DHL RESEARCH PARTNER

The BIBA is a scientific engineering research institute dealing with the issues of production and logistics systems which develops amongst others solutions for the automation of “Logistikfabriks” and the synchronization of the flow of information and material. In cooperation with DHL Solutions & Innovations BIBA works on the research project “INWEST”, which attends to the optimization of capacities and transportation routes of goods traffic, and created the “RoboterzelleLight”, a mobile robotic system for intelligent unloading of euro pallets.

China Development Institute (CDI) was established in February 1989 upon the approval of State Council as a think tank for research and consulting. It is engaged in economic policy studies and provides economy-related consulting services to government at all levels, to businesses and to other public organizations. Adhering to a spirit of reform and innovation, the institute is manned mainly by young and middle-aged researchers and engaged in economic research and consulting with a preference for the new framework-geared to the market economy-over traditional ones.
Throughout its history, CDI has probed into the leading issues in Chinese economic reform, thus forming a solid platform for further research and studies in China's macroeconomic policy; the southern China, Hong Kong and Macao economies; international economic strategy; China's corporate system; and enterprise reform. CDI has also taken a major role in corporate consulting: Dozens of large domestic and foreign enterprises and public organizations enjoy the institute's consulting service in their economic decision making process and for investment, financing, management, accounting and marketing.
CDI Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management is the research center specialized in logistics and supply chain management. Over a decade, the center have fulfilled over 60 significant policy and business advisory projects all over China. The key focus is on regional logistics policy and planning, 3PL strategy in China, supply chain process optimization and performance benchmarking in auto industry, e-commerce logistics, food and cold chain, iron and steel, as well as household appliances sector.

The research activities if the Cold Chain Management - working group (University of Bonn) focuses on the development and testing of innovative tools to improve the quality and safety of meat and meat products. This includes the systematic testing of innovative antimicrobial methods, the development of predictive shelf life and risks models, the development of recent packaging concepts as well as the optimization of temperature monitoring within the meat chain. As Research Innovation Partner at DHL Solutions & Innovations, the working group analyzes innovative temperature monitoring systems to control supply chains.

The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, based in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken, Bremen and supplemented by a project office in Berlin, is Germany's leading research center in the field of innovative software technology for commercial applications. Since its foundation in 1988, it has become the world’s biggest research center in this area. In close cooperation with DHL Solutions & Innovations, DFKI conceives and develops intelligent memory-enabled parcels and intelligent next-generation delivery vehicles (“SmartTruck”).

One Pager SmartTruck

DLR is Germany's national research centre for aeronautics and space. More than 6700 employees from 33 Institutes work on aerounautics, space travel, energy, traffic and security. Together with the Research Innovation Partner DLR, DHL Solutions & Innovations develops an innovative solution in the field of Routing & Scheduling and real time information.

One Pager SmartTruck

The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT pursues a user-centered approach to information and cooperation systems design. FIT has a staff of about 100 researchers with backgrounds in Computer Science, the Social Sciences, Business Administration, Economics, Psychology and Engineering. They work in interdisciplinary teams and combine insights from computer science with questions from other fields. We invent and develop applications custom-tailored to support people in their jobs and to enrich their leisure time.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF develops and optimizes solutions in the domains of logistics, digital engineering, automation and plant engineering. As a Research Innovation Partner of DHL Solutions & Innovations, the Fraunhofer Institute IFF specializes in the development and integration of AutoID technologies such as RFID in logistics operations. In projects with DSI, e.g. the optimization of hardware in the SmartTruck or the construction of a tunnel gate for DHL’s contract logistics, the Fraunhofer Institute IFF has established itself as an innovative research partner.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits offers applied research and development of AutoID-technologies, in particular RFID, Wireless Sensor Networks and Positioning Systems. The affiliated Center for Intelligent Objects ZIO has created a highly successful bridge between cutting edge technologies developed by the Fraunhofer IIS and their economic application, of the Fraunhofer Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services SCS. Range of service: consulting & coaching, market intelligence, technological & economic feasibility, system & service design, hard & software development. At the joint research project “Aletheia” with DHL Solutions & Innovations an integrity securing information system for global supply chains is developed.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) acts as a logistic consultant for companies of all lines of industry and sizes. It is a leader regarding RFID in the supply chain. The IML has already been Research Innovation Partner of DHL Solutions & Innovations in the early RFID phase.

The DHL-Chair of Global Supply Chain Management at Tongji University in Shanghai was founded in 2005 as a part of the Sino-German School for Postgraduate Studies and is endowed by DPDHL. The Chair conducts applied research in the fields of Logistics and Supply Chain Management. As a Research Innovation Partner of DHL Solutions & Innovations the Chair is investigating future logistics demand and requirements in China and in Megacities such as Shanghai.

The institute consists of the two research areas “conveyor technology” and “logistics systems”.  As far as networks are concerned, the research area logistics systems deals with questions concerning strategies, e. g. network design and strategies for supply chain management. As far as facilities are concerned, the research area logistics systems deals with questions concerning analytical and simulative inner-plant studies on production systems as well as studies concerning the comprehensive structure the plant is part of. As far as facilities and machines are concerned the research area conveyor technology is concerned with computation methods on conveyor components and with the choice of the conveying means.

DHL Solutions & Innovations is member of the Supply Chain Exchange at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT CTL is widely recognized as an international leader in the field of transportation and logistics.

On a global basis, DHL Solutions & Innovations has a partnership with the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program to identify and develop innovative solutions for international delivery chains. This program is a unique research and education partnership that brings together the supply chain interests of academia, industry and government.

The department of management & logistics (FGUL) from the TU Darmstadt heavily influenced the logistics research for many years, by entering the area in question in praxis and science. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Christian Pfohl, one of the founders of the logistics management research in Germany numerous industrial engineers were trained as TOP logisticians already. Together with DHL Solutions & Innovations the chair co-operates in numerous projects concerning logistics in metropolitan regions and logistics in China.