DHL

Founded in San Francisco more than 40 years ago by 3 budding entrepreneurs - Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn - DHL has continued to expand at a phenomenal rate. Today, it stands tall as the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry.

Back In 1969, DHL took its first small steps in building for the future by personally shipping papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu. The years passed and the DHL network grew ever larger, gradually reaching out to new customers in every corner of the world. At the same time, the marketplace developed and became more complex, so DHL adapted to meet the changing needs of its customers - both at global and local level.

DHL comprises four divisions. These segments operate under the control of their own divisional headquarters. The Group management functions are performed by the Corporate Center.

We have centralized the internal services which support the entire Group, including Finance Operations, IT and Procurement. This consolidation enables us to increase the flexibility of our business, improve service quality and leverage economies of scale and cost benefits.

Today, DHL's international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. DHL also offers unparalleled expertise in express, air and ocean freight, overland transport, contract logistics solutions as well as international mail services.

From 1969 until today, the approach and dedication has remained the same. Our success has always been based around delivering excellent service for our customers. Never complacent, DHL has become a brand acknowledged for personal commitment, proactive solutions and local strength. At the heart of its success are its employees who focus on the customer's needs and provide individually customized solutions. DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 51 billion euros in 2010.

Hillblom put up a portion of his student loans to start the company, bringing in his two friends Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn as partners, with their combined initials as the company name. All three shared a Plymouth Duster that they drove around San Francisco to pick up the documents in suitcases, then rushed to the airport to book flights using another relatively new invention, the corporate credit card. As the business took off, they started hiring new couriers to join the company.