Tag: DHL

Astar Air wants to buy ABX Air

Posted by | Jun 28, 2007 | |

Miami’s Astar Air Cargo Holdings is seeking to enter into negotiations to acquire ABX Air, an Ohio-based cargo airline that claims Plantation-based DHL as its largest customer.

In a letter to ABX’s board Thursday, Astar boss John Dasburg said it was prepared to offer USD 7.75 per share for all of the outstanding ABX shares. ABX reported nearly 58.7 million shares outstanding as of last month, which would put Astar’s offer at about USD 454 million.

The offer comes about two weeks after DHL acquired a 49 percent equity interest and a 24.9 percent voting interest in Astar.

ABX’s shares soared 85 cents to USD 8.08 in early afternoon trading.

ABX was an affiliate of Airborne but was spun off to Airborne’s shareholders after DHL acquired Airborne’s ground operations for USD 1.05 billion in 2003. Federal rules restrict foreign ownership of U.S. airlines. DHL is an arm of Germany’s Deutsche Post.

Dasburg and an investor group acquired Astar four years ago when the airline was known as DHL Airways. The group paid USD 57 million for the airline.

“Mr. Dasburg and the ownership team have always wanted to own both carrier operations,” said Elliott Seiden, a lawyer representing Astar. “They made a proposal to DHL to buy both airlines back in 2003.”

Dasburg believes operating both Astar and ABX under one management team will create operational efficiencies, Seiden said.

ABX has received Astar’s offer and is evaluating it with advisors.

The smaller Astar has a fleet of 45 aircraft and 1,100 employees. ABX, by comparison, has about 100 aircraft and more than 6,100 full-time employees.

DHL has accounted for virtually all of ABX’s cargo in recent years, ABX reported in a regulator filing. ABX generated USD 90 million in net earnings on USD 1.26 billion in 2006. Astar is privately held.

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EU Probes Planned EUR 7.7 Million German State Funding For DHL

Posted by | Jun 27, 2007 | |

The European Commission Wednesday opened an investigation into a German government plan to give express company DHL Worldwide Express Inc. EUR7.7 million to support worker training.

The commission is worried DHL would train its workers without government help, making the state grant an unnecessary and potentially illegal subsidy. Under European Union rules subsidies are allowed if they support job creation and aren’t giving companies an unfair advantage over their competitors.

DHL, a unit of Deutsche Post AG (DPW.XE), is building a new parcel delivery and airfreight center in Leipzig-Halle, Germany. The site will have around 1,500 employees.

DHL plans to train about 480 of these workers as freight handlers, security guards and mechanics. The German government funds would account for 60 pct of the training scheme’s costs.

“I have concerns that DHL would have carried out this training project in any event, and therefore does not need the aid,” the commission’s top antitrust official Neelie Kroes said in a statement.

DHL’s competitors and other interest groups have been invited to weigh in on the planned subsidies. The commission said its investigation doesn’t prejudge whether the funds will be allowed.

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EU opens inquiry into 7 mln eur state aid for training scheme at DHL site

Posted by | Jun 27, 2007 | |

The European Commission said it has opened a formal investigation into 7 mln eur of state aid which Germany intends to allocate to a training project at a new DHL site in Leipzig-Halle, Germany.

DHL’s training project would derive around 60 pct of the costs from state aid.

The commission, however, said it doubts that the aid is compatible with EC Treaty rules, as much of the training seems to be required by law or be otherwise necessary to operate in the new location. It said DHL would have to provide the training to its employees even without the aid as the company must employ new workers in order to start operating.

Competition commissioner Neelie Kroes added: ‘I am always happy to approve training aid which has positive external effects for the society as a whole. However, in this case, I have concerns that DHL would have carried out this training project in any event, and therefore does not need the aid.’

DHL is a worldwide service provider in the parcel delivery and airfreight sector, wholly owned by Deutsche Post AG.

Following its move to Leipzig-Halle, DHL is currently building a new delivery and airfreight centre which is expected to become operational by the end of Oct 2007. DHL plans to employ around 1,500 people and to provide training to 480 employees.

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DHL launches New York overnight express to Europe

Posted by | Jun 25, 2007 | |

DHL, introduced the service for urgent next day documents from New York City to major European destinations.

Available for customers with shipments originating from lower Manhattan, DHL’s next day delivery trip begins with the pickup of urgent material by courier for transfer to the DHL helicopter pad in New York City. Shipments are then flown by helicopter directly to John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport, avoiding New York City traffic. From there, they move on flights bound for nine cities in Europe.

Available Monday thru Thursday, the new offering gives customers the ability to get their shipments delivered next business day from New York City to Amsterdam, Holland; Brussels, Belgium; Dublin, Ireland; Frankfurt, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland; London, England; Madrid, Spain; Paris, France; and Zurich, Switzerland. Next day by 12:00 noon delivery is available to some of the main financial centers in Europe.

For more than two decades, DHL has been leveraging its Manhattan helicopter to serve the financial district, and is the only express shipper to provide continual same day and overnight delivery of cash letters from Europe and Asia to the US banking system — a service vital to the world’s leading financial institutions. By cutting as much as a day off the time in transit for these shipments, financial institutions and their customers can save millions of dollars each year in otherwise lost interest and delayed business transactions.

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China and Malaysia crowned football and cheerleading champions at DHL AsiaCup 2007

Posted by | Jun 25, 2007 | |

DHL announced that China and Malaysia have emerged as the football and cheerleading champions in its inaugural DHL AsiaCup 2007, held from 22 June to 24 June at the Royal Selangor Club at Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. This region-wide team-building exercise is one of the largest corporate sporting events, involving 12 countries across Asia Pacific.

A total of 19 teams and 450 staff from DHL offices in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Oceania, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam participated in the DHL AsiaCup final play-offs. Hundreds of DHL staff turned up to support their teams during the three-day event.

Besides the football teams, nine cheerleading teams also held their own competition, providing spectators with a visual feast of choreography and precision. The cheerleading team from host country Malaysia got the highest votes from the judges, amidst enthusiastic support from friends and colleagues from the sidelines.

Organized by DHL Asia Pacific, the inaugural DHL AsiaCup 2007 was held following the success of the 2006 World Sports Event by DHL’s parent company Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN), which was hailed as one of the world’s largest team-building events with a participation of 2,500 staff from 24 countries. The DPWN World Sports Event was organized parallel to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

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