DHL, the world’s leading express and logistics company, has been honoured for the second successive year as 'Express Logistics Provider of the Year,' at the Supply Chain & Transport Awards (SCATA) ceremony in Dubai.

Recognized for innovation, service excellence, and commitment to providing customers with superior express and logistics solutions, the win consolidates DHL’s position as the market leader in the express and logistics industry in the Middle East, said a DHL official.

The SCATA gives awards to companies in the logistics, sea freight and air cargo sectors for expertise in offering unrivalled express logistics services.

The ceremony hosted over 300 of the region’s shipping, cargo, logistics and port professionals.

“We are proud to receive this prestigious award, recognizing that we have built and improved upon operational and service performance during the last year, reinforcing our number one priority of making our customers successful,” said David Wild, commercial director for DHL Middle East.

“This is a fitting tribute to the dedicated teams at DHL who put in tremendous efforts every day to ensure we provide superior value and innovative customized solutions,” he added.

The criteria for the Express Logistics Provider of the Year focused on consistency in offering world-class services and facilities across the Middle East over the past 12 months.

According to the judging panel, DHL showed exceptional performance in the field of express logistics, including network coverage, volumes transported, customer service and safety initiatives in 2007.

“With significant investments in infrastructure, networks and facilities, including the ongoing commitment to place Strategic Parts Centers in key locations across the region, we have been able to broaden DHL’s strategic footprint and so allowing customers to access the extensive DHL network - this underlines our capability and flexibility in managing our customers’ evolving requirements,” said Dirk Van Doorn, DHL business & product development manager, Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

The award follows a series of recent DHL initiatives to tap growth opportunities in the Middle East.

Recent developments include unrivalled service offerings with several launches such as Economy Select, Time-Definite products and Express Logistics.  Through the provision of such customer service solutions, DHL offers a 24/7, 365 day service across the globe from the Middle East.

Janet Jweihan, country manager for DHL UAE added: “We are pleased to be acknowledged for the company’s exceptional business performance both regionally and internationally. We believe this award was based on our ability to offer all of our customers’ superior quality express and logistics.”

Deutsche Post World Net, DHL’s parent company, was also recognized at the ceremony: the company was short listed in both the Corporate Social Responsibility and Outstanding Achievement of the Year categories.-TradeArabia News Service