DHL Supply Chain Brazil Projects Moving 37 Million Items During Black Friday

DHL Supply Chain, the warehousing and distribution division of the DHL Group, expects to handle more than 37 million product units in Brazilian e-commerce during November, Black Friday month, a volume 19% higher than in a typical month. The company also projects 14% growth in volume handled in its e-commerce operations during 2026 compared to 2025.

To meet the increase in demand, the company will add around 2,600 temporary workers, 38% more than in a typical month, and will expand its use of automation at its distribution centers. At the Jandira center, in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, more than 70 robots are currently in pilot phase, delivering a productivity improvement of approximately 14% in horizontal movements within the warehouses. The company is also incorporating optical character recognition (OCR) systems to automate label reading and speed up package sorting.

E-commerce growth is also changing the composition of omnichannel operations, which combine B2B and B2C sales. In typical months, orders destined for the end consumer account for an average of 15% of volume handled, but during Black Friday and Christmas that share rises to 28%, requiring greater capacity for individual picking, packing and dispatch to a larger number of destinations. According to Solon Barrios, Vice President of Retail and E-commerce at DHL Supply Chain in Brazil, the company also expects to move 27% more merchandise during the October-to-December season compared to the same period last year.

The DHL Fulfillment Network (DFN) currently has five distribution centers located in Cajamar and Jandira (São Paulo), Extrema (Minas Gerais), Serra (Espírito Santo) and Brasília, which together total more than 35 thousand square meters of floor space, a 67% increase compared to 2025. The company plans to continue this expansion in 2027 with the opening of new operations in Fortaleza (Ceará) and Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul).

To manage last-mile delivery, DHL uses the Last Mile Orchestration platform, which brings together carriers, routes and distribution channels in a control tower and allows providers to be chosen based on cost, lead time, capacity and performance. The company operates a fleet of between 3,000 and 4,000 vehicles, most of them belonging to partner carriers. Barrios noted that performance during peak periods depends on coordination between teams, technology and transportation, with planning aimed at anticipating bottlenecks and providing greater predictability for customers.