DHL Pioneers New Paths for Logistics Innovation in the Middle East

DHL’s Mobile MEA Innovation Center in Dubai is the fourth innovation center of DHL worldwide – following Chicago in the USA, Cologne in Germany, and Singapore – and the first fully mobile facility. The 450 square meter mobile facility is located in the logistics area of Dubai South and is the first of its kind.

(Bonn/Dubai) DHL has opened its mobile innovation center for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in Dubai in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman and CEO of the Emirates Group, and Chairman of Dubai Airports. The 450 square meter mobile facility is located in the logistics area of Dubai South and is the first of its kind. For a smooth relocation within the region, the innovation center can be easily assembled and disassembled. The state-of-the-art MEA Innovation Center will provide DHL customers and partners, as well as researchers, with a collaborative platform to solve complex logistics challenges, exchange ideas on the latest logistics trends, and network with innovators from the logistics industry in the region. Senior executives from DHL and Dubai South also attended the opening of the new facility.

Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Customer Solutions and Innovation at DHL, commented: “The MEA region, which includes the Middle East and Africa, is one of our most dynamic regions. Dubai South is an ideal first stop for our mobile innovation center in the region, and we are proud to bring DHL’s innovation approach here. Our future success is based on our ability to optimally support our customers in a rapidly changing business and logistics environment. We look forward to bringing customer-oriented innovations, inspiring ideas, and the application of our proven innovation methods closer to our customers and colleagues in the region, helping them keep pace with new conditions and requirements.”

Dubai Represents Disruptive Ideas and Innovation

Mohsen Ahmad Alawadhi, CEO of the Logistics District Dubai South, said: “Dubai uniquely represents disruptive ideas and innovation. We are therefore even more pleased that DHL has chosen Dubai South as the first station for its mobile innovation center. This location choice underscores Dubai South’s outstanding position as a local and regional hub for the logistics industry. Dubai South aims to establish itself as an innovation and future-oriented logistics center for the region – a claim that the concept and innovative implementation of the DHL Innovation Center fits perfectly.”

In addition to a selection of exhibits based on key technologies for the logistics industry of the future, the Mobile MEA Innovation Center will also showcase proof of concepts that have already been successfully tested in various DHL units. The exhibits target the specific requirements of DHL customers in the region. The focus is on topics such as IoT, artificial intelligence, robotics, bionic systems, and data analytics in areas like supply chain analysis, digital twins in warehousing, and optimization of last-mile delivery.

“The Innovation Centers are the flagship of DHL’s innovation program. This includes its own trend research and innovation workshops based on proven methods, as well as thought leadership events for an in-depth engagement with technologies that will impact the logistics industry. The concept of the MEA Innovation Center follows this approach and will provide our customers with a compact and highly relevant agenda that reflects the opportunities in the region,” explains Matthias Heutger, SVP Global Head of Innovation & Commercial Development at DHL CSI.

In 2022, the Center Moves to Qatar

The Mobile MEA Innovation Center is the fourth innovation center of DHL worldwide – following Chicago in the USA, Cologne in Germany, and Singapore – and the first fully mobile facility. The Mobile MEA Innovation Center is a modular building that was shipped in containers from Germany to Dubai and then assembled on-site in Dubai South. The facility is expected to remain in Dubai until 2022 and then move to Qatar, the next stop on its journey through the MEA region, which is expected to last until 2027.

Photo: © DHL