DHL Ready To Take On The Holiday Rush

Plantation, Fla. -- November 21, 2006
DHL Enhances Customer Support for 2006 Peak Holiday Season

DHL, the world’s leading global express delivery and logistics company, has been making final preparations at facilities across the country to ramp up for the 2006 peak holiday shipping season. Starting the week of Thanksgiving, DHL expects holiday shipment volumes to climb until peak day - Wednesday, December 20, when DHL expects to deliver well over two million pieces for a single day across the United States. DHL customers will also have access to new products and enhanced technology services this season to simplify holiday shipping and to keep close track of packages.

“During the peak shipping season and throughout the year, our number one priority is to keep ’Customer Service Back in Shipping,’ ” said John Cameron, Executive Vice President of Operations for DHL USA. “Along with increased staffing at our facilities and customer service centers, we have added a number of new shipping tools and enhancements, as well as hundreds of vehicles, truck routes, and dozens of flights to our network.”

To meet the increased peak season demand, the company is adding 300 daily truck routes and 63 new domestic flights per week to its regular network schedules. Over nine thousand staffers at DHL’s principal air and ground hub in Wilmington, Ohio, will work through the night during peak season, to ensure packages reach their destination in time for the holidays. Hundreds of additional seasonal and part-time package sorters will also be employed at facilities across the U.S to help during the holiday rush.

Dates to Remember
DHL has set the following “ship-by” deadlines to ensure all shipments arrive in time for the holidays:
- For DHL Ground service and DHL@home, ship by December 15
- For DHL 2nd Day service, ship by December 19
- For DHL Next Day 10:30am service, ship by December 21
- For DHL Next Day 12:00pm service, ship by December 21
- For DHL Next Day 3:00pm service, ship by December 21

For those special last-minute shipments, DHL’s Same Day service operates every day of the year, including Christmas Day, Monday, December 25.

All the Jingle Bells and Whistles
Technology investments at the DHL Air Park in Wilmington, Ohio, the company’s principal air and ground hub, will provide customers more shipment visibility this year by providing precise, guaranteed updates for millions of customer packages. The new small package autosort at the DHL Air Park, part of a $160 million U.S. hub automation and integration initiative by DHL, includes state-of-the-art conveyor and sorting hardware, together with a proprietary software solution, to enable more rapid processing of shipments, increased efficiency, and 100 percent traceability for all material transiting the system.

With online tracking requests during the peak month of December expected to be up 10% over 2005, DHL has also made new customer-friendly, online tools available to shippers this season.

Keeping track of holiday shipments is made easier this year with the recent launch of DHL ProView, the latest in DHL’s suite of shipment visibility and event notification tools. ProView provides customers with real-time access to detailed shipment status information, where and when they need it. With ProView, DHL customers can obtain a broad or specific view of all incoming and outgoing shipments, and be notified of important events via the technology platform of their choice. Customers can receive real-time status information for their shipments via email or SMS text messaging to a PC, cell phone or mobile device.

For U.S. importers this season, DHL has also launched DHL Import Express Online, the latest web-based tool designed to put customers in the driver’s seat by providing full control over their imports or third-party (country-to-country) shipments. Import Express Online enables customers to quickly, easily and securely prepare and manage their shipments from the convenience of a personal computer.

Thanks to its expanded network, DHL has made it more convenient and easier than ever before to ship during the holidays.
- Customers can drop packages off at any DHL service center facility or one of 4,200 DHL Authorized Shipping Centers, as well as at over 22,000 Drop Boxes across the U.S.;
- Log on to www.dhl-usa.com to schedule a pick-up, get help preparing a shipment, check rates, find drop off locations, view transit times, or order supplies;
- Or Call 1-800-CALL-DHL to schedule a pick-up at home or work

For any questions about shipping internationally, DHL customers can consult a customer representative through 1-800-CALL-DHL. Customer relations representatives can provide information regarding special shipping regulations between countries, customs documentation requirements, estimates of duties and tax charges, the best shipping option for the size and weight of a package, and information on prohibited or restricted commodities.

Note for Editors:
For more information about how the world’s leading express and logistics provider prepares for the holiday rush, log on to www.dhl-usa.com/holiday/. You’ll also find holiday story ideas, fact sheets and operational statistics, holiday schedules and shipping tips, video footage of DHL in action for broadcast quality download, as well as information on DHL’s Thanksgiving Food Drive and some compelling seasonal success stories.

About DHL
At DHL, Customer Service is back in shipping. Our mission is to provide the most flexible, personable and enjoyable experience in the shipping industry for our customers.

DHL is the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, specializing in providing innovative and customized solutions from a single source. DHL offers expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport, and contract logistic solutions as well as international mail services, combined with worldwide coverage and an in-depth understanding of local markets. DHL’s international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide with over 285,000 employees dedicated to providing fast and reliable services that exceed customers’ expectations.

Founded in San Francisco in 1969, DHL is a Deutsche Post World Net brand.

For more information on DHL, please visit www.dhl.com.

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