Following DHL Express’s introduction of Heavy Weight Express (HWX) this year, DHL Express recorded a 16% growth in its Time Definite International Weight per Day in Asia Pacific (excluding China) between January and July 2026. This reflects how DHL’s Smart Industrial Growth Strategy is yielding positive outcomes as businesses are moving heavier, critical components, machinery, and industrial equipment across borders.
The heavyweight market has been gaining traction in recent years. Industry research shows that an estimated 10.2 million tons of heavyweight shipments¹ are being moved in Asia Pacific (excluding China) each year. Many companies have spent years reducing inventory and improving efficiency across their supply chains. However, companies today operate in a far less predictable environment marked by trade disruptions, manufacturing bottlenecks, and fluctuating demand. The rise in heavyweight shipment volumes mirrors a shift in how businesses are managing supply chain risks, as they increasingly turn to express logistics not only to handle sudden shifts in demand but also to have greater agility, certainty and control over timelines.
“Behind the numbers is a simple reality: Businesses are shipping heavy when timing matters and when it’s critical,” said Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express. “As companies continue to navigate a complex landscape where uncertainty has become the norm, speed and reliability have also become part of the business decision. Customers are making deliberate decisions on what they ship through our network. Our Heavy Weight Express solution helps companies avoid downtime, protect working capital and keep operations moving when supply chains don’t go exactly as planned.”
Technology, Engineering & Manufacturing, and Automotive top Asia Pacific’s heavyweight contributors
Across the region, high-value, technology-related cargo, such as computer chips and semiconductors, accounts for the largest share of DHL Express’s heavyweight segment at over 34%, driven by rapid investment in data centres to support the growing demand for computing capacity, data storage, cloud services, as well as artificial intelligence. This has fueled demand for technology-related shipments, from semiconductors and servers to cooling systems and electrical infrastructure. However, a data centre crunch is creating supply chain bottlenecks as demand for semiconductor manufacturing outpaces infrastructure supply. As a result, express logistics services are urgently activated to move critical components quickly and efficiently, helping to keep projects on schedule.
The other main contributors to the heavyweight segment are businesses in engineering & manufacturing as well as the automotive industry.
Automotive is the fastest-growing sector
HWX service is also gaining strong momentum in the automotive sector, with its shipment weight increasing at a rate of nearly 20%. As the leading export region for this sector, Asia Pacific is also seeing a surge in Asian automotive brands, particularly Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers from China and Southeast Asia. As these brands expand into new markets, they are also moving vehicle parts sourced from different suppliers and manufacturers across borders. This has created the appetite for expedited shipments to keep production running. In this sector, a single late or failed shipment could instantly cost automotive manufacturers millions of dollars.
Asia affirms role as a vital trading hub
In Asia Pacific (excluding China), the fastest growth in heavyweight shipments for the first seven months of the year came from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Hong Kong. These markets reflect two of the region’s strongest trade corridors – Southeast Asia’s firm role as a manufacturing and sourcing base, and North Asia’s strategic position as a hub for high-value technology, industrial and automotive supply chains. Additionally, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam are also recognised as key markets of the geographic tailwinds initiative.
“As companies continue to manufacture out of Asia, balancing project timelines and building more resilient and agile supply chains become a priority. To maintain production continuity and ensure certainty, they are consolidating goods into heavier shipments. These non-negotiable conditions are also “urgency drivers” that put us at an advantage to help deliver our customers’ shipments at a definite time,” said Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express.
In recent years, DHL Express has added several new infrastructures across the region, including an expanded global hub in Hong Kong, facilities near Cebu and Manila airports, a gateway at Christchurch airport, a Hanoi gateway near Noi Bai airport, as well as a Delhi gateway, culminating in approximately 1,000 facilities in the Asia Pacific region. This is further supported by a robust aviation network of around 810 flights per day.
