1980

BY THE END OF THE 1970s, DHL HAD MORE

THAN 85,000 CUSTOMERS FROM EVERY
CORNER OF THE GLOBE. HOWEVER, THIS
1989
WAS JUST THE BEGINNING.
Speed, reliability, flexibility and all DHL
employees demonstrating that same Can
Do attitude, saw the business boom
throughout the 1980s.
The company restructured geographically
and operationally into global regions and
DECADE OF NETWORK

functions. Service centers were created and

package handling was developed, so by the
end of the decade, this globally connected
business was shifting over 45 million
CO-OPERATION

shipments per year.

 1980
BILL WALDEN AT THE HELM
DHL went through some major restructuring.
This ensured that DHL was fit for growth and on
its way to becoming the successful international
company we know today.

FIRST STEPS TAKEN TOWARDS PROVIDING

DHL
FACT
DHL expanded into many new territories.
Service centers were set up in the
Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands,
Chile, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay,
Bangladesh, China, India, Sri Lanka,
Austria, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe.
SERVICE TO CHINA
In 1980, DHL started a low-profile service
delivering material into Guangzhou, China
via Hong Kong – becoming the first
international courier to do so. As DHL didn’t
have approval from the PRC central
government in Beijing, the service was
limited and operated under the radar. It was
fulfilled by dispatching a courier from Hong
Kong who delivered the shipment, spent the
night in a Guangzhou hotel, and returned
to Hong Kong the following day.

BEST DRESSED IN THE WEST

Even though uniforms were not introduced

1981
until 1980, there was a dress code of sorts
in the early years. In the Paris office, couriers
had to wear a jacket and tie when facing a
Customer. The express delivery market was
highly competitive and it was thought that
if a Customer had to choose between a person
in a t-shirt and jeans and one in a jacket and
tie, the business would go to the best dressed.
First impressions count!

DHL DID YOU

FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
DHL opened offices in Barbados,
British Virgin Islands, Cameroon,
Cyprus, Gabon, Luxembourg, Nepal,
New Caledonia, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, Portugal and Turkey.
KNOW?
Bahrain-based courier Mohammed
Essa began working for DHL in 1981.
Within 20 years he had flown more
than 4,000 flights and filled an
incredible 43 passports. Here he is
pictured with just some of them.

63
 DHL
FACT

EXPANDING THE SERVICE

BREAKING INTO CHINA – SINOTRANS
This was a significant year for DHL’s
progress in the Chinese market. In a
1982
pioneering move, we worked with the
PRC government's international air
freight organization, Sinotrans, to offer a
service there. It was the first foreign
courier service permitted to operate in
the country, beating rivals FedEx and UPS.
Services started to Anguilla, Antigua,
Aruba, Bonaire, Cape Verde, Dominica,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Grenada,
Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana,
Iceland, Libya, Martinique, Montserrat,
St Kitts & Nevis, Nicaragua, St Vincent,
Tonga and Turks & Caicos Islands.

DID YOU DID YOU

KNOW? KNOW?
Did you know DHL was a DHL never horses around – except when
sponsor of the Soccer World Istanbul received a Boeing 727 with
Cup in Spain? some very special live cargo. On board
were 21 horses, in the country to attend
a show jumping competition.
1983

EMPLOYEES
11,302

THE BIRTH OF EUROSOCCER

The very first DHL EuroCup was a small, informal
tournament held in Amsterdam, which brought
together five teams from across Europe. It was
such a huge success that it was followed just
four weeks later with the first official EuroCup
in Paris. The UK won 1-0 against Greece in the
final. It played a big part in bringing DHL
employees together and the event has now
grown into an annual soccer and cheerleading
extravaganza, enjoyed by players and supporters
from all over the global network.

64
 DHL boosted its capacity in
the USA by adding its first
Boeing 727 to the fleet.

DHL
FACT

1984
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
DHL was the first express delivery company to begin
services to Eastern Europe. It also started services to
Botswana, Brunei, Costa Rica, French Guiana,
Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Liberia, Maldives,
Seychelles, Slovenia, Suriname and Togo. In the USA,
the domestic overnight program was developed, using
two hubs at Cincinnati and Salt Lake City.

DHL
FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
DHL started services to Angola,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Georgia,
Guinea Republic, Hungary, Malawi, Qatar,
The Russian Federation, Solomon Islands,
Turkmenistan and Vanuatu.

DHL was recognized as the world’s leading

express delivery carrier when it helped the
Olympic Committee and the world’s best athletes
get vital equipment to Los Angeles for the
Olympic Games. DHL was also the official carrier
for the winter games in Sarajevo.

65
 1985
CENTER OF ACTIVITY
1985 marked the opening of the pioneering
hub in Brussels, the first automated sorting system
in Europe. Its location in the heart of Europe made
it an important part of the network. Investment
over the years means that today it is still one of the
largest hubs in the global DHL network – open 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.

DHL
FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
DHL responded to Customers' needs
and started services to Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Djibouti,
Mozambique, Republic of Nauru,
Somalia and Swaziland.

ADAPTING TO SURVIVE
The introduction of the
fax machine led to a shift
in DHL’s business during
the 1980s. Anticipating that the fax would have a detrimental
effect on the shipment of documents, DHL set about building
and investing in a global communications network with the
capability to move packages. It also developed its customs
expertise to allow for speedy processing of high-value
shipments through customs. Forward thinking kept the
business a success.

DHL: DEDICATION, HEROISM, LEADERSHIP

DHL can sometimes be caught in the middle of
human catastrophes, which is what happened
when Mexico City suffered the worst earthquake
in its history on 19 September 1985. Buildings
collapsed and thousands of people were killed or
injured. With phone lines down and without
electricity, dedicated DHL Mexico staff kept its
offices open, working round the clock to
introduce a free message system so that locals
could check in with family and friends.

66
 DHL
FACT

EXPANDING THE SERVICE

1986 DHL started services to the Cook Islands, Eritrea,
Island of Reunion, The Gambia, Lesotho, Tahiti,
Madagascar, Mali, Uganda and Zambia.

David Allen signing the historic

agreement with the Chinese
Government to establish a joint
venture between DHL and Sinotrans.

1986 saw DHL Worldwide Express unveil

its new logo to the world.

1987

DHL
FACT

EXPANDING THE SERVICE

DHL began delivering to Chad,
Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Morocco,
Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

Prime Minister Thatcher and David Allen opened

the Orbital Park hub, London, UK. In her speech
Thatcher said, “DHL is the best in the world.”

POSTAL AND CUSTOM REFORM

Throughout the 1980s, in Europe, DHL provided economic evidence
showing how postal monopolies were unfair and restrictive to the
newly emerging business of DHL Express. Eventually in late 1986,
the European Commission intervened and DHL secured a ruling
from the EC in Brussels that DHL’s activities were outside the
legislation of the postal monopolies and therefore not subject to
postal tariffs, regulation or delays.

67
 DHL
FACT
EXPANDING THE SERVICE
Namibia, St Lucia and Vietnam
1988 were added to the list of countries
served by DHL.
DHL Budapest was established as
a joint venture with Hungary’s state-
owned transport company.
DHL staff in Australia were bussed
around in style while advertising
DHL’s services.

NEW INVESTMENT IN CINCINNATI

In the USA, the Cincinnati hub expanded to cope
with continued growth. Today, it is one of DHL’s
three ‘Superhubs’, along with Hong Kong and
Leipzig. It acts as a global gateway, connecting
America with the rest of DHL’s network and processes
over 50 million international shipments annually.

DHL
FACT
Services to Tanzania and Laos were
1989
set up. The company invested US$63m
in brand new headquarters in Tokyo.

EasyShip, an integrated shipping

processing system, was introduced
VEHICLES
to allow Customers complete control
6,914
to prepare and track their shipments,
all from their PCs.

Celebrations took place

around the world to mark
DHL’s 20th anniversary.

SERVICE CENTERS
1,153

DID YOU
KNOW
COUNTRIES
At the time of reunification between 175
East and West Germany, DHL shipped
several tons of the Berlin Wall to
memento collectors around the world.
Most of it was in very small
consignments but again showed the
AIRCRAFT Can Do attitude of DHL employees
99 going above the call of duty.

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