Creating spaces where innovation happens

A storm shuts down a major port and shelves run empty thousands of miles away. A strike halts cargo at a single airport and suddenly a product launch slips. A ship reroutes around the Red Sea and delivery times stretch by weeks. McKinsey predicts that companies could face supply chain shocks lasting a month or longer every three to four years - a frequency once considered exceptional. And it’s not just sudden shocks impacting supply chains; ongoing shifts in trade policy and tariffs are forcing businesses to rethink suppliers, reroute shipments, and absorb higher costs - adding yet another layer of complexity.

The impact of external factors has been a developing reality in logistics for decades by now, having already triggered the need for innovation to be a permanent mindset. Today, a single shipment handled across continents might rely on dozens of partners, data systems, and touchpoints. When one link falters, the effects can ripple fast: delays pile up, emissions increase, and costs surface in unexpected places. And as AI, automation, and advanced analytics evolve at breakneck speed, many businesses struggle to see which solutions actually work - and how to adopt them without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Businesses need safer, faster ways to test ideas, understand new tools, and build more resilient operations before real-world failures expose vulnerabilities. And that’s increasingly difficult to do inside day-to-day operations. Most companies can’t afford to stop a warehouse to trial a new robot, reroute shipments just to test a model, or risk delays to see if a digital twin can spot bottlenecks. They need an open platform to come together that enables customer centric innovation which can make its way to testing and live environments as quickly as possible.

That’s where innovation becomes more than a buzzword, but a practical capability: the ability to prototype quickly, validate what works, discard what doesn’t, and scale proven solutions with confidence. The businesses that succeed in this environment aren’t the ones who adopt the most technology - they’re the ones who learn fastest, sense disruptions early, reroute operations intelligently, and turn uncertainty into advantage.

Meeting this challenge means creating environments where teams can experiment together under real-world conditions. To address this problem, we at DHL have been running and enhancing a global network of Innovation Centers - in Germany, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore and the United States. Together, they form a system where we can explore emerging technologies, co-create solutions with customers and partners, and test ideas under real supply chain conditions. Two of these centers have been recently rebuilt into state-of-the-art facilities in Troisdorf, Germany and Dubai, UAE expanding our ability to keep pace with a rapidly evolving tech landscape while strengthening the proven capabilities of our long-established hubs.

Co-creating solutions early

At each Innovation Center, we invite customers and partners to discover, connect, inspire and create. Instead of evaluating new technologies in isolation, we work together to map challenges, sketch solutions and stress-test concepts. It’s a space where ideas are shaped with the people who will actually use them, not presented after the fact. This approach shortens decision cycles and reduces the risk that a promising concept looks good on paper but falters in practice.

Linking innovation to operations

In Dubai, the expanded Innovation Center sits next to an upcoming multi-user warehouse to be operated by DHL Supply Chain. That proximity matters. It will allow teams to explore an idea in a controlled setting and then see how it performs in the rhythm of real warehouse operations. It will bridge the gap between concept and execution - helping businesses understand not only whether technology works, but whether it works for them.

Exploring what’s working - and what’s coming next

Whether it’s autonomous inventory robots, AI-driven visibility platforms, smart storage systems or electrified transport, the goal isn’t to showcase gadgets. It’s to let teams experiment with proven and emerging tools, understand their strengths and limitations, and decide what fits their operations. These are test beds built for learning.

Innovation with sustainability in mind

Our flagship center in Germany is built from cross-laminated timber and powered by renewable energy, with smart energy systems and low-emission construction designed to reduce emissions from the ground up. As sustainability becomes a foundation of operational resilience, innovation in logistics needs to reflect that reality.

At their core, these Innovation Centers are about bringing people together. Innovation happens when different perspectives meet - when customers, partners, startups, researchers and our own teams sit around the same table, challenging assumptions and testing ideas in real time. The logistics challenges ahead won’t be solved by technology alone. They’ll be solved by people who can think together, experiment quickly and build solutions that work in the real world.