DHL | Cayman Islands | Warehousing / Distribution

Warehousing / Distribution

Ambient Warehousing

Receipt, storage, order processing, inventory management, pick, pack and dispatch, and warehouse management services for ambient merchandise. Solutions include the management and operation of distribution centres, as well as their design, fit-out and construction.

Temperature-Controlled Warehousing

Receipt, storage, order processing, inventory management, pick, pack and dispatch, and warehouse management services for chilled, frozen and deep-frozen merchandise. We also manage and operate composite distribution centres that combine two or more different temperature ranges.

Automated Warehousing

Fully or semi-automated warehouses/distribution centres may incorporate automated unloading and put-away, automated retrieval, hanging garment systems, auto-sortation systems and automated load-building. For customers with suitable volumes and product profiles, DHL will design, build and operate automated warehouses, creating efficient, fast throughput of cased, hanging and palletised product across single or multi-temperature regimes.

Bonded Warehousing

DHL manages and operates bonded and free trade zone (FTZ) warehouses and distribution centres, where payment of duty is usually deferred until the goods leave the facility.

Shared-User and Campus Solutions

DHL invests in shared-user warehousing and regional storage clusters or campuses at strategic locations in both developed and developing countries worldwide. These facilities are ideal for customers with compatible distribution channels, and offer comprehensive logistics services on a flexible short-, medium- or long-term basis.

Customers benefit from:

reduced fixed costs through access to variable storage and resource capacity - plus the sharing of real estate, labor, equipment, overheads and transport
ready access to supply chain solutions in whatever geography is required
faster implementation at lower cost and reduced risk (new operations are seeded with existing trained personnel)
cost-effective handling of seasonalities through flexible storage capacity
standardised, scalable systems and consistent processes across the network
sharing and transfer of best practice between sites
reduced requirement for management time by working with a single solutions provider
faster response to supply chain events and ad hoc requirements
reduced cost and lead-times by undertaking value added activities in the warehouse - e.g. promotional packaging.

DHL's well-established and highly regarded campus solutions are a core capability from which we have won many strong customer relationships. They are ideal for leading retailers and manufacturers wishing to achieve optimum efficiency in order fulfillment without the commitment of a stand-alone operation.

Dedicated Warehouses and Distribution Centres

DHL designs, manages and operates dedicated warehouses and distribution centers that are devoted to handling merchandise on behalf of a single customer.

Specialised Storage

DHL has unrivalled experience in operating and managing specialized storage for particular product categories and sectors. For example, we provide graded warehousing for the pharmaceutical, life sciences and healthcare industries that meets all relevant regulatory, security and operational standards. Other warehousing support provided for this sector includes clean rooms and clinical trials cells.

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

The warehouse management system records all events and activities in the receipt, handling and storage of products and orders in the warehouse or distribution center - including the location of inventory.

At DHL we offer a comprehensive suite of capabilities and work with a range of best-in-class software supplier partners. Our state-of-the-art systems monitor and control all critical warehouse processes - including order management, inventory management, replenishment, pick/pack/despatch, returns, bonded warehousing, vendor managed inventory and value added services. They also provide support for transport and distribution operations - including planning, time-controlling and booking transport capacity - plus communicating with customs and other authorities.

Customers benefit from:

reduced investment through a buy-not-build approach
access to (and influence over) leading-edge supply chain technology at a shared-use price
access to best-in-class applications that are platform and database independent - facilitating standardised business processes
rapid start-up and reduced risk in global deployment - including project delivery, service management, supplier management, - integration and hosting
scalability and repeatability worldwide
unrivalled expertise in interfacing with customers' own stock control, resource planning and business information systems
proven, pre-integration with other supply chain partner systems - including visibility and control
single point of contact worldwide (DHL IT account manager).

Advanced Security Systems

DHL has established standardised security procedures with carriers and other logistics partners to ensure each customer's freight receives the highest levels of protection throughout the supply chain.

Dedicated Distribution

Distribution of finished products to end-consumers or sales channels, where the physical assets employed are devoted entirely to a single customer.

Shared-User Distribution

Distribution of finished products to end-consumers or sales channels, where the principal assets employed are shared between a small number of compatible customers. Shared-user distribution offers cost savings through the sharing of assets, overheads and labour, and is particularly effective where customers employ the same channels to market, or where their products have complementary seasonal demand profiles.

Technical Distribution

The deployment of electrical and electronic equipment from order to point of use - including warehousing, configuration, on-site installation, user-training, equipment return, and asset recovery and disposal.

Inventory Management/Optimisation

Effective inventory management drives inefficiencies out of supply chains, reducing overall costs, while raising service levels. In the distribution centre or inbound supply chain DHL provides

inventory optimisation services designed to create the best balance between product availability and inventory levels.

Our Strategic Inventory Management (SIM) system ensures the delivery of urgent shipments (usually critical spare parts) to principal business areas within a 1-, 2- or 4-hour timeframe.

Cross-Docking

One of a number of supply chain techniques designed to drive down stockholdings, improve storage space utilisation and raise the effectiveness of delivery fleets. Also known as 'bulk with order', 'pick to zero', 'pick by line' and 'over the bank', cross-docking involves offloading pre-assembled products for integration with other core orders before onward delivery to retail outlets. The process takes place without stock going into storage.

Product categories considered suitable for cross-docking include slower-moving lines, fast-moving bulk products, chilled and frozen food, and product lines where sales are skewed geographically.

Vendor Hubs

The warehousing and delivery of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service parts from distribution centres located close to manufacturing facilities.

Reverse Logistics Centres (RLC)

Warehouses for the receipt and handling of returned parts and end-of-life (EOL) products - for repair, reuse, recycling or disposal. Reverse logistics is the process of collecting such material and transporting it to the RLC or a third-party facility for processing.

Returns Management

DHL manages the physical and informational flows of product returned to distribution centres for repair, reuse, recycling, return to supplier or disposal. In the electronics sector, for example, we are responsible for collecting faulty parts, taking them to repair centres, replacing them with new parts, and moving repaired components back into stock.

Strategic Parts Centres (SPC)

In-country facilities offering 1-, 2- or 4-hour order fulfilment for parts. DHL provides stock optimisation across complete networks of SPCs and offers guaranteed performance against customers' business objectives.

Value-Added Services (VAS)

Services that increase the value generated for our customers from outsourced logistics operations - ranging from kitting to packaging and bundling.

RFID Tagging

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags make reading and storing data about merchandise possible without physical or line-of-sight contact. The technology is already at use in DHL and promises even greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness in customers' core logistics processes in future. Our experience includes applying tags to inbound merchandise and tracking items throughout the supply chain via handheld terminals and static portals.

Outsourcing Projects

At DHL we offer unrivalled experience in taking over our customers' complete warehouses, distribution centres, transport infrastructure and network operations, and then continuing to manage/operate them as either dedicated or shared-user facilities.

For more information, please contact

DHL Exel Supply Chain

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