DHL Supply Chain, the global market leader for contract logistics solutions, has extended its partnership with Konica Minolta, Inc., the leading manufacturer in business technologies, by securing a contract to design, manage, and optimise its logistics operations across China. Under the new Lead Logistics Partner (LLP) agreement, DHL will be wholly responsible for the manufacturing logistics of Konica Minolta’s domestic supply chain in the ‘Business Technologies’ business in China.

Th e partnership between the two companies fi rst commenced in July 2013 when DHL was awarded a contract to manage Konica Minolta’s supply chain in Japan. Under the LLP arrangement, DHL assumed management of the tech company’s domestic distribution centre network. It introduced quality improvement processes into distribution center operations, standardised work processes, and established a new key performance indicator (KPI)-based quality management system to track performance and drive continuous improvement. In addition, DHL standardised Konica Minolta’s transportation contracts and implemented shared trucking services to reduce costs and improve effi ciency. Th e value delivered by the DHL team in Japan was a key factor behind Konica Minolta’s decision to extend the scope to include China. DHL began implementing new LLP services for Konica Minolta in China in November 2015 and will focus on re-engineering the transport network, optimising warehouse operations, and standardizing processes to deliver agreed savings. Th e subsequent phase will involve quality management, KPI reporting and driving further operational ef f iciency through continuous improvement initiatives.