DHL Deep Dive – What is DHL?

For third-party logistics (3PL) providers, building a resilient and flexible carrier network is fundamental to success. Your clients depend on you to ship their products everywhere—domestically and internationally—with speed and reliability. Among the global shipping giants, DHL stands out as a critical partner, especially for 3PLs looking to expand their clients’ global reach.

But to leverage their network effectively, you first need to understand their business. This post breaks down what DHL is, the services it offers that are most relevant to 3PLs, and most importantly, how you can integrate its shipping capabilities directly into your warehouse management system (WMS) to automate fulfillment and scale your operations.

What is DHL and why is it a critical partner for modern 3PLs?

Although American-founded, DHL is actually a subsidiary of DHL Group, a German logistics company comprising two brands: DHL (which offers a range of domestic and international mailing services, freight transport, supply chain management assistance, and ecommerce logistics solutions) and Deutsche Post, Europe’s leading postal and parcel service provider. DHL Group describes itself as the world’s leading mail and logistics company. According to its website, DHL Group employs more than 600,000 shipping professionals, provides service to more than 220 countries and districts, and delivers well over one billion parcels each year.

For 3PLs, DHL’s vast network is more than just another shipping option; it’s a gateway to international markets for their customers.

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DHL’s Key Services for 3PL Providers

DHL’s operations are organized into several key divisions, each serving a different logistics need. For a 3PL, understanding these divisions helps you match your clients’ needs with the right service.

1. DHL Express

This is DHL’s best-known, time-definite international (TDI) shipping service. It focuses on door-to-door delivery of time-sensitive documents and parcels for business and e-commerce customers.

• Why it matters for 3PLs: This is your primary solution for 3PL clients in high-growth sectors like e-commerce, electronics, or fashion who demand fast, reliable cross-border shipping with full tracking.

2. DHL Ecommerce

This division provides standard domestic and international parcel pickup, delivery, and return solutions for ecommerce businesses. It’s designed for high-volume shipping of non-express items and often provides a more economical option for online retailers.

• Why it matters for 3PLs: As your ecommerce clients scale, they need cost-effective shipping for standard deliveries. This division allows you to offer competitive, non-express rates, which is crucial for client retention.

3. DHL Global Forwarding, Freight

This division handles air, ocean, road, and rail freight. It’s focused on large-scale logistics and heavy cargo, managing the entire freight forwarding process from start to finish.

• Why it matters for 3PLs: If your 3PL serves B2B clients, manages inbound freight for your warehouse, or coordinates multi-modal shipments, this division is your key partner. It moves beyond parcels and into serious, large-scale supply chain management.

4. DHL Supply Chain

This is DHL’s contract logistics arm. It provides warehousing, managed transport, and value-added services. (Note: While some 3PLs may view this division as a competitor, many also partner with them for specific, large-scale warehousing or transportation needs that are outside their own core capabilities).

The 3PL challenge: Integrating DHL without draining resources

Offering DHL services is a major value-add for your clients, but it can create significant operational challenges for your warehouse:

• How do you print compliant DHL labels without manual entry?
• How do you send tracking data back to your client’s sales channel (like Shopify or Amazon) instantly?
• How do you do this all again for your 30 other carriers, like FedEx, UPS, and USPS?

Manually logging into the DHL portal (and every other carrier portal) to print labels and manage shipments is inefficient, error-prone, and impossible to scale. This operational bottleneck is where a modern WMS becomes essential.

How Logiwa IO connects your 3PL to DHL

A powerful Warehouse Management System (WMS) like Logiwa IO acts as the central hub for your entire fulfillment operation. It manages your inventory, directs your pickers and packers, and—through our extensive network of integration partners—connects directly to your carriers.

Logiwa integrates with DHL via our pre-built partner connections. This allows your 3PL to automate the entire shipping process from within a single platform.

Depending on the partner connection, when an order is ready to ship, Logiwa WMS can:

1. Automate Label Printing: Instantly generate a compliant DHL Express or DHL eCommerce shipping label directly from your packing station.
2. Verify Addresses: Ensure shipping information is correct before a label is even printed, reducing costly errors.
3. Send Tracking Data: Automatically push DHL tracking numbers back to your WMS, your client’s store, and the end customer.
4. Consolidate Carriers: Manage your DHL shipments right alongside all your other national and regional carriers in one unified system.

This seamless connection eliminates manual entry, dramatically increases fulfillment speed, and ensures 100% accuracy for all your shipments.

Conclusion: Stop juggling portals, start scaling your 3PL

Now that we’ve answered “What is DHL?”, the better question for a 3PL is “How can I integrate DHL to grow my business?”

Don’t let manual shipping processes create a bottleneck that stops you from scaling. By combining the global power of DHL with the fulfillment automation of Logiwa IO, your 3PL can offer world-class, international shipping without the operational headaches.

Logiwa’s cloud WMS and fulfillment solution seamlessly integrates with major shipping logistics providers like DHL. Learn more by visiting our integration pages for ecommerce, shipping, accounting, and robotics integrations.

Better yet, schedule your personal demo of Logiwa IO to see how we can help you fulfill brilliantly.

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