DHL EXPRESS, the industry leader in global logistics solutions, is making moves to assert its position in the Caribbean market. The company held its first Area Conference in the Caribbean at the Sonesta Ocean Point Hotel in St Maarten, from February 10 to 12. The three-day conference brought together over forty DHL executives and managers responsible for a number of areas critical to DHL’s Caribbean operations.
Speaking on the company’s decision to host the conference in the Caribbean, Reiner Wolfs, managing director of the Caribbean region at DHL Express, highlighted that DHL Express has experienced continuous and steady revenue growth in the region over the past several years, mainly through the development of new products and services and through attractive pricing campaigns. Wolfs also cited recent reports that attest to the region’s current potential for significant economic development, including the January report issued by the World Bank which stated that the Caribbean is expected to experience GDP growth of about 4.1 per cent over the years 2015-2017.
“Though we are not blind to the challenges ahead, we are optimistic about the region’s potential to flourish economically. In addition to the statistics that indicate the region’s increasing repositioning as a global export market, the Caribbean is also important to our international clients,” said Wolfs.
“For a large customer in Asia, a shipment to St Maarten or Barbados or Jamaica or anywhere else in the region can be just as important as a shipment to New York,” added the managing director. “We’re an international network and our customers expect us to be able to support their activities across the globe, including their activities in the Caribbean. We are very happy to be here for the conference,” said Wolfs.
Among those who attended the conference was Stephen Fenwick, chief executive officer for DHL Express Americas, who noted that the event provided an opportunity to interact directly with employees and get their perspective.
“The Caribbean team raised a number of thought-provoking ideas and issues,” Fenwick said. “It was an excellent networking opportunity.”
Key areas covered during the conference included best practices in human resources, customer service, IT and finance. A special training session on quality was also covered during the conference, as part of DHL’s Group-wide Certified Specialist Programme. These elements were spotlighted as essential to enhancing the company’s capacity to facilitate its international growth, especially in the Caribbean region.
The DHL Caribbean Area Conference will be followed by subsequent moves to further improve the company’s regional performance. DHL is the world’s leading international shipping, packaging and courier service, trading in over 220 countries across the globe. For more information, visit www.dhl.com. (PR)
