Investment in transportation determining course for DHL

Delivery and logistics business DHL uses virtually every mode of transport to deliver goods. Because those needs are likely to persist, the company is focused on using the most efficient solutions both financially and in terms of carbon emissions.

“We’re investing heavily in the improvement in the types of vehicles that that we’re operating,” said Ben Segelman, who is DHL Supply Chain’s head of capital markets for UK, Ireland Mainland Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“We’ve bought new fleets of airplanes that replace our older more polluting versions, we’ve bought a small number of electric airplanes for our parcel business, on the road we’ve invested heavily in the electrification of our last-mile delivery fleet,” he told Real Asset Insight’s Richard Betts. The firm is also looking at different truck technologies. “It’s not just electric, there’s the potential for hydrogen and we’re certainly looking at that as something that may be a more long-term solution than electric.”

The group has also been using river transportation to try to beat London’s congestion and to reduce pollution.

Much depends on changes in technology, but those changes are occurring quickly.

“The investment that we are proposing to put into it is really dictating how we move forward as a group,” he said.

Click on the video to watch the full interview or listen to the podcast below.