When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down entire sections of the global economy, the importance of a reliable supply chain was thrown into sharp relief. The situation was challenging for businesses that have global obligations to meet and rely on global trade, and although the pandemic has lost much of its momentum, international trade links remain fragile and vulnerable.

“The past two years have been a lesson in resilience for all,” says Dimitris Papas, Country Manager for DHL Malta. “With lockdowns affecting all markets globally, the importance of the supply chain became even more prevalent – businesses needed a sturdy and dependable supply chain in volatile, unpredictable times.”

Businesses relying on DHL’s services include the pharmaceutical, aviation and electronics industries, which have grown to become key economic segments due to the right mix of labour, investment and strategic location, according to Mr Papas. The company operates two flights per weekday through Malta International Airport – one inbound in the morning and one outbound in the evening.

Businesses depend on a sturdy supply chain

The company’s contributions during the pandemic went beyond its support for industry, and extended to the vaccination effort itself. “Being one of only a few logistics companies with the cooling and transport capacity needed to transport vaccines that require extremely low temperatures, we are particularly proud of this moment,” he says.

“Our first vaccine delivery was made to Israel in early December of 2020. Subsequently, DHL played its part in delivering over two billion vaccine doses across the globe.”

He describes the safety of employees as being “of primary importance”. In fact, apart from providing PPE and sanitising products to all staff, DHL Malta enforced social distancing guidelines and offered provisions for working from home. Meanwhile, free testing was provided to all employees throughout the pandemic, and vehicles were regularly cleaned and sanitised to safeguard the wellbeing of couriers and customers alike. All the company's facilities were also fumigated twice monthly.

DHL Country Manager Malta Dimitris Papas

“Our purpose in DHL is ‘Connecting People, Improving Lives’, and this was never truer than during the global pandemic. There was a significant increase in shipment volumes globally, and Malta was no exception,” says Mr Papas.

He explains that the pandemic acted as a catalyst for rapid growth in shipments, with online retail blossoming. Notably, online business-to-business (B2B) trade was also brought to the forefront: “Businesses wishing to procure necessary components and materials in order to facilitate their activity and to meet contractual obligations in Malta and overseas were also introduced to the ‘online buying experience’”, he explains.

Since first appearing in Malta in 1983, the company has grown considerably from a handful of “DHL pioneers” to one that proudly employs just under 100 people. This expansion has also been reflected in its footprint on the Maltese Islands.

DHL Malta’s warehouse facility, situated just off the Malta International Airport runway at Luqa, doubled in size, and was completed in late 2021.

Meanwhile, renovations of its office space, also at Luqa, are expected to be completed by the end of this year, making working conditions at the company’s offices even better for its people.

Mr Papas shares his view that “it is only by investing in our infrastructure and our people that we can sustain our growth, and the same investment will drive our growth in the future”.

Currently, DHL Malta has one manned service point at its head office, as well as a network of 12 automated service lockers situated across Malta and Gozo.

“It is through these points that customers can either collect or drop-off a shipment at their convenience, with the automated lockers offering a 24/7 capability.”

With a view to improving the customer experience, Mr Papas says “we are well on our way to establishing a second (manned) service point at what I like to call the ‘business end’ of Sliema”.

“DHL will become even more accessible, and we will continue to look into new opportunities to develop both service points and service lockers,” he says.

Turning to climate change, which increasingly dominates the political agenda, Mr Papas explains that the issue has long concerned DHL, even before it became a “hot topic”.

“In its Sustainability Roadmap, Deutsche Post DHL Group has committed to using 30 percent of SAF blending for all air transport by 2030,” he says.

He points to new strategic collaborations with bp and Neste that will provide more than 800 million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to DHL Express within the next five years, with the new agreements forming one of the largest SAF deals in aviation to date.

DHL operates two flights every day using its dedicated aircraft

These deals, together with the previously announced SAF introduction in the DHL network in San Francisco (SFO), East Midlands (EMA) and Amsterdam (AMS), will exceed 50 percent of DHL Express’ target to reach 10 percent SAF blending for all air transport by 2026.

DHL expects the strategic collaborations to save approximately two million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the aviation fuel lifecycle – equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 400,000 passenger cars.

And on the subject of cars, Mr Papas announces that DHL Malta is currently in the process of procuring 10 fully electric vehicles for its pick-up and delivery activities in Malta.

“This means that by the end of 2023, 70 per cent of our road fleet will be fully electric.”

“It has long been established that sustainable business is paramount – only by achieving sustainability can we continue to grow while also offsetting the effects that a global supply chain has on the environment,” he concludes.