DHL Supply Chain, the global and North American contract logistics leader within Deutsche Post DHL Group, has earned the 2020 Carrier of the Year award from Toyota Motor North America, in the category of “Dedicated Delivery Services.” DHL, which entered into a parts-delivery contract with the top-selling global automaker in July 2020, earned the honor over three other U.S. based companies.

In presenting the honor, Toyota noted DHL Supply Chain’s ability to stand up a high-performing new parts distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona, during a pandemic to increase responsiveness in the southwest U.S. region utilizing DHL’s routing and operational capabilities as well as a structured project implementation methodology. The Toyota facility opened in 2020 and serves more than 50 Toyota and Lexus dealers across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Nevada and Colorado.

“At DHL Supply Chain, our commitment to invest in people and technology has enabled us to provide Toyota with a best-in-class suite of transportation and logistics services without sacrificing customer service,” said Jorge Salas, vice president, Dedicated Fleet Operations, DHL Supply Chain. “This honor, as ‘Carrier of the Year,’ is testament to DHL’s ability to execute end-to-end supply chains (transport, warehousing and management) that deliver efficiency, flexibility, and cost benefits to our valued customers.”

Toyota selects four winners for its ‘Carrier of the Year’ Awards annually to recognize outstanding transportation service providers who support Toyota’s North American Parts Operations. Selection of the winners is based on each carrier’s performance in areas such as on-time delivery and pickup, safety, problem-solving capabilities, damage prevention and equipment availability, among others. Toyota also evaluates carriers on their ability to embrace kaizen, or a focus on continuous improvement in their service.

“Commitment to quality is a core mission at Toyota and we are continuously raising our standards for reliability and customer satisfaction,” said Jason Brown, senior manager Parts Supply Chain Operations, Toyota Motors North America, Inc. “DHL Supply Chain is a valued partner in our efforts to minimize fulfillment times and offer new service options to better serve customers and meet increasing demand.”