Global market leader in the logistics industry DHL Express is celebrating 30 years of service in Malta.

During the last year, DHL Express Malta saw volumes grow significantly. This, according to Lefteris Samaras, DHL Express Greece, Cyprus & Malta managing director, is because of general market growth, while e-commerce demands have also increased.

Samaras was in Malta to join DHL Express Malta in its 30th anniversary celebration and was keen to stress that the Malta subsidiary is important to DHL both as a local business and as part of the global network comprising 220 countries and territories and about 100,000 employees worldwide.

“DHL is committed to Malta. We have a dominant position here and our plan is to further strengthen our presence by continuing to invest in our people, our facilities and in the necessary equipment,” he said.

“Additionally, we intend to further develop operations, employ more people, expand our facilities and contribute to the national economy even further.”

Apart from facing the normal, day-to-day challenges, like competition and the general economic environment, Samaras said customers are becoming more and more demanding, and DHL has to adapt to their fast-changing needs. He noted the shift to e-commerce that had caused the spike in deliveries as an example.

Among the biggest strengths of DHL’s Malta operation is the ability to offer the “biggest operating window,” Samaras said.

“Our dedicated DHL cargo aircraft, a Boeing 757 Freighter, arrives first thing in the morning and leaves late afternoon. So we can make the earliest possible deliveries and collect the latest pick-ups possible.

“We have an overnight connection with Europe, excellent facilities at the airport and well trained people. We constantly invest in training, equipment, technology and automation, but the most important element is our people because our competitors also have vans, scanners, facilities and planes – it is DHL’s people who make the difference,” he said.