which is known as the “End of the World” because it is located at the southernmost tip of South America, and you can expect the same level of service. DHL Express staff affectionately refer to our global network as “The Big Yellow Machine” and it is an amazing thing to see in action and be part of.
Your industry has faced numerous challenges in recent years – the pandemic, energy crisis, wars… Have you had to be adaptable and creative to meet increasing demand?
— Covid-19 turned out to be the largest global health crisis in 100 years. DHL delivered over 200 million vaccine doses in over 120 countries. International transportation – whether commercial logistics or passenger services – will always be impacted by energy crises and wars. These events unfortunately create sets of problems that are predictable, and the DHL team is very experienced in adapting ing to and overcoming them for the sake of our people and customers.
Digitalisation and the use of available modern technologies is the only way forward when you want to move faster
For example, in Serbia throughout the 1990s, and especially throughout the NATO bombing of Serbia, DHL Express Serbia did not close for even a single day, which is a fact that makes us very proud. DHL is the world’s most international company. It is a globally connected team of international problem-solvers who share a ‘can do’ attitude and a passion to succeed for our customers with our promise of “Excellence. Simply delivered”.
We mentioned the pandemic… Is it true that it led to a drastic increase in demand for your services and that e-commerce achieved growth over 18 months that was only expected in ten years?
— The world was shut down for two long years. Covid-19, and the ensuing lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, meant shops closing their doors and consumers staying at home. Naturally, home delivery e-commerce services exploded in popularity almost overnight. The pandemic accelerated the shift to e-commerce, from physical stores to online shopping, by roughly five years. And, of course, DHL experienced a massive increase in demand to service this e-commerce boom.
Environmental responsibility is part of your group’s long-term strategy. Your goal is for DHL to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in every country in which it operates, including in Serbia, by 2030. How will you achieve this locally?
— DHL Group is committed to sustainability. That means DHL globally shifting more to the use of aviation biofuel and more electric vehicles in our fleets, as well as carbon neutral facilities. In Serbia, this means that we also offer our customers a chance to participate in carbon offsetting with our GoGreen Plus service. GoGreen Plus is a service solution for our customers who have ambitious sustainability targets.
By 2027, our entire Belgrade courier fleet will be exclusively electric. Our planned greenfield facility at Nikola Tesla Airport will be a carbon neutral facility, like all DHL greenfield facilities going forward. I am sure that, by Expo2027, DHL Express Serbia, together with our partners and customers, will be very proud of our advances in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our credentials as a much more sustainable company.
In your business, a good service is one that’s fully adapted to the client and comes at a reasonable price. Is that one of your advantages over the competition?
— Everything starts with service quality. That is our key competitive advantage. We are a service-based organisation and we pride ourselves on being the global #1 in time definite international express. Of course, having the appropriate pricing is vital to customers seeing the value proposition and deciding to use us, instead of our competitors. We cannot offer the service we offer at prices that aren’t sufficient to maintain that level of service and reliability vis-à-vis a global network operation that is best in class. We are an industry leader, and maintaining that highest level of service requires continuous investment in our people, in technological innovations, and in the latest and most sustainable additions to our aviation and network operations.
Thanks to digitalisation and modern technologies, shipments today travel faster than ever between countries and continents. How is DHL Express Serbia in this regard? What do you think the future will bring us in this regard?
— Digitalisation and the use of available modern technologies is the only way forward when you want to move faster. In Serbia and around the globe, DHL team members communicate using all available digital platforms in order to accelerate processes. WhatsApp and Viber have been amazing tools for our staff to connect Peer2Peer and speak and send pictures, rather than sending emails with attachments. We have a DHL platform called Campfire that allows staff members to share their digitalisation initiatives. Moving away from reliance on paper is the key to speeding things up. In Serbia, we have great digital solutions and an excellent cooperation and partnership with the Serbian customs administration. Things can and will get better and faster as we advance on our digitalisation journey in an orderly and structured way.