DHL to upgrade U.S. operations

WILMINGTON, Ohio (AP) -- DHL said Friday it plans to invest $1.2 billion to upgrade its package delivery operations in the United States, where it hopes to become more competitive with the country's much larger shippers, FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service.
DHL, which is owned by Germany's Deutsche Post World Net, said it plans to build seven new package sorting centers by the end of the year, boost its ground delivery capacity by 60 percent. The company said after 2005 it would build five more sort centers, bringing the total to 24 nationwide. The Plantation, Fla.-based shipper also said it would invest in better information technology and consolidate some air delivery operations, by moving an undisclosed number of jobs from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Wilmington, Ohio, Air Park.
The Wilmington airport, owned by DHL and operated by the independent company ABX Air Inc., employs more than 6,000 people.
Most employees who transfer to Wilmington will join the work force of ABX, which will continue to operate the airport, DHL spokesman Jonathan Baker said.
DHL bought most of the assets of Airborne Express last year in a $1.05 billion merger.
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