DHL to open Abu Dhabi head office

Scheduled to open this autumn, the head office will cover 1,000 square metres and is centrally positioned on Airport Road opposite the Etisalat tower. It will provide Abu Dhabi customers with a dedicated customer service team and a convenient drop off and pick up point.

"Over the last year and a half we have experienced growth of over 118% in the weight of outbound traffic from Abu Dhabi. In addition shipments over this period have grown by 37%," said David Wild, General Manager, DHL UAE. "Much of this demand has come from major corporate customers who have looked to us to fulfil their supply chain logistics challenges.

"This new facility is a direct response to demand for end-to-end logistics solutions and is in-line with our strategy of ensuring we continue to exceed customer expectations and are easy to do business with."

The head office is the latest in a series of investments, now totalling almost Dhs 7 million, which DHL UAE has ploughed into the UAE capital over the last three years, increasing its visibility and accessibility throughout Abu Dhabi.

"In the short term, our existing express centre, which is half way up Airport Road, will remain in operation," said David Wild, General Manager, DHL UAE.

"The head office will provide a more flexible service, reducing transit times through early pick ups and later drop offs. We will shortly appoint a General Manager to head up the new operation and to supervise the 20-strong workforce to be based there."

The Abu Dhabi investment programme is aimed at boosting the logistics leader's presence in the UAE capital five-fold. Investments have included Dhs1.7 million on a new airside facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport and an express centre in Al Muhairy Mall - the first retail outlet for DHL in the UAE - as well as a Dhs1.25 million complete upgrade of its Abu Dhabi fleet.

"The opening of this new head office brings the total number of units in Abu Dhabi to five. We will continue to grow our presence in Abu Dhabi in line with demand, which includes growing requests for our trucking service from the capital, to which we hope to add significant new routes in the very near future," said Wild.