INTERVIEW
IN THE WORDS of CEO Paul Dyer , DHL Supply Chain ’ s UK & Ireland ( UK & I ) is a company “ in the fast lane of business ”. This is a statement backed up by statistics : with 45,000 employees spread over more than 400 operating locations and an annual turnover of approximately € 4bn ($ 4.7bn ), DHL Supply Chain UK & I is a truly substantial organisation .
Dyer is a relative newcomer to the position , but not to the industry . Having begun his career in logistics some 26 years ago , Dyer previously worked for Ocean Group , which transitioned into Exel and then DHL . Prior to his current role , he held a variety of positions in DHL , including President of its global automotive sector and Managing Director for the European LLP product and UK & I automotive business . Dyer took over in his current role in January 2017 after the retirement of incumbent , Perry Watts .
Over a coffee at Southwark ’ s fashionable working space , The Print Rooms , Dyer reflects on his first year in the hot seat , admitting that the pace of change in the industry is perhaps more rapid than he had first envisaged .
“ I think the market is changing faster than I had probably anticipated . So many parts of our customer base are being impacted , probably more strongly and significantly than I originally imagined ,” he comments . “ While I ’ d been away from the retail space for a few years , I was aware that ecommerce and the power of the consumer was impacting supply chains , but perhaps wasn ’ t aware of the extent . “ As a result , we ’ ve put a lot of effort into working with our customer base to understand how their supply chains are changing , and the cost impact that is having . The retail space is very dynamic and is evolving rapidly – as a business we have to respond to that and help our customers navigate that change .”
The disruptive and transformational power of technology is being felt right across the business world , particularly the retail logistics and delivery space , which has seen its traditional business model turned on its head through the rise of ecommerce and changing consumer habits .
“ In retail , our business in the
10 January 2018