DHL expands U.S. footprint alongside global trade growth

DHL has been expanding its locations around the world to keep up with growing e-commerce and international trade demand, and its most recent expansion in southern California has doubled its intake capacity in Ontario, California.

Shipments DHL processes in Ontario focus on international trade and e-commerce, and include documents, small parcels and palletized freight. The new US$7 million facility includes 75,000-square-feet of building space, up from about 39,000-square-feet at DHL’s former facility in Ontario. The new warehouse includes more dock doors, as well as two conveyor belts with processing capacity of up to 3,000 pieces per hour.

“DHL’s expansion in Ontario is a direct reflection of our customers’ business growth, which has been bolstered by an uptick in international shipping, largely due to the rise of e-commerce,” said John Fox, General Manager for DHL, Western U.S. The Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce reported that air cargo moving through the Ontario Airport (ONT) increased by more than 15 percent year-over-year in 2017.

Examining the latest quarterly results from the DHL Global Trade Barometer help explain the logistics provider’s moves to expand warehouse operations across the world. DHL remains optimistic about expected growth in global trade, as its most recent trade barometer findings indicate that “Asia’s economies are clambering towards new levels of growth not seen in recent times,” according to Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.

According to DHL, trade fundamentals in Asia and for those countries heavily involved in trade with Asia “remain robust enough to warrant optimism in the near-term, particularly those industries directly involved with manufacturing and production for the region’s burgeoning consumer base,” Leung added.