DHL is to deploy more than 1000 robots in the UK and Ireland to support growing demand in the ecommerce and life sciences healthcare sectors.

This is part of a €637m investment to expand its infrastructure and accelerate the rollout of automation.

The new investment builds on the €1bn already spent on automation by DHL over the past three years, with more than 3200 digitalisation projects deployed across EMEA. Until 2030, DHL’s contract logistics business plans to increase significantly its scale globally, with automation, robotics and digitalisation being key enablers of this growth. 

“Our investment reflects the growing opportunities across the UK market,” said Saul Resnick, CEO for DHL in the UK and Ireland. “Customers are increasingly recognising the benefits of digitalisation and, to date this year, we’ve already surpassed the number of deployments achieved last year. What’s more, the integration of robotics and automation in customer operations is becoming more sophisticated, so customers are seeing greater benefits and faster RoI.”

He said this momentum was only possible with the right infrastructure and expertise in place, tailored to support high-growth industries such as ecommerce and healthcare.

“That’s why we’re investing for long-term impact, ensuring we are the go-to supply chain provider,” he said. “The UK’s new trade strategy reinforces this direction by supporting fast-growing sectors and enhancing access to global markets, priorities that closely align with our investment focus and customer needs.”

Through partnerships with technology companies, DHL is intensifying its commitment to go beyond classical vendor relationships to emphasise co-developing, testing and scaling robotics with innovators. This strategy has already resulted in more than 2000 robots working collaboratively alongside staff in EMEA. More than 750 assisted picking robots from partners Locus Robotics and six River Systems are live across 18 sites in the region and DHL recently deployed the first Boston Dynamics Stretch Robot for container unloading in the UK. The Stretch robots have the ability to unload up to 700 boxes per hour, reducing physical strain on warehouse staff and enhancing productivity in fast turnaround environments such as ecommerce.

DHL plans to open a health logistics facility in Derby, England. The facility has been designed to support growth in the life sciences and healthcare sector, which is projected to experience double-digit growth in the UK over the next five years, driving demand for specialist logistics capabilities. Each site will feature cold chain and cleanroom facilities and will play a role in the wider global DHL health logistics network.

The investment plan, says DHL, reinforces the role of the UK as one of its largest and significant regions. The announcement comes as the UK government sets out its first trade strategy since leaving the EU, a timely backdrop that reflects a shared emphasis on strengthening global trade networks and supporting high-growth sectors, while aiming to unlock £5bn in opportunities for British businesses.

“At DHL, we’re driving the next wave of automation, not as a one-size-fits-all approach but as a set of intelligent, adaptive technologies tailored to the specific needs of individual sectors,” said Tim Tetzlaff, head of digital transformation at DHL (www.dhl.com). “For ecommerce, for example, where the market is evolving and demand is growing, we’re expanding our fulfilment capabilities to support that shift with automation that significantly simplifies high-volume operations. Meanwhile, in the growing life sciences sector, we’re leveraging automation to respond faster to demand and manage complexity at scale with end-to-end visibility, amid a larger focus on patient-centric approaches and differentiated routes to market.”