DHL 2008 Annual Report Download - page 103

Deutsche Post World Net Annual Report 2008
Group Management Report
Further Developments and Outlook
Awareness of climate change and environmental responsibility is increasing.
Customers are interested in environment friendly products and even in setting up entire
supply chains that are ecologically sensitive. We are conscious of our responsibilities
as the largest company in our industry, and as such we have developed climate- neutral
products under our Group-wide GoGreen programme.
Strategic realignment
We have begun to reduce the size of our shareholding in Postbank and have set
a new course for our express activities in the United States. We will focus in the future
on our core businesses of mail, express and logistics.
Our activities are geared to organic growth, capitalising on the global platform
and the presence we have built up in growth regions in recent years.  e roadmap for
the future is thus clearly de ned. All necessary steps are in place to position the Group
for future growth. Our Roadmap to Value capital markets programme is gaining traction
and will boost the e ciency of our processes and our earning power.  is will help us
to safely weather the international economic crisis.
We accept our social responsibilities through, amongst other things, disaster
aid, our partnership with  and the GoGreen programme.  ese programmes
are not designed to reap short-term gains, but to enhance awareness of and trust in
the Deutsche Post and  brands.  e sustainability of our products and services
will assume long-lasting importance as a marketing factor both for our customers
and their own.
Divisions rich in opportunity
 e  Division can build on excellent standards of quality to hold its own
against competitors and regain lost customers. A broad range of multi-channel com-
munication solutions holds added scope for further growth.  ese include consulting
services in dialogue marketing, value-added services based on mail, and transport and
international delivery. By continuously improving the cost of our transport and deliv-
ery network and making the cost structure more  exible, we are able to respond faster
to changes in mail volumes. Providing automated points of sale gives customers easier
access to our services whilst reducing our costs. We can also use the internet to make
our products and services even more attractive.
Whilst the  Division restructures its  activities, we continue to extend
our market lead in the international express business. We are developing a uniform
range of international time-de nite and domestic day-de nite express services in
Europe for . Our expansion in Eastern Europe is going well.  e Asia Paci c region
remains a growth engine, albeit with declining growth rates. We run domestic express
businesses pro tably in various parts of the world. We also safeguard our processes
with global network standards and exercise rigorous cost control.
 e     Division boasts a broad service port folio and
worldwide multimodal transport services. Individual sectors may provide additional
potential for growth. We expect to reap savings by concentrating on strongly frequented
routes and making selective use of carriers. Precise targets are set for produc tivity and
work ow improvements to force down direct operating costs. Growth prospects in the
logistics business are buoyed by capacity expansion, our range of indus try solutions
and improved processes.
Sustainability, page 77
Capital Market, page 39
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