Frequently Asked Questions

Yes - if you are an existing supplier and you want to offer DHL a new product or service, the Warehouse of Innovation is the portal for you! Your entry into our innovation program helps us assess fit, align with our focus areas, and guide your solution through testing, productization, and potential scale within DHL’s operations.

To make the process smooth, in the submission form, please be sure to:

• Identify yourself as an existing supplier
• Provide the email address of your DHL procurement officer

Yes, absolutely! The Warehouse of Innovation portal was developed specifically for the purpose of giving innovative providers like you an opportunity to become a partner of DHL Group. By submitting your solution through our innovation program, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your innovation to our business units and get introduced to teams that can make decisions quickly and effectively. Our innovation program is the official gateway to exploring partnership opportunities with DHL.

Yes, even if you already have multiple contacts with DHL, submitting your solution through the Warehouse of Innovation ensures that it will be included in our innovation program for review and consideration. You can build on the relationships you have already cultivated with DHL by including their contacts in the submission form. In all cases, please provide specific details so that we can include these colleagues in the evaluation process of your innovation.

Yes! If you’re a DHL employee who’s discovered an innovative vendor or solution, the Warehouse of Innovation portal is the right place to start. Click on "Submit Your Solution", then complete the form specific for DHL Employees.

While your input is valuable, still be sure that the innovative vendor submits their own form through this Warehouse of Innovation portal as well, so that we can proceed to the next steps of our innovation program!

To qualify for our innovation program, your innovation should be beyond the idea stage. You should have a working prototype or an industrialized solution that can be tested in a real logistics environment. The proposal does not need to be fully scaled yet, but it should be developed to the point where it clearly demonstrates value and feasibility. Our goal is that we can carry out a proof of concept (POC) with your innovation in at least one of our logistics centers.

Yes, of course! You’re welcome to submit as many innovation proposals as you wish, especially if they address different focus areas or use cases. It is important to submit each proposal as a separate entry through the submission form, so we can properly evaluate each one on its own and route it separately to the most relevant teams within DHL.

The more details you provide, the better we can assess your solution's potential and fit within DHL. We recommend clearly outlining the problem your innovation solves, how it works, its current maturity level, and any proven results or use cases. Be sure to include slides detailing advantages, demo links, and other supporting materials if available. This helps us connect your proposal with the right teams and move quickly through the evaluation process.

We understand that some things are better asked and explained in a direct conversation. We hope to reach with you the next step of our innovation program by getting a clear understanding of your solution and the problems it is trying to address.

Your proposal will be evaluated based on several key criteria, including:

• Relevance to our Boxes of Opportunities
• Added value for DHL
• Maturity level
• Your capacity to deliver and support the solution for testing and implementation

Such added value can take on various dimensions, whether it be increased efficiency, safety improvement, quality enhancement, emission reduction, etc. Our team will assess technical feasibility, scalability, and alignment based on real logistics challenges.

Innovation proposals that perform well regarding above criteria are very likely to advance to the next step in our innovation program.

To ensure a fair and efficient review process, we ask all innovators and vendors to first submit their proposal through the Warehouse of Innovation portal. This allows us to properly evaluate your solution and direct it to the most relevant teams within DHL. If your submission shows strong potential, we’ll reach out to schedule follow-up conversations where you can present your solution in more detail and ask questions.

If you have further questions about the submission form itself and/or our innovation program as a whole, please email us at WarehouseOfInnovation@dhl.com.

(If you are an existing supplier to DHL, you are welcome to pre-discuss your innovation with your DHL procurement officer before applying here.)

Once your proposal is submitted, our team will review it to assess fit with our focus areas and operational needs. If your solution shows strong potential, we’ll reach out to schedule introductory conversations where you can present your innovation, share demos, and learn more about DHL. We aim to respond within 2-3 weeks of your submission.

From there, we’ll explore next steps, which may include internal promotion of your solution to the relevant business units. You’ll be kept informed throughout our innovation program once we reach out to you for that first call.

Decisions are made in cross-functional teams, involving members in innovation, procurement, operations, and engineering. Typically, we take a global view on your innovation, but we are also interested to drive proof of concepts (POCs) and implementations regionally.

To help us out, please designate in your application which regions of the world you could feasibly and reasonably achieve these goals.

The best way to support a faster review is by providing a clear, complete, and detailed submission. Make sure to explain the problem your solution addresses, its technical readiness, any past results or pilots, and how it aligns with logistics or supply chain needs.

If you’re an existing supplier or already in contact with someone at DHL, be sure to include that information in the form. A strong, well-documented proposal helps us assess and route it more efficiently.

While we aim to review proposals and respond in 2-3 weeks, timelines can vary based on internal evaluations and business unit interest. If your submission moves forward, we’ll reach out directly using your contact information you provided in the submission form to begin introductory conversations.

If your proposal isn’t selected, we may still keep it on file for future opportunities and reach out if a relevant fit arises.

If your proposal is accepted, you’ll receive structured support throughout each stage of our innovation program. This includes dedicated contacts from our innovation team, introductions to relevant DHL business units, and guidance in shaping a proof of concept. We’ll work with you to define success metrics, facilitate real-world testing, and help navigate our procurement process. Our goal is to give your solution the best chance to integrate, deliver value, and scale within DHL’s operations. We want to see you succeed.

To become a supplier to DHL, you’ll need to meet specific requirements related to legal, operational, and financial compliance. This typically includes providing:

• company registration documents
• tax certifications
• proof of financial stability
• signed forms agreeing to DHL’s terms and conditions
• and more…

If your innovation progresses through our program, don’t worry – we’ll guide you through the procurement process step by step, including any onboarding processes required to register your product or service in our internal systems. Our team will support you throughout to ensure a smooth transition from pilot to supplier.

DHL takes the protection of your intellectual property seriously. Before sharing sensitive information in an engagement call or meeting, we will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to ensure confidentiality and safeguard your proprietary details. Throughout our innovation program, you retain full ownership of your IP, and our collaboration does not involve transferring rights or exclusivity unless mutually agreed upon. This allows you to engage openly while maintaining full control over your innovation.

That said, for the submission form, we ask vendors to still provide enough details to qualify for further engagements.

Your submitted innovation is only accessible to DHL’s internal innovation and evaluation teams responsible for reviewing proposals. We treat all submissions with confidentiality and care. If your proposal progresses beyond the initial review and we begin detailed discussions, you will be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before sharing any sensitive or proprietary information. This ensures your ideas remain protected throughout our innovation program.

We highlight various applicable use cases in each of our six Boxes of Opportunities, where we see technology and innovation playing a key role in shaping the future of logistics. For innovators who may not be deeply familiar with the logistics industry, we recommend reviewing these Boxes of Opportunities and doing some high-level research first to better understand where your solution could fit. In the later stages of our program, we’ll dive deeper into the technical details and operational context of these opportunities through conversations with relevant DHL teams. This step-by-step approach ensures both alignment and clarity as we explore potential collaboration.

To help us assess your solution better, we recommend focusing your submission on the technology and providing specific use cases wherever possible.

Once your innovation is accepted into our innovation program and shows strong potential, DHL may be able to offer supplier financing options to support your growth. This allows you to leverage DHL's financial strength and access finance receivables more easily at lower competitive rates. If relevant, our procurement team can discuss this opportunity with you as part of our innovation program.

DHL enters into supply contracts that are tailored to the needs of both parties, ensuring clarity and mutual benefit. When required, we also establish Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to protect both your intellectual property and ours. In many cases, we also include sustainability agreements to support DHL’s environmental and social responsibility goals.

More information can be shared and elaborated on in later steps of our innovation program.

DHL has a thriving and robust innovation ecosystem! Learn more via our online Innovation hub, and get in touch with any questions.