DHL today launched its Asia Pacific Innovation Center (APIC) in Singapore, to offer a visionary view of the logistics world, and develop innovative solutions to meet evolving supply chain needs. The multi-million dollar facility is DHL's first innovation center outside of Germany, and the first dedicated center for innovative logistics services in the Asia Pacific region. The center is located within the EUR104-million DHL Supply Chain Advanced Regional Center (ARC) building at Singapore's Tampines LogisPark.

"I believe innovative ideas are key for our future success. Our focus on customer-centric innovations and the development of products and services that our customers need most, will help us to remain the logistics leader", said Frank Appel, CEO Deutsche Post DHL Group. "By analyzing social, business and technology trends, and converting our innovations into marketable solutions, we will make our customers more successful."

Value adding in the logistics industry

Launched with the support of the Economic Development Board (EDB), the APIC showcases futuristic technologies that will transform logistics operations. These include augmented reality "smart glasses" for warehouse assembly-lines and product picking; drones for delivery of time-critical goods like medicines; Maintenance on Demand (MoDe) vehicles that use machine-to-machine (M2M) sensors to boost vehicle uptime by 30 per cent; and driverless shuttles for faster, more efficient transportation.

Besides showcasing the latest in logistics trends and innovative solutions, APIC serves as a regional platform for collaborative innovation between DHL, customers, industry partners, and independent experts. The center will drive DHL's Trend Research initiatives focusing on emerging trends in Asian logistics and economic activity.

Bill Meahl, Chief Commercial Officer DHL, said: "With our emerging markets expected to generate 30 per cent of DHL's global revenue by 2020, our sustained industry leadership demands that we successfully differentiate our services in these markets through well-calculated forays into new technologies, processes, and products. The launch of the APIC in Singapore is a natural step to maintain our lead as a frontrunner in innovation, following the success of our first center in Germany. Singapore's position as an innovation hub, its excellent infrastructure and sophisticated workforce make it an excellent base from which we can achieve strong and consistent growth in the region."

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Source: Deutsche Post DHL