Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.verticalfarmdaily.com
© DHL Global Forwarding
Previously, the perishables operations within DHL Global Forwarding were often managed on a country-by-country basis. This division has now been incorporated as one of the pillars of the company’s global strategy. “This gives us far more options for providing customers with end-to-end solutions,” explains Sico van der Horst. He has been working for DHL Global Forwarding for four years and has been Business Development Manager of the Perishables department since January 2025.
“As DHL Global Forwarding, we offer our customers global solutions, and this meets a real need, as our Perishables division has experienced significant organic growth in recent years,” says Sico. Two years ago, DHL opened its new headquarters at Schiphol, complete with a new warehouse. In total, the warehouse covers an area of 24,000 m², with 38 docks, two of which are equipped with a 20-foot dock lift. The dedicated Perishables department occupies an area of 1,300 m².
© DHL Global Forwarding
“As well as being a pleasant place to work, we also have all the facilities on-site, enabling us to guarantee the cold chain. All activities take place in temperature-controlled areas, fitted with 24/7 temperature monitoring and redundancy solutions. As a result, we are largely unaffected by the whims of the airlines, as we can carry out much of the work in-house,” explains Sico. He invites anyone interested in perishables to visit the Schiphol site and see it for themselves. “DHL is often seen as a huge organisation, and we are indeed a major global player, but within the Perishables department we work with specialist teams, dedicated contacts and short lines of communication. In fact, we’re a small business within DHL, whilst still being able to make use of all the group’s facilities.”
© DHL Global Forwarding
The Middle East, in particular, is a major market for DHL due to its charter flights and flight options. “By no means are all airlines currently flying to the Middle East. As a result, capacity is considerably lower, and air freight rates remain high. Rates have now come down somewhat, but the fuel surcharge is still very high at the moment. The market is, however, beginning to stabilise. Whilst rates are still high, the fluctuations are less pronounced, making the market more predictable. May to August are never the busiest months for air freight. Fortunately, we already saw an upturn in September, and we hope this will continue into Q4,” says Sico.
DHL Global Forwarding will be exhibiting at Fruit Attraction in Madrid (stand 7B19), where colleagues from around the world will be on hand to discuss both air and sea freight.
For further information:
Sico van der Horst
DHL Global Forwarding
Mobile: +31 (0) 6 57525286
[email protected]
