Founding of DHL
Founding of DHL took place in 1969 in San Francisco, when Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn began flying bills of lading between San Francisco and Honolulu so cargo could be processed before ships arrived.
What happened and why it matters
DHL showed that moving documents ahead of freight could save days at the port, and it grew into one of the largest international express and logistics groups. The founders, whose surname initials form the name, first carried shipping papers for Seatrain Lines so paperwork could be ready before vessels docked. Expansion across Asia and the Pacific followed in the early 1970s. The same principle drives import operations today, where electronic filings such as the importer security filing and advance entry data replace couriers, and DHL Express remains a major option for cross-border e-commerce parcels.
People
Related events
Sources
- DHL (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org
- DHL co-founder dies at 78 (South China Morning Post) scmp.com