Are aerospace and industrial technologies the new logistics powerhouses?

An aircraft sits on the tarmac waiting for a replacement engine - and an invisible clock starts running. Every hour the plane remains grounded has consequences. Maintenance schedules slip. Passengers are rebooked. Revenue is lost.

Somewhere else in the world, an aircraft engine is making a carefully controlled journey, involving specialized handling procedures, shock-protected vehicles, continuous monitoring, and teams trained to meet exact manufacturer specifications.

Aircraft engines are among the most valuable, sensitive, time-critical - not to mention massive - commodities moving through global supply chains today. For aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, few shipments carry higher stakes. The expertise and care involved in successfully shipping urgently needed airline parts is one of the reasons aerospace and further industrial sectors are becoming increasingly important for both logistics companies and the customers they support.

Aerospace logistics is booming. Global demand for airplanes has never been higher. Over the past five years, the aviation industry has rebounded from the lows of the Covid-19 pandemic - and in September 2026 the global commercial aircraft backlog surpassed 17,000 aircraft for the first time ever. A key to this backlog is chain bottlenecks at Tier 1 and Tier 2 vendors, as manufacturers are struggling to keep up. Meanwhile, as more airlines keep older aircraft flying longer, demand for aftermarket parts logistics is soaring. It looks unlikely to slow down anytime soon. 

But aerospace is only part of the story. Across industries as diverse as mining, construction, automation, and smart infrastructure, customers are facing the same challenge: maximizing "uptime" - the amount of time increasingly complex assets are running.

Take mining and construction customers, for example. They are evolving rapidly, driven by electrification, automation and growing investment in critical minerals. Original equipment manufacturers, or OEMS, are accelerating the adoption of battery-powered machinery, autonomous operations and digital mining technologies, while aging fleets continue to drive demand for aftermarket services, maintenance and remanufacturing.

Logistics providers that can keep critical parts and equipment moving are becoming strategic partners in their customers' operations. That's the reality at the heart of the new Aerospace & Industrial Technologies sector.

Take, for example, our specialist approach with customer Sandvik. We support the mining equipment manufacturer's aftermarket logistics operation in Mexico through an integrated logistics network connecting warehouses, transportation services and remote mining sites across the country. The operation serves 55 mines and 747 delivery points while achieving more than 99.5% on-time delivery performance.

Whether it's an aircraft engine, an autonomous mining truck, or cooling equipment supporting an AI-powered data center, downtime is expensive. Against this background, customers are placing greater emphasis on modernizing their operations, extending equipment lifecycles, improving asset utilization and managing increasingly complex supply chains across both industrial hubs and remote operating environments.

"DHL's commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and responsiveness has been key to our success," says Enrique Garcia, Logistics Manager at Sandvik. "Today, the operation serves as a benchmark within our company - one we are looking to replicate in other regions."

The Sandvik solution demonstrates how logistics is increasingly tied to asset performance throughout a product's lifecycle, not simply its initial delivery. 

"Ultimately, customers benefit from solutions that span the full value chain, from inbound logistics and manufacturing support to aftermarket services and time-critical operations," Pascal Marty explains. "Our breadth of experience and international presence enables us to better support customers in managing complexity, improving efficiency and building more resilient supply chains."

At DHl, our Aerospace & Industrial Technologies business is an opportunity to deepen relationships in sectors where logistics directly influence operational outcomes. As manufacturers expand service offerings and customers prioritize availability, the demand for specialized spare-parts logistics continues to grow.

And we'll be right there as strategic allies.