DHL Express: Implementing and Maintaining a Global Process Standard

As “the most international company on earth,” DHL Express promised to deliver packages between almost any pair of countries within a defined time-frame. To fulfill this promise, the company had introduced a set of global business and technology standards. While standardization had many advantages (improving service for multinational customers, faster response to changes in import/export regulations, sharing of best practices, etc.), DHL Express had to decide how to accommodate local differences and innovation in its network of 220 countries and territories. This case study describes how DHL Express implemented global process standards in their US business and illustrates the challenges of maintaining such a standard world-wide.