DHL hit the right notes

The world famous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra will debut in China after partnering with DHL. DHL will handle all transports in China and international logistics concerning the valuable musical instruments throughout the entire Asian tour. The first concert will take place in Shanghai on 21 October. Following another performance in Beijing, the Gewandhaus Orchestra will continue its tour in Japan.

“We know that our valuable instruments are in the very best of hands with our logistics partner DHL. We have been cooperating successfully for years and we are certain that we can fully count on DHL during our first tour of China,” says Riccardo Chailly, the orchestra’s conductor, for whom this tour will be his Asian debut with the Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Many of the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s instruments are unique and hence virtually irreplaceable. In addition, DHL also transports the stage equipment, such as the conductor’s rostrum, stools and music stands as well as the sheet music and the wardrobe of the musicians.

One of the greatest challenges involved is maintaining a constant temperature – ideally 18 – 20° C – throughout the entire haulage period, as greater variations in temperature would lead to cracks in the instruments and, thus, to lasting damage. DHL continuously monitors and documents the temperature of its valuable cargo aboard the planes and trucks using temperature recorders and makes these data available online in real time via GPS.

For the Asian tour, more than 100 instruments with a total weight of over six tons will be transported. The instruments concerned range from kettledrums weighing up to 133 kg to cellos and violins, trombones, clarinets and trumpets. The tight schedule of the Asian tour poses an additional challenge to DHL’s logistics experts. Instruments need to be repacked and loaded after each concert in so they will reach the next stop of the tour as soon as possible – usually the next day – and can be used for rehearsals by the afternoon of that day.