PROFILE
D
HL, a world-leading logistics
company operating in over 220
countries, aims to help customers
cross borders, reach new markets and grow
businesses to revolutionise the world of
logistics. Intelligent CIO Europe spoke to
Markus Voss to find out more.
Markus, you are not only the global
Chief Information Officer at DHL
Supply Chain, but you are also
overseeing the global operations, as
Chief Operating Officer.
That’s correct. I have a double-hatted role at
DHL Supply Chain, but one that comes with
some natural synergies. When you consider
the increasing complexity of our business
– mainly driven by macro trends such as
changing buyer behaviour, the rapid growth
in e-commerce, ever more complex supply
chains and customer demand to know
where their goods are in real time – then it
becomes obvious that the technology is truly
the backbone of our operations.
Without intelligent data processing and
powerful IT solutions, we would simply not
be able to offer our customers such seamless
end-to-end supply chain solutions. At DHL
Supply Chain, the roles of the CIO and COO –
at least in my experience – go hand in hand.
What technologies do you believe
are the driving force behind Europe’s
technology development?
We use different smart technologies and a
wide range of innovations – from robotics
to automation processes. In Europe, the
demand is for technologies that can be
highly scalable and deployed now, so we
are investing in wearable technologies
such as smart watches combined with ring
scanners, smart glasses and other smart
devices. These are relatively inexpensive
compared to larger robots or automated
guided vehicles; they are relatively easy
to implement in the existing warehouse
structure, and – for me the most important
part – they have been quickly adopted by
our workforce. So, wearables add immediate
value to our operations and support our
employees in the best way possible.
We have also seen strong demand for
Artificial Intelligence and especially
robotics process automation. This offers
excellent, easy-to-implement solutions to
expedite repetitive, time-consuming and
standardised workflows. That doesn’t mean
the appetite for robotics and automated
guided vehicles isn’t there, because it
definitely is, it’s just that our focus for the
moment is on technologies that can be
scaled faster, are less costly and complex to
implement and which deliver quick wins for
the business.
How do you and your team transform
business requirements into world-
class IT solutions?
Be it enabling effective, efficient operations
on the shop floor or driving innovation,
we rely on a network of experts across
our regions and functions to assess the
technical feasibility and business viability of
our IT solutions.
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We are strategic partners for our
customers and business partners alike
and focus on driving value-added change
through standardisation and innovation.
Becoming more customer-centric and
adopting a high-quality culture from the
ground up are also paramount to meeting
our business requirements.
What solutions do you implement?
DHL Supply Chain is the contract logistics
arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group, so I am
speaking primarily about our warehouse
and transport operations where we use
different smart technologies and a wide
range of innovations.
IN EUROPE, THE
DEMAND IS FOR
TECHNOLOGIES
THAT CAN BE
HIGHLY SCALABLE
AND DEPLOYED
NOW, SO WE
ARE INVESTING
IN WEARABLE
TECHNOLOGIES.
As global market leader for contract logistics
solutions, we currently have more than 1,300
digital initiatives running across more than
2,200 sites and warehouses globally.
We’re leading in the implementation and
deployment of ‘physical’ collaborative
robots that help our warehouse colleagues
perform repetitive and strenuous tasks.
But we’re also applying software solutions
that help automate repetitive business
processes – eliminating manual data entry,
structuring data, formats and processes or
support with repetitive tasks in accounting or
invoicing. These are just some of the areas
we’re exploring.
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