DHL is a large player in the international express industry. According to the Cambridge Advanced
Learner‟s Dictionary the word „express‟ means “a service which does something faster than usual”.
(Cambrigde Online Dictionary, 2010) At the moment, the global market is dominated by four
express providers, also known as (global) integrators or global logistics providers. (DHL Express
NL, 2010i) DHL Express is one of them. The company transports goods from an origin to a
destination location. This process is executed by means of a network and resources, like
employees, vehicles and buildings.
In the Netherlands, DHL Express lost a lot of volume the previous years: the amount of shipment
decreased by 16% from 2007 to 2010. The management team of the Operations department of
DHL Express NL assumes that the decreased volume negatively influences the profit margin