Company Overview

DHL Global Forwarding is the freight forwarding business within DHL Group’s Global Forwarding, Freight division, using the DHL brand to connect international shippers with air, ocean, road, rail, customs, and multimodal logistics services. DHL describes the division’s core business as air, ocean, and overland freight forwarding, including standardized transports, sector-specific logistics, industrial projects, and customs services. The business operates through a brokered transport model, buying carrier capacity and combining it with DHL’s global network so customers can route cargo across major international trade lanes without DHL needing to own every transport asset. DHL Group reports that Global Forwarding, Freight has approximately 45,000 employees, more than 200,000 customers, operations in more than 115 countries, and more than 200 terminals and storage facilities. DHL’s customer-facing Global Forwarding site reports 167,000-plus customers supported every day, 30,000-plus forwarding experts, more than 2.1 million air freight tons moved, and more than 3.1 million ocean freight TEUs moved. For financial year 2025, DHL Group reported Global Forwarding, Freight revenue of EUR 18.643 billion and EBIT of EUR 756 million in a challenging market shaped by geopolitical conflict, tariff uncertainty, and lower air and ocean rates. Using the Bank of Finland’s 2025 annual average exchange rate of USD 1.1300 per EUR, that revenue equals about USD 21.07 billion. The division’s service portfolio spans DHL Air Freight, Ocean Freight FCL and LCL, overland and domestic freight, multimodal transport, customs brokerage, order management, industrial projects, and emission-reduced logistics. Digital tools include myDHLi for Quote + Book, tracking, documents, analytics, reports, and emissions visibility, plus DHL Global Forwarding APIs for shipment booking, status, tracking, document access, labels, and push notifications. DHL also links the forwarding business to the Group’s sustainability agenda: DHL Group aims for net-zero emissions logistics by 2050, and DHL Global Forwarding’s GoGreen offer uses emissions transparency, route and mode optimization, and sustainable aviation and marine fuels through Book & Claim models.

Key Leadership

Executive Team:

CEO: Oscar de Bok

Employee Demographics:

Global Workforce: ~45,000

Equipment & Infrastructure

Specialized Equipment:

Brokered Air, Ocean, and Overland Capacity: DHL Global Forwarding brokers transport services between customers and freight carriers, giving shippers access to air, ocean, road, rail, and multimodal capacity without requiring the division to own every transport asset.
Controlled Asia-Europe Air Freight Capacity: In March 2026 DHL Global Forwarding announced weekly Boeing 777F rotations linking Shanghai-Leipzig and Hong Kong-Liège, using DHL Aviation and Express network assets to add controlled capacity on Asia-Europe lanes.
Ocean Freight FCL and LCL Equipment Options: DHL Ocean Freight offers full-container-load and less-than-container-load services with door-to-door shipping, pre- and on-carriage, customs brokerage, sustainable fuel options, and multiple equipment types.

Technology Platforms:

myDHLi: myDHLi gives Global Forwarding customers one portal for Quote + Book, tracking, documents, analytics, reports, shipment collaboration, and emissions visibility across freight shipments.
DHL Global Forwarding APIs: DHL’s developer portal lists Global Forwarding APIs for shipment booking, shipment status, tracking, documents, labels, and push notifications for business customers.
Customs Connection and TradeConnect: DHL Customs Services describes Customs Connection (C2), EDI capabilities, and DHL TradeConnect as digital tools for customs data visibility and automated information flow.

Warehouses & Logistics Hubs

Major Facilities:

Global Office Network: DHL Air Freight states that customers are supported by more than 850 offices globally, with airport-based DHL staff providing local knowledge and air cargo handling support.
Terminals and Storage Facilities Network: DHL Group reports more than 200 terminals and storage facilities in the Global Forwarding, Freight division, supporting forwarding, freight, and storage operations across the network.
Leipzig, Liège, Shanghai, and Hong Kong Gateways: DHL’s 2026 Asia-Europe capacity announcement names Shanghai-Leipzig and Hong Kong-Liège weekly rotations, with Leipzig described as a key gateway for shipments arriving from Shanghai and Liège linked to onward European distribution.

Certifications:

TAPA: DHL Group states that the Global Forwarding network is geared to sector-specific security standards including TAPA certification.
CTPAT: DHL Group also identifies the U.S. CTPAT initiative as a security standard for the Global Forwarding network.

Operational Capabilities:

Air Freight Tons Moved: DHL Global Forwarding reports more than 2.1 million air freight tons moved through its forwarding operations.
Ocean Freight TEUs Moved: DHL Global Forwarding reports more than 3.1 million ocean freight TEUs moved through its forwarding operations.
Customs Brokerage Footprint: DHL Customs Services lists regional customs coverage across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa, with local customs experts and digital customs tools.

warehouses and logistics hubs showcasing modern distribution centers, automated facilities, and supply chain infrastructure

Global Locations & Network

Extensive global network connecting businesses worldwide with reliable logistics solutions.

Geographic Scope:

DHL Global Forwarding provides freight forwarding in more than 115 countries through the DHL Group Global Forwarding, Freight network, with more than 200 terminals and storage facilities, more than 850 offices cited on DHL’s air freight page, and products spanning air, ocean, road, rail, multimodal, customs, and sector-specific logistics.

Strategic Hubs:

Leipzig, Germany: DHL identified Leipzig as a key gateway for shipments arriving from Shanghai in its March 2026 Asia-Europe controlled-capacity launch, citing the location’s role in the DHL Express aviation network.
Liège, Belgium: DHL named Liège as the European endpoint for a Hong Kong-Liège weekly rotation, feeding shipments into DHL’s European distribution network.
Shanghai, China: Shanghai is named as the Asian origin gateway in DHL Global Forwarding’s weekly Shanghai-Leipzig Boeing 777F rotation.
Hong Kong: Hong Kong is named as the Asian origin point for the Hong Kong-Liège weekly service in DHL’s 2026 Asia-Europe capacity announcement.

Partnerships:

DHL Global Forwarding works with selected freight carriers and also collaborates across DHL Group. In 2026 it announced controlled Asia-Europe air capacity by leveraging DHL Aviation and the DHL Express network, giving Global Forwarding customers additional uplift and reliability on strategic lanes.

Carrier Partners & Alliances

Strategic partnerships and alliances that enhance our global reach and service capabilities.

Strategic Partnerships:

Partner	Type
DHL Express / DHL Aviation	Cross-Divisional Capacity Partnership

Service Portfolio

Comprehensive range of logistics and transportation services tailored to meet diverse customer needs.

Core Services:

Air Freight: DHL Global Air Freight offers international air cargo services across major routes, supported by selected carriers, airport-based DHL staff, customs support, SameDay options, standard products, and specialist temperature-controlled solutions.
Ocean Freight: DHL Ocean Freight provides FCL and LCL services, door-to-door shipping, pre- and on-carriage, customs brokerage, consolidation, and sustainable fuel options.
Overland and Domestic Freight: DHL Group describes overland transport as part of the Global Forwarding division’s core forwarding business, complementing air and ocean freight for international trade.
Multimodal Transport: DHL Global Forwarding’s multimodal solutions combine air, inland, and ocean freight options and are positioned as faster than ocean freight and less costly than air freight.

Value-Added Services:

Customs Services: DHL Customs Services provides brokerage, licensed broker expertise, regulatory support, EDI capabilities, Customs Connection visibility, and customs account management.
Emission Reduced Logistics: DHL GoGreen for Global Forwarding combines emissions transparency, route and mode optimization, and sustainable aviation and marine fuels through Book & Claim models.
Industrial Projects and Order Management: DHL’s Global Forwarding navigation includes industrial projects and order management as logistics solutions alongside freight transportation and customs services.

Digital Offerings:

myDHLi Quote + Book: myDHLi Quote + Book lets customers compare price, transit time, and carbon emissions across transport modes before selecting a freight option.
Shipment Tracking and Status APIs: DHL’s developer portal lists shipment status, shipment tracking v2, unified tracking, and push APIs for Global Forwarding customers and integrations.
myDHLi Analytics and Documents: myDHLi provides documents, reports, analytics, shipment sharing, and logistics visibility in one customer portal.

Industry Reputation & News

Recognition and achievements that demonstrate our commitment to excellence and innovation.

Recent Developments:

Oscar de Bok Appointed CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight: DHL Group announced that Oscar de Bok would succeed Tim Scharwath as CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, with the management change effective August 16, 2025 and an appointment running to August 2030.
Asia-Europe Controlled Air Capacity Expansion: On March 30, 2026, DHL Global Forwarding announced weekly Boeing 777F rotations connecting Shanghai-Leipzig and Hong Kong-Liège, leveraging DHL Aviation and Express assets for added customer capacity.
myDHLi and Digital Customer Tools: DHL Group says Global Forwarding is standardizing transport management systems and operating customer interaction tools, including myDHLFreight in 28 countries and myDHLi for freight visibility.

Analysis & Future Outlook

Strategic vision and future initiatives that will shape the next generation of logistics services.

Strengths:

Global Freight Forwarding Network: The division combines more than 115 countries, more than 200 terminals and storage facilities, over 850 offices cited by DHL Air Freight, and multimodal products across air, ocean, road, rail, and customs.
Digital Freight Visibility: myDHLi and DHL Global Forwarding APIs support quotes, bookings, tracking, shipment status, documents, analytics, and emissions visibility for business customers.
DHL Group Cross-Divisional Leverage: The Asia-Europe capacity expansion shows Global Forwarding can use DHL Aviation and DHL Express network assets to support strategic lanes.

Weaknesses:

Freight Rate Exposure: DHL Group states that forwarding revenue and costs are strongly affected by relevant freight rates because the business buys transport services in the market.
Seasonality: DHL Group notes that Global Forwarding volumes fluctuate through the year, with seasonally weaker industrial activity in spring and summer and cargo surges ahead of the holiday season.

Opportunities:

Emission-Reduced Freight Demand: DHL Global Forwarding’s GoGreen services position the division for customers seeking shipment-level emissions transparency, route optimization, sustainable aviation fuel, and sustainable marine fuel options.
Asia-Europe Capacity Needs: DHL’s 2026 controlled-capacity announcement points to demand on Asia-Europe trade lanes and the opportunity to differentiate with more reliable air freight uplift.

Risks:

Geopolitical and Tariff Volatility: DHL Group reported that the 2025 freight forwarding market was shaped by geopolitical conflicts and tariff uncertainty, which can alter trade flows, rates, and demand.
Ocean and Air Rate Cycles: DHL Group cited easing capacity constraints and falling air and ocean rates in 2025, a market cycle that pressured Global Forwarding, Freight revenue and EBIT.

Strategic Initiatives:

Service Usability and Customer Feedback Improvement: DHL Group says Global Forwarding uses Net Promoter feedback and annual satisfaction surveys to improve products and services.
Strategy 2030 Green Logistics of Choice: DHL Group’s Strategy 2030 includes Green Logistics of Choice, with DHL continuing to invest in sustainability and growth sectors while aiming for net-zero emissions logistics by 2050.

DHL Global Forwarding