DHL Supply Chain’s innovative solution at Gatwick Airport has been awarded two prestigious awards – Gatwick Airport’s 2014 Supplier Value Award, beating more than 650 organizations, and the Best Business Partner Award 2014 from the Airline Operators Association (AOA) – demonstrating the company’s success in the first year of its 10-year contract with the airport.
DHL Supply Chain and Gatwick collaborated in 2013 to deliver the airport’s strategy for a “decade of growth”, whereby the airport aims to increase passenger numbers from the current 38 millom a year to 40 million by 2018. DHL had to create a solution for airport ‘final mile’ deliveries to all concessionaires to accommodate the extra volume of passengers, without impacting the quality of service and maintaining an exceptional passenger experience.
This collaborative partnership was branded Gatwick Direct and provided flexible delivery solutions into the airport via an inbound, storage, airport security screening and final-mile delivery service for all the airport’s concessionaires. The DHL team has worked closely with concessionaries to build on the existing strong relationships they have with Gatwick to ensure the solution was tailored to individual supply chain requirements, keeping the needs of the customer and consumer at the forefront of the solution.
For the first time there is the capability to store goods at the Consolidation Centre – using the 4,366m2 (46,995ft2) of space available – until the goods are required. StyleFlow, DHL’s in-house IT system, manages the flow of goods, enabling the concessionaires to book specific times when they would like their deliveries to be made and ensuring stores are always well stocked. Through this model, concessionaires are provided with the option of a single drop-off location, whereby goods are consolidated and then delivered, cutting the number of vehicles going airside and therefore increasing security, health and safety, and reduced carbon emission benefits. It is certainly a model that can be replicated elsewhere.
Understanding the need to keep the airport’s partners and retailers front of mind has ensured we’ve delivered on our promises at Gatwick. Driving and delivering change within the airline and airport communities remains a key focus for DHL, while the development of our partnership with Gatwick will provide further opportunities to support the passenger gateway sector.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with Gatwick over the next nine years as we take forward the work we have done at the Gatwick Logistics Consolidation Centre and will continue to enhance services at the airport for customers and passengers alike.
About the author
Paul Richardson became MD of Specialist Services at DHL Supply Chain in 2011, after previously working as an MD (SVP) of fashion and retail at DHL Supply Chain and Tibbett and Britten in general management. Specialist Services is committed to driving business value for its customers through the delivery of creative and innovative supply chain solutions to specific customer groups in the technology, passenger gateway, environment solutions, and public sector and consolidation sectors.
February 10, 2015
