DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, cooperates with SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. DHL and SGS signed a letter of intent to expand DHL’s existing global network of Flexitank solutions and create a lean system for such operations worldwide. To embark on the first steps of this cooperation, the companies have launched pilot projects in the Benelux countries, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Thailand and Malaysia. The announcement was made at the DHL Global Chemical Conference in Bonn, Germany, where the company is hosting many of the world’s leading chemical companies.

“DHL Flexitanks offer a safe, cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly way of transporting non-hazardous liquids,” stated Felix Heger, Head of Ocean Freight Europe, DHL Global Forwarding. “With Flexitanks we can increase our customers’ supply chain efficiency and reduce costs by up to 30% percent compared to ISO tanks.”

DHL Global Forwarding is aiming to expand its current Flexitank network to include 60 countries by the year 2020. The partnership with SGS will support both companies in providing customers with a one-stop-shop solution for liquids shipping in Flexitanks, in line with environmentally conscious goals. Flexitanks are capable of safely holding a wide range of liquids, such as food industry oils, juice, fuel and other non-hazardous industrial chemicals and do not require the return loads and expensive cleaning of ISO tanks, as well as using cargo space more optimally than intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). Flexitank multi-layer bladders, fitted to standard or reefer containers, hold between 16,000 and 24,000 liters for safe and efficient transport.

Based in Switzerland, SGS has a substantial and quickly expanding Flexitank network in a multitude of countries, providing technical services, emergency response, surveying, and disposal solutions for Flexitanks on a global scale.