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DHL Express recorded a 16% growth in its Time Definite International Weight per Day in Asia Pacific, excluding China, between January and July 2026 as it launched its Heavy Weight Express service
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The HWX service covers up to 1000 kg per piece / 3000 kg per shipment
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DHL Express said the heavyweight market has been gaining traction in recent years, citing industry research that shows an estimated 10.2 million tons of heavyweight shipments are being moved in Asia Pacific (excluding China) each year
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Fastest growth in heavyweight shipments for the first seven months of the year came from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Hong Kong
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Growth in the sector is driven by high-value technology-related cargo, electric vehicles, and the engineering and manufacturing sector
DHL Express recorded a 16% growth in its Time Definite International Weight per Day in Asia Pacific, excluding China, between January and July 2026 as it launched its Heavy Weight Express (HWX) service as part of its growth strategy.
“Behind the numbers is a simple reality: Businesses are shipping heavy when timing matters and when it’s critical,” Ken Lee, DHL Express CEO for Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
The global logistics service company said the heavyweight market has been gaining traction in recent years, citing industry research that shows an estimated 10.2 million tons of heavyweight shipments are being moved in Asia Pacific (excluding China) each year.
The HWX service covers up to 1000 kg per piece / 3000 kg per shipment.
The fastest growth in heavyweight shipments for the first seven months of the year came from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Hong Kong, according to DHL Express.
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These markets reflect two of the region’s strongest trade corridors – Southeast Asia’s firm role as a manufacturing and sourcing base, and North Asia’s strategic position as a hub for high-value technology, industrial and automotive supply chains.
Additionally, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam are also recognized as key markets of the geographic tailwinds initiative, a DHL Group Strategy 2030 growth program that invests in 20 high-potential countries benefiting from shifting global trade routes and supply chain diversification
DHL Express said while many companies have spent years reducing inventory and improving efficiency across their supply chains, the business landscape has in recent years become less predictable with trade disruptions, manufacturing bottlenecks, and fluctuating demand.
READ: Global air, ocean freight demand stays strong with Asia exports – DHL
The rise in heavyweight shipment volumes mirrors a shift in how businesses are managing supply chain risks, as they increasingly turn to express logistics not only to handle sudden shifts in demand but also to have greater agility, certainty and control over timelines.
“As companies continue to navigate a complex landscape where uncertainty has become the norm, speed and reliability have also become part of the business decision. Customers are making deliberate decisions on what they ship through our network. Our Heavy Weight Express solution helps companies avoid downtime, protect working capital and keep operations moving when supply chains don’t go exactly as planned,” Lee said.
In Asia Pacific, high-value, technology-related cargo, such as computer chips and semiconductors, accounts for the largest share of DHL Express’s heavyweight segment at over 34, driven by the rapid increase in investments in data centers to support the growing demand for computing capacity, data storage, cloud services, and artificial intelligence.
This has fueled demand for technology-related shipments, from semiconductors and servers to cooling systems and electrical infrastructure. However, a data center crunch is creating supply chain bottlenecks as demand for semiconductor manufacturing outpaces infrastructure supply. As a result, express logistics services are urgently activated to move critical components quickly and efficiently, helping to keep projects on schedule DHL Express said.
READ: DHL adding 160,000 sqm to Asia Pacific data center logistics network
The other main contributors to the heavyweight segment are businesses in engineering and manufacturing as well as the automotive industry, which is the fastest growing sector.
DHL said its HWX service is gaining strong momentum in automotives, with shipment weight increasing at a rate of nearly 20%.
As the leading export region for this sector, Asia Pacific is also seeing a surge in Asian automotive brands, particularly electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers from China and Southeast Asia. As EV manufacturers expand into new markets, they are also moving vehicle parts sourced from different suppliers and manufacturers across borders, creating a demand for expedited shipments to keep factories running.
“As companies continue to manufacture out of Asia, balancing project timelines and building more resilient and agile supply chains become a priority. To maintain production continuity and ensure certainty, they are consolidating goods into heavier shipments. These non-negotiable conditions are also ‘urgency drivers’ that put us at an advantage to help deliver our customers’ shipments at a definite time,” said Lee.
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