DHL, the global logistics provider, has reaffirmed its commitment to Malaysia through Strategy 2030, a five-year roadmap aimed at accelerating sustainable growth with an expanded focus on high-value sectors.
The firm said in a statement on Wednesday that recognizing Malaysia’s competitive advantages and business potential, it plans to further enhance its product offerings and operational capabilities in the local market, focusing on several key drivers.
According to the firm, Malaysia is a vital link in DHL’s network, poised to capitalize on opportunities as a leading hub for trade and an emerging destination for supply chain diversification.
It is noted that Malaysia has long been strategically important for DHL and hosts four of DHL Group’s globally operating divisions, which together command a portfolio of solutions encompassing domestic delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfilment, road, air, and sea freight, international express, and industrial supply chain management.
These are underpinned by an information technology (IT) data center and regional shared services that drive backend functions for DHL’s cross-border presence.
Since the company established its roots here in 1968, it has grown in tandem with a vibrant economy that is now the fifth-largest in Southeast Asia.
It is noted that emerging geographical and economic developments continue to have profound effects on companies’ supply chain diversification strategy, omni shoring as well as domestic and foreign direct investment.
To help businesses capitalize on these developments, DHL will build on its strong global footprint and local expertise.
The firm has identified Malaysia as one of the 20 high-growth markets that could stand to benefit the most from these changes.
In fact, DHL has long contributed to such foreign inflows through its partnership with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
In May, both parties signed a renewed memorandum of understanding, building on joint efforts since 2023 that have yielded significant investment outcomes in key priority sectors across eight states: Kedah, Penang, Perak, Johor, Melaka, Sabah, Sarawak, and Selangor.
In recent years, DHL has consistently invested ahead of the curve to support the growing needs of businesses expanding their operations in Malaysia.
These investments include: a new Kuala Lumpur Gateway in 2024, the largest local DHL Express investment to date at EUR60 million ($70.4 million); EUR131 million ($154 million) investment by DHL Supply Chain allocated until 2028 towards expanding warehousing capacity, staff, and sustainability activities.
These include the new Penang Logistics Hub 5 and South Region Hub opened earlier this year, with one more planned for Penang and another in the Central region.
“Trade has remained resilient across the region, boosted by shifting attention to these parts of the world for manufacturing and sourcing operations,
“Thanks to our forward-looking approach, we are in a strong position to respond with the timely and strategic improvements we made,” said Julian Neo, Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei.
With a presence that spans more than 220 countries and territories, he said the firm retains a crucial role in connecting businesses seamlessly to international value chains.
It is noted that the biopharma, cell and gene, and clinical trials market is expected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 10 percent until 2030.
DHL said the firm is well-positioned to address these shifts, with its track record of over 30 years in specialized pharma logistics.
In 2025, the company acquired specialty courier CRYOPDP and announced an investment of EUR 500 million ($587 million) to enhance its LSH capacity in the Asia Pacific region.
Currently, the firm has 300,000 square meters of fully compliant warehousing space in 15 countries across the region.
Meanwhile, new energy is a key growth sector under DHL Group’s Strategy 2030, where the group is developing end-to-end logistics solutions for eight segments: wind, solar, electric vehicle (EV) and batteries, battery and energy storage system, EV charging, grid, alternative fuel and hydrogen.
According to the statement, business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) digital sales continue to be a steady contributor to profitability for DHL.
Malaysia’s e-commerce market maintains a bullish outlook with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.25 percent until 2029.
DHL said the company has long been an ecosystem partner for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, with an eye on increasing their share of national exports.
To this end, DHL developed the GoTrade program to equip entrepreneurs with practical knowledge and resources to navigate the complexities of shipping abroad and accessing overseas consumers.
Since its inception in 2020, the initiative has trained over 9,100 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the United States, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia Pacific.
Locally, DHL has partnered the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (MATRADE), reaching more than 2,000 participants through 18 workshops from 2023 to 2024.
In Malaysia, the pursuit of more sustainable logistics operations took shape in 2022 with the introduction of six electric vans as DHL Express became the first company in the country to implement EVs for logistics use.
The number has since risen to 74 electric vans and nine electric scooters. This puts the local division squarely on track to achieve the groupwide target of electrifying two-thirds of the pickup and delivery fleet by 2030.
DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding also support customers in reducing their Scope 3 emissions via GoGreen Plus service, utilizing sustainable aviation fuel and sustainable marine fuel.
To date, more than 90,000 customers in Asia Pacific have used the service for their time-definite international shipments, while 180,000 tons of TtW-CO2e on Full Container Load and Less than Container Load shipping have been mitigated.
DHL and MIDA extend strategic partnership to support Malaysia’s position as leading logistics hub