The relocation of industrial production to locations outside of China has become a growth driver for DHL, stated CEO Tobias Meyer of logistics giant, DeutschePost/DHL, in a report published in the daily newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung. He mentions Mexico as one example where the integrator has grown very strongly lately. At the same time, DHL announced the construction of a Life Sciences & Healthcare (LSH) campus of enormous dimensions near Frankfurt, Germany.
Investment data evidence that an increasing number of global actors are diversifying their economic activities, thus making their supply chains more robust. Due to the uncertain political situation and mounting conflicts, the times are gone where many of them had put all their eggs in a single – Chinese – basket. Also, they tend to cooperate with a multitude of partners to avoid dependence on a single supplier. According to this trend, the DHL-operated global freighter network has also changed substantially. This concerns primary trans-Pac routes between China and the U.S., where transport volumes plummeted following Trump’s disruptive tariff policy.
SAF continues to be high on DHL’s agenda
In the interview, CEO Meyer reaffirmed DHL’s goal of achieving an SAF fuel rate of 33% for the integrator’s air operations by 2030. However, he admits that this is a very ambitious target because the production of sustainable aviation fuel lags far behind demand, and the cost difference to traditional Jet A-1 fuel is still enormous. However, he stressed the positive fact that DHL has signed key SAF agreements with suppliers in coordination with the integrator’s customers, financed partially by shippers and other industrial partners. Meyer pointed out that the DHL freighter fleet is already the airline with the highest proportion of SAF burn, accounting for 3.5% in average.
Multibillion investment in pharma and healthcare facility
Further to this, the company tabled plans on Thursday (15MAY25), to erect a gigantic Health Logistics campus in Florstadt, near Frankfurt, encompassing a size the equivalent of 14 soccer fields. Once fully operational, the complex will be the backbone of DHL’s global Health Logistics network, reads an announcement.
The integrator’s future European pharmaceutical hub is part of a global multibillion investment in DHL Health Logistics. With the addition of this state-of-the-art logistics center, the campus comprises a total of 100,000 square meters of warehouse space. It offers capacity for handling, transshipping or storing more than 140,000 pallets of pharmaceutical and medical items, serving international customers from the biopharma, specialty pharma, clinical research sectors and medical technology, with more than 600 highly qualified employees on site. The new climate-neutral “Florstadt 4” warehouse spans over 30,000 square meters and has been specifically designed for the storage and distribution of high-value pharmaceutical and medical products.
Flagship project
It features multiple temperature zones, with the capability to turn the temperature down to minus 70° centigrade if needed. Focus is placed on the critical ranges of 2–8°C and -20°C, ensuring compliance with the highest standards for handling temperature-sensitive products according to provision. Rainer Haag, CEO DHL Supply Chain Germany & Alps, confirms the importance of the Florstadt location: “The Frankfurt Rhine-Main area is one of the most vibrant economic regions in Europe. The fact that we are consistently expanding our largest campus there, shows just how important the site is at the heart of our DHL Health Logistics strategy. As we expand, we are keeping an eye to sustainability and climate protection – the site is also a flagship project in terms of environmentally friendly operations.”
Based on climate-neutrality enabled by solar panels, heat pumps and a comprehensive energy concept with LED lighting control and its own photovoltaic system, DHL is pursuing a holistic approach as a green logistics provider of choice, is stated in a company release.
