• Leveraging
  China Railway (Xi’an-Germany) Express, the new route from Xi’an, China to
  Hamburg and Neuss, Germany cuts transport time from 17 to approximately 10-12
  days
• New
  service extends DHL’s Belt and Road multimodal logistics offerings

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach – 4 November 2019 – DHL
Global Forwarding and Xi’an International Inland Port Investment &
Development Group Co. Ltd have launched the fastest rail service from
Xi’an in China to Hamburg and Neuss in Germany
today, cutting transit time from 17 to between 10 and 12 days. 

The
new express rail service is the first-of-its-kind in the market to break new
ground in the speed and efficiency of China-Europe rail freight, shortening
total transit time by travelling through the Mamonovo-Braniewo
railway border between Russia and
Poland.

Source: DHL

“Xi’an
is at the heart of the New Silk Road economic belt, taking on the same
important role as it once did during the ancient route of Marco Polo’s era,”
said Steve Huang, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding China. “A foreign investment and manufacturing hub
that has seen exports increase in 2018 by 29% year-on-year,
the city today is a thriving international center with high-quality production
capabilities in pillar industries like mechanicals, electronics, bio-pharmaceuticals
and automobile manufacturing. By boosting
greater agility whilst offering the express rail service at reasonable costs, DHL
Global Forwarding seeks to connect these fast-evolving industries to rising
demand and market opportunities in Europe.”

With trade between the two regions averaging
€1 billion a day and slated to grow, China remains the European Union’s second
biggest trading partner, accounting for the region’s biggest source of imports
and its second-biggest source of exports. Equally, special economic zones in
Greater Xi’an are attracting growing foreign investments as the city positions
itself as a hub for Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G infrastructure and cloud
computing to enhance its manufacturing capabilities. Xi’an is home to over 100
enterprises specializing in AI, bringing in a total revenue of CN¥10 billion (€1.3 billion),
while global and local companies have agreed to invest CN¥214 billion yuan (€27.5 billion)
in the city’s digital development.

“Over the past four months, we have been
working closely with DHL to test
and start this express line. Both teams have showed a tremendously high degree
of enthusiasm and professionalism,” said Qu Jinwei, General Manager, Xi’an
International Inland Port Investment & Development Group Co. Ltd. “As
next steps, we will strive to make this express rail freight a success. Using
the development model of ‘hub and industry integration’, we will leverage this
service to strengthen the collaboration between the region’s manufacturing and
trading sectors with international logistics. This would attract more
industries to our region, fortifying their capabilities to gather resources
from international supply chains and sharpening their competitive edges.”

The
new rail service takes an approximate 9,400-km route through Kazakhstan,
Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania to Kaliningrad Oblast, a part of the Russian
Federation on the south coast of the Baltic Sea, before entering the European
Union via the Mamonovo-Braniewo crossing. The final stretch of the route crosses
Poland into Germany to the port city of Hamburg, and to Neuss, an important
logistics hub on the Rhine River across Düsseldorf. Traversing numerous
countries, the fastest rail service between China and Germany was created with
the support of China Railway, Belintertrans, RTSB Gmbh and UTLC — Eurasian Rail
Alliance.

The Xi’an-Germany express rail connection
will offer customers real-time milestone visibility, using GPS tracking of
shipments, via the iSee software platform — giving shippers door-to-door
visibility and insight into any shipping exceptions as soon as they occur.

DHL Global Forwarding recently opened two
Rail Competence Centers in Le Havre, France and Felixstowe, UK in response to
growing demand for rail freight services along the New Silk Road, and to
complement its existing Rail Competence Centers, including four in China.

Note to editors:

Rail has re-emerged as a viable option
for trans-Eurasian freight, while air and road freight are being developed
along the Belt and Road Initiative. Together, they form the basis for a new
multimodal shipping platform that is disrupting supply chains. Find out which multimodal transport hubs are changing
the way goods are being moved and distributed across Eurasia.

Snapshot:
DHL Global Forwarding’s Multimodal Freight Network along China’s Belt and Road
Initiative

As the pioneer in innovative multimodal
shipping solutions from China to Europe, DHL has been offering a suite of
innovative and flexible multimodal solutions since 2010, which connects Chinese
mainland, Taiwan China, Japan and Southeast Asia to Europe.

• West
  Corridor: Fastest connection between Europe, and new emerging inland Chinese
  hubs of Chengdu and Xi’an among others; supporting high-tech, automotive, and
  retail manufacturers located in Western China with cost-effective access into
  European markets
• North
  Corridor: From China’s Eastern & Southern coast via Trans-Siberian Railway
  to Moscow, and further to Poland and Germany; it connects China’s engineering
  and manufacturing hubs in Yangtze & Pearl River deltas to pan-European
  demand in 18-20 days
• South
  Corridor: Traverses three Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and
  Georgia — as well as Caspian Sea before arriving at Istanbul in 12-14 days
• Sea
  transit: Connecting Japan, Korea and Taiwan China to Chinese mainland via ferry
  services, for onward journey to Europe; as well as Shanghai to Europe via
  Piraeus, Greece
• Road
  connection: linking manufacturing base in Vietnam, and South East Asia to
  Europe via China

DHL – The logistics company for the world

portfolio of
logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery,
e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air
and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000
employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects
people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With
specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology,
life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven
commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing
markets, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of
Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 61 billion
euros in 2018.

About Xi’an International
Inland Port Investment & Development Group – To become a leading international
inland port group

Established in
June 2009, Xi’an International Inland Port Investment & Development Group
Co. Ltd. is a large state-owned enterprise approved by the Xi’an Municipal
People’s Government and invested by the Xi’an International Port Management
Committee.  It is responsible for the
investment, construction and operation of the “Xi’an Port” project.
Its subsidiary, Xi’an International Inland Port Multimodal Transport Co., Ltd,
is appointed by China State Railway Group to operate the China-Europe Railway
Express (Xi’an). The company is also one of the starting members of the
China-Europe Railway Express Transportation Coordination Committee.

The evolution of workplace designs gains momentum to cater to growing focus on employee engagement

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 4 November 2019 – Japan and Australia are the most expensive office fit-out
locations in the Asia Pacific, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s Asia
Pacific Office Fit-out Guide, which provides an indication of the office
fit-out construction costs across 28 key gateway cities in the region. The
guide, which serves to assist occupiers in defining their capital planning and
relocation budgets, includes a comprehensive fit-out cost section covering
furniture, mechanical & electrical works, builder works, AV/IT and other
miscellaneous costs and takes into consideration the reinstatement cost in Asia
Pacific.

The top ten cities in
Asia Pacific with the highest office fit-out costs are:

Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Tom Gibson, Managing Director, Project & Development Services, Asia
Pacific said, “Tokyo’s position as the most expensive office fit-out
market in Asia Pacific is a reflection of the unique construction requirement
in this market. The practice of working with building-appointed general
contractors and the pursuit of high-quality finishes contribute to the high
fit-out and reinstatement cost.”

“We anticipate
the gap between high and low office fit-out cost cities to narrow in the future
as Vietnam and India will be looking to further improve the quality of their
office space including having better technology, end-of-trip amenities and
higher quality furniture, fixtures and equipment. This will drive up the total
office fit out costs in these markets, which are already facing rising labor
and material costs.”

Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Across Greater China, Hong Kong is the most
expensive office fit-out market, with an average cost of US$130/sq ft, and
Taipei the least costly, with an average price of US$70/sq ft. In the Mainland,
the average fit-out cost in Beijing is higher than in Shanghai, Shenzhen and
Guangzhou.

Bryant
Cheung, Director & Head of Project & Development Services, Hong Kong
said, “Builders’ works is still the most expensive component in new office
fit-out projects, however, the AV/IT cost soars considerably given the rise of
remote working, virtual conferencing and co-working places.”

Multi-faceted
workplace designs to drive better employee experience and engagement

The change in design
and layout of work spaces has also become more prevalent today than ever
before. In recent years, companies have shifted their focus from just looking
at cost reduction and workplace efficiencies to factors that contribute to
enhanced employee experience and engagement. They are more willing to offer a
range of different facilities in their new offices to create an interactive
work environment, which then drive up the fit-out cost, but will help boost
productivity and allow them to win the war for talent.

The move to greater
adoption of co-working, flexible workplaces and provision of a variety of agile
workplace solutions has resulted in workplace design becoming more
multi-faceted. Today’s workspace needs to support various workstyles from
focused work to group collaboration and engagement and this means that
companies need to have a deeper understanding and wider exposure to the latest
workplace design strategies.

The ability to
provide a high quality of life at work has also become an important
consideration as companies build their competitive edge in today’s war for
talent. Comfort, safety, accessibility, tech-enabled surfaces and sustainable
materials will be even more pervasive in workplace designs across all markets.

A workplace
environment that is functional, tech-enabled and flexible with a variety of
work settings and amenities are the benchmark considerations today. The
tech-savvy generation expects a high level of technology adoption in the
workplace, which enables them to access information easily and quickly in a
conducive and comfortable environment. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s
Asia Pacific Office Fit-out Cost Guide for 2019/2020, the AV/IT and furniture
component is currently about 30% of the total fit-out costs.

The integration of
technology with furniture has a significant impact on total office fit-out
costs. Large AV set-ups, real time data on display with the latest tech
amenities at fast speeds mean higher costs related to high performance and
cooling facilities to maintain comfort levels. Sustainability factors such as
the type of materials used in the fit-out will also have a direct impact on
costs.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global
real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate
occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate
services firms with 51,000 employees in approximately 400 offices and 70
countries. Across Greater China, there are 22 offices servicing the local
market. The company won four of the top awards in the Euromoney Survey 2017
& 2018 in the categories of Overall, Agency Letting/Sales, Valuation and
Research in China. In 2018, the firm had revenue of $8.2 billion across core
services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital
markets, valuation and other services. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.hk or follow us on
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/cushman-&-wakefield-greater-china)