Unmanned express delivery picks up speed in China

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

By Han Xin, People's Daily

Wider application- Chinese logistics company ZTO Express has largely employed autonomous driving vehicles, whose total mileage adds up to over 1 million kilometers.

Newer devices - The logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has launched a new-generation delivery vehicle, which boasts a maximum load capacity of 1,000 kilograms and a maximum range of 160 kilometers, further improving its delivery efficiency.

The express delivery industry serves millions of households, and with the fastening application of smart logistics, drones, unmanned vehicles, and unmanned warehouses, China's express delivery industry is rapidly moving towards the intelligent era.

At 10 am on Oct. 25, a batch of hairy crabs were caught and brought ashore on the banks of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu province. Immediately, these crabs were loaded onto a drone and would reach a transfer station of SF Express in less than four minutes.

Since fishing activities started on the lake on Sept. 25, drones have transported over 300 batches of hairy crabs, with a total payload exceeding 2,700 kilograms.

This year, drone delivery has seen a significant expansion in its application. Chen Xiaohui, an executive of Phoenix Wings, a cargo drone company owned by SF Express, said that as of the end of September, Phoenix Wings had opened 523 routes, completed over a million flights, and successfully transported more than 5.2 million items.

Through the establishment of a low-altitude logistics network, the delivery time for goods has been notably reduced. For instance, in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the average delivery time within the same city is two hours, while inter-city deliveries take approximately three hours.

In April, ZTO Express launched an unmanned vehicle operation platform connecting over 100 branches in more than 40 cities. In May, the Beijing branch of China Post explored the use of unmanned vehicles for mail transfer in Shunyi district, which can run a round trip of approximately 30 kilometers and accommodate over 500 parcels. In June, courier company Yunda Express also introduced unmanned delivery vehicles, which have improved delivery efficiency by over 30 percent through their collaboration with couriers.

Unmanned technology also excels in the warehousing process. Intelligent weighing, digital "sizing," six-sided scanning... In JD Logistics' intelligent warehouses, shelves loaded with goods are always seen "roaming." These shelves are 5G-enabled intelligent picking and handling robots equipped with mobility devices.

According to an executive of JD Logistics, this set of equipment can pick more than 600 orders per hour, increasing efficiency by three to five times compared to traditional manual methods. It has already been applied in more than 10 intelligent industrial parks.

An official with the State Post Bureau stated that after initial technological exploration, proof of concept, and resolution of technical challenges to enhance technological stability, unmanned express delivery has rapidly been commercialized in just 10 years, significantly boosting cost reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement.

In recent years, drones, unmanned vehicles, unmanned warehouses, and other facilities and equipment are being widely applied, with new technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence continuously integrating into various processes including collection, sorting, and transportation, effectively promoting the iteration of automation, informatization, and digital and intelligent upgrade.

Unmanned technology has taken root and thrived in the field of express delivery in China due to the burgeoning market demand and the fertile soil it provides for the implementation of unmanned technology.

"In recent years, the explosive growth of e-commerce express delivery in China, coupled with the increasing demand for timely delivery services, necessitates the construction of unmanned warehouses with super-large capacity and strong processing capabilities," said an executive of JD Logistics.

Since 2014, the company has built more than 40 intelligent logistics parks in over 20 provinces, significantly reducing logistics costs and improving delivery efficiency, according to the executive.

Faced with the increasingly massive demand for efficient logistics, unmanned technology, with advantages such as speed, low cost, high efficiency, and flexibility, effectively supports the rapid growth of the industry in the last-mile delivery segment.

"It is expected that in the next three to five years, over 200,000 unmanned delivery vehicles will be put into use, further driving technological advancement and cost reduction," said Yang Guang, general manager of the self-driving business center of Cainiao, the logistics arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Meanwhile, the successive introduction of supportive policies and deepening technological innovation have also accelerated the rapid growth of unmanned express delivery.

According to statistics, as of Sept. 29 this year, the total revenue of the Chinese express delivery industry exceeded 1 trillion yuan($140 billion), achieving this milestone nearly one and a half months earlier than the previous year.

An official with the State Post Bureau highlighted the rapid advancements in unmanned technology, particularly in autonomous navigation, intelligent control, and obstacle avoidance. These developments, coupled with growing demand, proactive enterprise deployment, and increasing public acceptance, are unlocking significant market potential.