“If we compare the Middle East with the rest of the world, our performance was very good. The year-to-date volumes in the Middle East, other than Iraq, were up around one per cent on a year earlier, while our weight is up 11 per cent,†Garry Kemp, Managing Director (Middle East, North Africa, Turkey) DHL Express, told Emirates Business.
“Given the changing needs of our customers in the past year, a change in product mix and a higher demand for day-definite logistics solutions have contributed to the results,†he said.
Qatar and Kuwait are the highest growth markets in the Middle East in terms of revenue and volume, he said.
“In the coming year, we are anticipating about three to five per cent improvement in the region in terms of the volumes. The growth is fuelled by a requirement of more and more imports and through critical gateway points such as the Jebel Ali port and free zone that is feeding the entire Gulf, and even up to the Levant countries including Jordan. We are seeing consumer appetite across the region,†he said.
DHL’s largest distribution centre in the Middle East is located in Bahrain, the nodal point for distributing express cargo in 12 countries of the Middle East through the road and air networks.
The company also has plans for capacity additions in the UAE and the GCC, including airport facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and in key border crossings like between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This year DHL made investments in Jordan and Lebanon, he said.
