DHL implements leading-edge Quality Shipment Monitoring System (QSMS) across Asia Pacific

The QSMS had undergone 12 months of rigorous testing to determine the operational feasibility before it was implemented in the 10 markets - Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan. Six more markets - Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand - are expected to launch the enhanced system by the end of 2006, and the system will be operational in all 41 countries and territories in Asia Pacific by the end of 2007.

The enhanced system is a leap in DHL's customer service-enhancing technology. The QSMS has the unique capability and feature to alert analysts based at its Quality Control Centers (QCCs) in the countries when certain operational actions do not happen within a fixed set of timings.

For example, previously in the event of a flight delay due to bad weather, this information will only be reactively available to the DHL network after the flight has departed. However, with the QSMS, the latest flight status will be provided to the QCC analysts within five minutes of a flight delay, and this information will be immediately accessible to the network. This provision of real-time freight monitoring enables DHL to proactively inform customers on the status of their shipments, and respond instantly to potential shipment delays, thus saving customers precious money and time.

"There are several 'Control Centers' out there. The difference with ours is that we are able to monitor individual shipments door-to-door in real time. This allows us to proactively manage the shipments and inform customers immediately of any delays," said Charlie Dobbie, Senior Vice President, Operations - DHL Express Asia Pacific. "The implementation of the QSMS adds a new dimension to our service offerings, giving our customers additional peace of mind on the status of their shipments."

Dan McHugh, Senior Vice President, Commercial - DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, "This latest service enhancement is part of DHL's commitment to offer the best-in-class services to our customers. We understand that speed and reliability are principal to our customers' success. The QSMS' proactive and early notifications bring our customer focus approach to a higher level."

The QSMS enables DHL to proactively monitor shipments from the moment they are picked up by couriers. The movement of these shipments - from pick-up points to DHL's service centers, and from aircraft freighters to the final delivery - are monitored at 17 different check points, thus providing real-time visibility across the entire network. The QSMS' early-warning feature provides better issue management as it enables DHL to identify potential problems, and recommend rectification strategies before the situation is magnified.

The QSMS is installed in DHL's Quality Control Centers that are strategically located across the region and connected to DHL's Asia Pacific Quality Control Center (APQCC) in Singapore. The DHL QCCs are a network of regional and country quality control centers that monitor all global DHL shipments in the air and on the ground around the clock. They connect seamlessly within the network and its regional counterparts to increase transparency, flexibility and shipment efficiency for customers.