ADVERTORIAL

ADVERTORIAL
DHL -- 31 May

DHL's Fast Forward simplifies export and import

Every day, literally tens of thousands of shipments arrive in
and leave from Indonesia, bound for factories, warehouses and
offices all over the world.

This daily stream of shipments, from little boxes to 40-foot
containers, is an essential part of trade and commerce.

Over the years, Indonesia has evolved into an exporter of
value-added products. With this evolution has come an increased
need for importing raw materials and semi-finished components to
be used in value-added manufacturing. This sector, however, is
becoming more competitive everyday and success increasingly means
getting to the market first and at the lowest possible cost.

This is where an integrated international express and
logistics solutions provider such as DHL can prove its weight in
gold, by seamlessly managing the supply chain while at the same
time leveraging tremendous economies of scale and expertise in
international import/export regimes.

Consider a typical scenario of an Indonesian footwear
manufacturer in Bandung who has to deal with many different
parties for importing raw materials and exporting the finished
product.

Since he is importing leather from China, he will have to
instruct his bank to pay in U.S. currency for the leather and
transportation costs before his Chinese counterpart can have the
goods picked up and delivered, probably by a freight forwarding
company.

Upon arrival in Indonesia, import documents must be processed
so that his leather can be released. This must be coordinated
with local transportation companies to collect and transport the
leather to the warehouse or factory.

In all likelihood, he also needs to import other semi-finished
components such as laces and accessories, which may come from
Europe and are paid for in euros. Although his European supplier
may agree to send the goods in advance, something goes wrong and
the shipment is delayed because the freight forwarder in Europe
failed to get air cargo space.

The involvement of so many parties, including suppliers,
banks, freight forwarders, customs and transportation companies
in several different countries, as well as different currencies,
makes import and export complicated and risky. A break in the
supply chain can lead to serious consequences.

Here, the role of a reliable international express and
integrated logistics company such as DHL Express can be critical
to streamline the import and export process.

Having operated in Indonesia since 1973, DHL is familiar with
the logistics needs of Indonesian companies as well as
multinational companies operating in Indonesia. This extensive
knowledge enables DHL Express to create innovative logistics
solutions across a wide range of industries.

"We have noticed a trend in which Indonesia's imports are
evolving from finished products to be sold in Indonesia, to raw
materials and semi-finished goods. These are then used to produce
finished products for re-export as value-added goods. This is
adding considerably to Indonesia's overall export performance,"
says Alan Cassels, senior technical adviser, PT Birotika
Semesta/DHL Express.

This evolving trend has prompted DHL to broaden its Import
Express and Fast Forward services in Indonesia and the Asia-
Pacific region.

DHL's Import Express is a fast and proven service that allows
customers to import goods easily. Since its launch in 1995,
demand for Import Express has grown steadily, driven largely by
increased trade flows and customers' need for greater control
over the cost, speed and reliability of their imports.

Indonesian companies have found Import Express to be very
helpful as it removes unnecessary headaches and provides one
fixed cost. Instead of paying different parties with different
currencies in a non-integrated transport chain, customers enjoy
the simplicity and control of one point of contact, one fixed
price and one invoice in a single currency for all their import
requirements.

"Import Express underscores our commitment to simplifying and
improving supply chain efficiencies for our customers. As the
leader in destination billed express delivery, we are confident
that DHL's extensive international network aligned to the Import
Express product offering will continue to offer strong
competitive advantages for our customers", said Scott Price,
chief executive officer, DHL Express Asia Pacific.

The one point of contact and one fixed price for
transportation on one invoice has really simplified the import
process for Indonesian companies. In addition, DHL customers can
import goods from any country and have the charges billed in one
currency to their DHL account in Indonesia.

"For instance, if they import goods from five different
countries, customers can simply use their DHL account in
Indonesia and will not be charged in five different currencies.
Thus, even though they use the DHL Import Service in other
countries, they can still be billed in a single currency through
their DHL account in Indonesia," said Edi Prayitno, DHL's
national marketing manager in Indonesia.

DHL has also made it simple to export and import heavier
shipments with the same degree of simplicity, cost transparency,
security and speed. This is done through DHL's innovative Fast
Forward service, which can handle shipments from 20 kilograms up
to 100 kilograms at prices that are often more competitive than
those quoted by freight forwarders.

"While freight forwarders usually provide their services port-
to-port, DHL's Fast Forward provides door-to-door service at a
price that already includes documentation, customs clearance and
local delivery," said Prayitno.

With DHL's integrated logistics solutions such as Import
Express and Fast Forward, importers and exporters do not have to
worry about processing import or export documents, the loading or
unloading of their goods, and transporting their goods to and
from their offices or warehouses. DHL takes care of the
formalities and delivers each shipment door-to-door.

Nearly all of DHL's shipments, including Fast Forward and
Import Express, are carried on DHL's own dedicated flight
operating between Jakarta and Singapore. This dedicated flight
uses a Boeing 727 freighter with a 23 ton cargo capacity and
flies five days a week. This means exporters and importers do not
have to worry about unnecessary delays caused by the
unavailability of cargo space on commercial airlines.

All shipments handled by DHL are taken care of professionally
by DHL's crew at the Singapore hub, supported by the standardized
services of DHL's extensive international network covering more
than 220 countries and territories. This standardization of
services is a key strength of DHL and helps to ensure safe and
reliable door-to-door delivery.

"Any importer or exporter can enjoy these superior
standardized services that make importing and exporting simple.
All they have to do is contact our office, open an account and
establish contract rates. Their overseas business partners can
then contact DHL in their respective countries to have the goods
picked up," said Prayitno.

Apart from superior services supported by an integrated IT
system, DHL also works closely with local customs offices in each
country. In Indonesia, for example, this close cooperation has
resulted in DHL having the highest ratio of "cleared-on-arrival"
shipments in the region.

"Customs here have an enlightened attitude. Despite their
reputation for being unhelpful, we cooperate closely with them
and work with them to streamline customs processes. We are
pleased with the results," Cassels said.

Such close cooperation with Indonesian customs has enabled DHL
to provide a highly satisfactory level of service to customers.
To boost this further, and to support Indonesian industry, DHL is
offering a special rate for its Fast Forward service from May to
the middle of August 2005.