DHL Company Portrait

Where does the name DHL come from?

These are the first letters of the last names of the three company founders, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn.

In 1969, just months after the world had marvelled at Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, the three partners took another small step that would have a profound impact on the way the world does business.

The founders began to personally ship papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu, beginning customs clearance of the ship's cargo before the actual arrival of the ship and dramatically reducing waiting time in the harbour.

Customers stood to save a fortune.

With this concept, a new industry was born: international air express, the rapid delivery of documents and shipments by airplane.

The DHL Network continued to grow at an incredible pace. The company expanded westward from Hawaii into the Far East and Pacific Rim, then the Middle East, Africa and Europe. By 1988, DHL was already present in 170 countries and had 16,000 employees.

Deutsche Post World Net and DHL Consolidation

At the geginning of 2002, Deutsche Post World Net became the major shareholder in DHL. By the end of 2002, DHL was 100% owned by Deutsche Post World Net

In 2003, Deutsche Post World Net consolidated all of its express and logistics activities into one single brand, DHL. The DHL brand was further strengthened by Deutsche Post World Net's acquisition of Exel in December 2005. The DHL expertise is pooled from a number of companies acquired by Deutsche Post World Net. To name a few:

Exel: at the time Deutsche Post World Net acquired Exel in December 2005, it had around 111,000 employees in 135 countries. Exel primarily offers transport and logistics solutions for key customers.

Deutsche Post Euro Express: in operation since 1997 through internal growth and investments in leading European companies, network for parcel and express services in more than 20 countries, market leader for business customers in Europe.

Danzas: founded in 1815, based in Basel, Switzerland, acquired by
Deutsche Post World Net in 2000, world leader in air freight and ranked second in ocean freight. Overland transport and supply chain management complete the Danzas service portfolio.

Air Express International: largest American air freight provider, integrated into the Danzas group in 2001.