DHL 2002 Annual Report Download - page 71

70
Strong increase in profits
Profit from operating activities (EBITA) grew at a higher rate than revenue in fiscal
year 2002, from €159 million to €224 million. In line with planning, we further
increased the return on sales from 1.7% to 2.4%. For further information on earnings
development, please see the “Business Developments” section of the Group Manage-
ment Report, page 33.
The integration of the acquisitions made in recent years also had a positive effect
on the earnings and cost situation. Our work in this area is bearing fruit: the companies
which we acquired in 2001 and 2002, whose activities are primarily local in nature,
now form a concrete part of our global network. These companies previously worked
exclusively for Air Express International (AEI), a leading air freight service provider
which we took over in 2000. The more or less complete integration of these units has
served to successfully complement and strengthen our Intercontinental Business Unit.
Strategic investment in high-performance technology
In 2002, investments decreased by 15.0% to €381 million. They were primarily
channeled into the development of specific IT systems for logistics in order to safeguard
one of our major competitive advantages. In addition, we expanded our activities
with a number of smaller units.
Eurocargo added to its European network for
.We also improved network management in this area by
employing new technologies.
Individual customer commitment
We are expanding our customer contact management activities all the time. For global
companies with comprehensive requirements, we are increasingly employing specialist
teams which can offer our customers exclusive strategic and operational support.
We are meeting the increasing demand for sector-specific supply chain
management solutions by developing best practice models for selected sectors. We
have introduced cross-divisional conferences for various sectors in order to pass on
knowledge within the Group and promote its exchange with external experts.
We are also expanding our service offering in order to meet the demands of
the market. In 2002, for example, we entered into an alliance with SPAN International
for the electronics/telecommunication and automotive sectors, allowing us to offer
highly specialized solutions for manufacturing supply.
We were able to fill strategic gaps in our global network. As well as strengthening
our market position in Eastern Europe with the integration of the Cargoplan/Cargoline
group, we experienced considerable success in the Chinese growth market, where
Deutsche Post World Net is one of the few international logistics providers with A
licenses and certification to operate as an . This means that we are allowed
to exercise direct control over all logistics and transport services we perform in China.
NVOCC
consolidated loads
full load transport
Full load transport: complete loads
are transported between points
which are specified by the customer.
Consolidated loads: individual ship-
ments transported overland, both
domestically and internationally,
are collected at warehouses and
consolidated into complete loads.
Such loads are always transported
between two terminals.
NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating
Common Carrier): a transport com-
pany that carries goods by sea in
its own name, and generally also
issues its own bills of lading, but
does not own any shipping space.