DHL's facility to help speed up packages

DHL, the express and logistics company, on Monday said that it is the first company to process and clear express packages directly at the customs courier express clearance facility at the Bangalore air cargo complex.

Prior to this, the packages for clearances were routed via. Delhi or Mumbai, leading to a loss of time in transfers. The facility is especially expected to benefit Bangalore's time-sensitive sizeable IT and garments industries and will enable them to better organise their supply chain.

The facility will enable DHL to clear shipments into Bangalore from several international destinations. Chris Callen, country manager, DHL Express India said, "Bangalore is a critical market for DHL Express." The company makes an average of 400 deliveries a day from abroad.

The facility will save DHL customers between 24 hours and 48 hours in lead-time and help them plan their inventory and delivery schedule better.

About two-thirds of the revenues for the Bangalore airport comes from the IT sector. The revenues for Bangalore airport for the April-December 2005 is estimated Rs 1,373 crore which is a 10 per cent increase year-on-year as compared to Rs 1,248 crore last year.