DHL 2009 Annual Report Download - page 111

 e same applies to our earnings performance.  e savings realised in the report-
ing year together with a rigid focus on costs will make a crucial contribution to con-
tinued improvement in our earnings, even if market conditions remain di cult. In
such case, our programmes for increasing e ciency and quality and streamlining our
portfolio will kick in. We are the market leader, and we are well-prepared to defend this
position and to strengthen it further.
Increasing sector focus in the freight forwarding business
Following the sharp drop in ocean and air freight volumes at the start of ,
the market began recovering in the fourth quarter and we are gaining market share. In
, we expect the market to continue picking up slightly. Given that air and ocean
freight capacity has been reduced considerably in recent months, we anticipate sharp
increases in procurement and sales prices for transport services.
Based on economic fundamentals, we expect to see growth in intra-Asian tra c
and on trade lanes between Asia, the Middle East and Africa as well as between Asia
and Latin America. As the market leader, we will participate in this growth by investing
in infrastructure and innovation.
During the economically challenging year of , we convinced small and me-
dium-sized businesses in particular of our competence as a reliable logistics service
provider.  is enabled us to keep the impact of the recession in check and gain market
share. We intend to build on this success in the coming year and make our portfolio
of transport products even more attractive to this target group as well as our other
customers. We also plan to enhance our product o ering for certain industry sectors in
, particularly for the fashion, oil and energy, perishable goods transport, pharma-
ceuticals and technology sectors.
Based on suggestions by customers, business partners and employees, we have in-
troduced a uniform “scorecard” for our branches. Now all teams have direct access to
information showing their contribution to the company’s overall performance as well
as potential areas of improvement. We plan to implement this system in all branches of
the Global Forwarding Business Unit by the end of .
Continuing to improve Supply Chain performance
Consistent with leading economic research institutes, we are projecting a moder-
ate upturn in global economic output for the coming year, driven by rising consumer
spending and an improved investment climate.  is should also result in a slight up-
ward trend in the contract logistics market.
In our main markets of Europe and North America, we anticipate growth in the low
single digits, whereas in the Asian and Latin American markets we think it is likely to
be in the high single digits. We intend to foster business growth in all regions through
targeted sales, marketing and communications initiatives.
However, the market for contract logistics is in uenced by the economy as a whole,
and should economic recovery be delayed, this would a ect our business accordingly.
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