DHL appointed by Petroplus in £30m contract

DHL Supply Chain has been awarded a contract worth £30m (approx.EUR33.6m) across five years, by Petroplus. The company will handle all order management, customer services and movements of bitumen at elevated temperatures, to quarries and asphalt manufacturing plants throughout the UK.

The contract was awarded to DHL following a nine year relationship, formerly with BP Bitumen for seven years; then with Petroplus Bitumen since their acquisition of BP Bitumen two years ago.  During this time DHL provided excellent service, managing the movement of hazardous goods, with an exemplary health and safety record and cost effective operations.

Under the terms of the renewed contract, DHL will be implementing a number of sustainability initiatives that have been tried and tested under the company's GoGreen strategy. These include a program to reduce fleet fuel usage through:

• Reducing the speed limit on vehicles to 85kph and gear and valve resetting to match top speed
• Driving and vehicle examination training
• Maximizing load size to enable fewer deliveries 

Best-in-class service

Many of the sustainability initiatives being implemented by DHL are also intended to yield significant cost savings; the mileage and fuel monitoring program promises a £90,000 (approx. EUR100,000) cut in fuel costs within just one year.

Peter Clement, UK Logistics and Supply Chain Manager for Petroplus says: "DHL has an exemplary track record in health and safety and the on-time delivery of goods to our customers. We're delighted that this commitment to our business is going to be extended to support our sustainability goals. DHL's proposed combination of technical innovation and behavioural change is exactly what we were looking for from a partner."

Adam Franklin, Managing Director, Energy, Environment & Technology, DHL Supply Chain says: "We've gone to great lengths to ensure that the service we deliver to Petroplus is the absolute best in class. Our team undergoes extensive training to meet the very specific requirements of the job. In the next term of our relationship we plan to build on our already superior standards and bring in schemes to help the company save money and reduce its environmental impact."