Dr. Klaus Zumwinkel, Chairman of the Board of Management of DPWN, stated in his speech during the inauguration ceremony: Today we are the largest logistics company in the world, but size is not the measure of our success. What counts is the satisfaction of our customers. That is why we will surprise them with products of a higher level of modernity and future-orientation.
The DHL Innovation Center consists of three zones: exhibition, conference, and laboratory. In the exhibition area, guests can observe and analyze flows of goods and information on a table that functions as a projection screen. Prototypes of current development projects are also located here, including a robot used for unloading delivery vehicles and moving loads, as well as placing packages of various sizes onto conveyor belts. Meanwhile, work related to the preparation of individual projects is carried out in the laboratory. As a result, the DHL Innovation Center serves as a platform for communication and the exchange of experience in the fields of logistics, technology, and business. It is the first venture of this type prepared by a logistics company.
The DHL Innovation Center focuses its research and development on creating precisely defined logistics concepts. Their goal is to transform research projects into market products as quickly as possible. Currently, telematics projects and those related to the eco-friendly GoGreen initiative are being implemented. The research center also analyzes practical solutions for using RFID, a technology based on radio waves, in logistics. A project aimed at analyzing a temperature monitoring system for goods during transport is currently being prepared. The possibilities offered by an “intelligent” container, which in addition to location data also enables the recording of data such as temperature, humidity, or shocks, are also being tested.
Projects created at the DHL Innovation Center are carried out in collaboration with partners, including companies such as IBM, Intel, and SAP. The research center also maintains partnerships with renowned logistics institutes, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston and Zaragoza, as well as with the German Fraunhofer Institutes.