DHL Group, Plug and Play partner to support startups in mobility, supply chain and logistics

Deutsche Post DHL Group has entered into a strategic partnership with Plug and Play, a global startup ecosystem and venture fund specializing in the development of early-to-growth stage technology startups.

The partnership will see Deutsche Post DHL Group join Startup Autobahn, a mobility-centric program led by founding partners Plug and Play, Daimler AG, University of Stuttgart and ARENA2036 in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Plug and Play Supply Chain and Logistics vertical, led by Maersk, Panasonic, BASF, Union Pacific Railroad, and Ericsson in Silicon Valley, USA.

It will engage with a select group of startups that join the Plug and Play accelerator program, providing executive mentoring, technical expertise and also potentially piloting startups’ solutions within its own operations to foster their development.

“Deutsche Post DHL Group has a strong track record of working with innovative young businesses and incorporating groundbreaking new technologies into our operations,” said Thomas Ogilvie, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Deutsche Post DHL Group in a press statement.

He added,  “As we look to maintain our global leadership position, we are continuously looking at ways in which we can explore new technology driven logistics business models, and we also recognize the great potential that digitalization has to drive productivity and service improvements. Plug and Play has proven highly effective in bringing industry leaders together with high potential technology startups, and we are therefore very excited about the opportunity to work with them and their global network of young, innovative disruptors”.

Innovations within the mobility and supply chain and logistics arenas

Deutsche Post DHL Group has pioneered and supported the development of a broad number of innovations within the mobility and supply chain and logistics arenas. For example, in 2011, Deutsche Post began collaborating with StreetScooter GmbH, a startup manufacturer of electric vehicles to develop a customized electric van for postal and parcel deliveries in 2015.

It acquired the company and has announced plans to replace its entire delivery fleet in Germany with StreetScooter electric vehicles. In 2015, DHL Supply Chain announced the successful pilot of an augmented realityapplication for warehouse operations based on software developed by Ubimax, a technology start-up. In January 2017, DHL Global Forwarding, Freight launched Saloodo!, an online freight marketplace.