DHL Wins the global race

[Jurassic Jet]

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/business/stories/2007/05/01/0501bizrace.html

DHL flexes global muscle in wacky race

By MATT KEMPNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/01/07

Disney and package carriers got it wrong. It's not such a small world, after all.

The proof is in the results of the latest Great Package Race, a more or less yearly exercise by a professor and students at Georgia Tech's Supply Chain & Logistics Institute.

Their event tests the logistical muscle of three of the biggest package delivery companies in the world: FedEx, DHL and Sandy Springs-based UPS.
The idea is to use the carriers to simultaneously send identical boxes stuffed with Georgia Tech T-shirts, baseball hats and coffee mugs to remote, odd or dangerous corners of the globe. This year's destinations included Tikrit, an insurgent hotbed in Iraq; Harare, the capital of troubled Zimbabwe in Africa; Yangon in Myanmar in Asia; Apia in the Pacific island nation of Samoa; and Florianopolis, on an island off the coast of Brazil.

The race — admittedly not a careful experiment so much as an "expression of spring fever at a technical institute" — is pretty much done, though in this contest it's not unusual for some boxes to be locked in an international time warp somewhere between sender and receiver.

The winner? DHL.

In last place at last check? UPS.

The race started at noon April 13 in Atlanta. By April 20, DHL had delivered all five packages. By April 27, FedEx had delivered three. UPS, last year's winner and the world's biggest package deliverer, succeeded on only two. One of its boxes lodged in Auckland, New Zealand. Two others — the ones marked for Tikrit and Yangon — were returned. Also, a UPS phone representative insisted Samoa was not a country, race organizers said. (It is, but there is also a nearby U.S. possession called American Samoa.)

A UPS spokesman said the company doesn't deliver to Myanmar because of a U.S. government ban and doesn't offer service to Tikrit. A FedEx spokesman said service to Myanmar has been suspended. Unlike FedEx and UPS, DHL's parent company is based in Germany, not the U.S.
Professor John Bartholdi, who runs the contest, picks locales that will poke carriers at some of their weakest points.
"We are pushing each of these organizations' processes out at the fringes," he said.
There, carriers usually rely on subcontractors to make the final delivery, Bartholdi added. "You can't have guys in brown shorts driving through downtown Tikrit."

The delivery charges ranged from the $76.96 that DHL charged for the Florianopolis run to FedEx's charge of $169.10 for the Apia delivery. But the money question is still unsettled. According to Bartholdi, he won't know UPS' final charges until they show up on credit card bills.

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

As a percentage, how much of the global express market is represented by traffic between Atlanta and Tikrit, Harare, Yangon (the one in Myanmar, not the other one), Apia and Florianopolis?

Whatever it is, the article does point out what may be at the heart of DHL's recent problems. The average consumer simply doesn't realize how useful DHL can be for shipping fairly robust items such as coffee mugs and T-shirts to war zones and obscure islands off the coast of Brazil.

Coming next month - Georgia Tech will conduct a road test between a Lexus 460, a Mercedes-Benz S550, and a Bajaj motor scooter, to determine which one is easiest to parallel park.

 

[Sporto]

As a percentage, how much of the global express market is represented by traffic between Atlanta and Tikrit, Harare, Yangon (the one in Myanmar, not the other one), Apia and Florianopolis?

Whatever it is, the article does point out what may be at the heart of DHL's recent problems. The average consumer simply doesn't realize how useful DHL can be for shipping fairly robust items such as coffee mugs and T-shirts to war zones and obscure islands off the coast of Brazil.

Coming next month - Georgia Tech will conduct a road test between a Lexus 460, a Mercedes-Benz S550, and a Bajaj motor scooter, to determine which one is easiest to parallel park.

Now that's funny stuff there. :laugh:

 

[AV8OR]

As a percentage, how much of the global express market is represented by traffic between Atlanta and Tikrit, Harare, Yangon (the one in Myanmar, not the other one), Apia and Florianopolis?

Whatever it is, the article does point out what may be at the heart of DHL's recent problems. The average consumer simply doesn't realize how useful DHL can be for shipping fairly robust items such as coffee mugs and T-shirts to war zones and obscure islands off the coast of Brazil.

Coming next month - Georgia Tech will conduct a road test between a Lexus 460, a Mercedes-Benz S550, and a Bajaj motor scooter, to determine which one is easiest to parallel park.

That is pretty funny Whistlin.

 

[rotor&wing]

As a percentage, how much of the global express market is represented by traffic between Atlanta and Tikrit, Harare, Yangon (the one in Myanmar, not the other one), Apia and Florianopolis?

Whatever it is, the article does point out what may be at the heart of DHL's recent problems. The average consumer simply doesn't realize how useful DHL can be for shipping fairly robust items such as coffee mugs and T-shirts to war zones and obscure islands off the coast of Brazil.

Coming next month - Georgia Tech will conduct a road test between a Lexus 460, a Mercedes-Benz S550, and a Bajaj motor scooter, to determine which one is easiest to parallel park.

Actually I heard Georgia Tech is going to do a study on just how much bull$hit someone can put on a resume before they're caught and fired.......

 

[BobbyBiplane]

Actually I heard Georgia Tech is going to do a study on just how much bull$hit someone can put on a resume before they're caught and fired.......

If that's the case, they should start with the folks at ASA GO

 

[AV8OR]

If that's the case, they should start with the folks at ASA GO

Mmmm, I think rotor was referencing a little "inside the AStar family" laundry.

It was pretty funny though. Wondered when someone might drop a similar line.

 

[Brazilgun]

As a percentage, how much of the global express market is represented by traffic between Atlanta and Tikrit, Harare, Yangon (the one in Myanmar, not the other one), Apia and Florianopolis?

Whatever it is, the article does point out what may be at the heart of DHL's recent problems. The average consumer simply doesn't realize how useful DHL can be for shipping fairly robust items such as coffee mugs and T-shirts to war zones and obscure islands off the coast of Brazil.

Coming next month - Georgia Tech will conduct a road test between a Lexus 460, a Mercedes-Benz S550, and a Bajaj motor scooter, to determine which one is easiest to parallel park.

You're as ignorant as a a$$. Florianopolis is one of the biggest cities in Brazil. You should spent less time here and more studying your map. The only thing obscure is your knowledge.

 

[Brazilgun]

DHL did a better job. What's the big deal? Sometimes FEDEX is better, sometimes is UPS and other times DHL wins. Is it hard to believe just because they are based in Germany? I'm sorry to brake to ya, but the world has more than 50 states.

 

[Jurassic Jet]

As a percentage, how much of the global express market is represented by traffic between Atlanta and Tikrit, Harare, Yangon (the one in Myanmar, not the other one), Apia and Florianopolis?

Maybe not much, but the person that does ship something to any of those places sure would like it to get there.

 

[Jurassic Jet]

You're as ignorant as a a$$. Florianopolis is one of the biggest cities in Brazil. You should spent less time here and more studying your map. The only thing obscure is your knowledge.

Good one Brazilgun. Learned something.

Florianópolis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Population (2006) - City406,564 - Urban358,180 - Metro821,423

Florianópolis (also known by its nickname Floripa) is the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. It is composed of one main island, the Island of Santa Catarina, one continental part and the surrounding small isles. It has a population of 406,564 (2006/IBGE). Its metropolitan area has a population of over 821,423 inhabitants.

It is surrounded by smaller islands with forts, which protected ships in the 17th century. Most of the population lives on the island's northern half. The southern half is more isolated and less developed. Although originally settled by the Portuguese (from the Archipelago of Azores), the city has a strong German and Italian influence, like the rest of the state. Florianópolis is a popular destination for South American tourists, because of its location and white sand beaches. Florianópolis is served by Hercílio Luz International Airport for both domestic and international flights.

 

[AerroMatt]

I'm not surprised by the results. I used to send care packages to my mother in law (until she died last fall) in central Russia by DHL. UPS and FedEx only had service to the major cities (Moscow, St Petersburg, etc). Now I was not shipping into central Siberia, I was sending packages to a city of 500,000 which was the capital of one of the provinces just 500 miles east of Moscow. I'm certain there was plenty of business to be done there, but FedEx and UPS apparently haven't had a lot of success penetrating that market beyond the biggest metro areas.

 

[Sunnfun]

I'm not surprised by the results. I used to send care packages to my mother in law (until she died last fall) in central Russia by DHL. UPS and FedEx only had service to the major cities (Moscow, St Petersburg, etc). Now I was not shipping into central Siberia, I was sending packages to a city of 500,000 which was the capital of one of the provinces just 500 miles east of Moscow. I'm certain there was plenty of business to be done there, but FedEx and UPS apparently haven't had a lot of success penetrating that market beyond the biggest metro areas.

Well, DHL is a much bigger global player than UPS or FedEX. DHL had $81B Revenue worldwide in 2006, UPS about $47B and FedEX around $33B(*).

It's just the US Branch of DHL that's doing so poor.

(*) what I found in quick trip through Google Finance, so don't take those # to the bank...

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

Actually I heard Georgia Tech is going to do a study on just how much bull$hit someone can put on a resume before they're caught and fired.......

Thats a different "Dan," honest! But now that you mention it, it would be interesting to do a little "forensic review" of some of the managers resumes as well. I suspect that some of their corporate bios have been "embellished" more than just a little...

Florianopolis is one of the biggest cities in Brazil. You should spend less time here and more studying your map

Still looking for "Florianopolis" on my world globe. There are about 20 cities big enough to warrant a "dot," but no Florianopolis.

Are you SURE it's in Brazil, Mr Brazilgun?

 

[Brazilgun]

Mr Dan,

I lived in Florianopolis for 7 years, but you might be able to tell me where it is. It just gets on my nerves when people like you think that if it's not American, then probally sucks. DHL is a good company. Just like FDX and UPS.
Since you're looking at your map, Brazil is geographically bigger than USA if you take Alaska and Hawaii. Just do me a favor and next time you start talking sh*t about some "obscured island", you at least do your homework.
I love America and I live here with my wife. United States is a great country, just make sure you know what you're talking about.