On September 5, at the site of the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as the “Service Trade Fair”), a reporter from Beijing Business Daily found that many logistics companies such as SF Express, Zhongtong, Cainiao, and Shansong gathered together “black technology“. Technological products such as logistics drones in the shape of “Devil Fish”, L4-level self-driving express vehicles, and the “Big Shopkeeper” system that intelligently monitors the whole cycle of express delivery at outlets have been unveiled. It is worth noting that, in addition to reducing costs and increasing efficiency with intelligent technology, saving energy and reducing emissions, enterprises also value the potential of technological levers to leverage market segments, so as to overtake on curves in the fierce competition.
On September 5, when a reporter from Beijing Business Daily visited the booths of several logistics companies, they saw that JD.com, Meituan, and Zhongtong have all come up with unmanned technology products. Although it may seem unremarkable on the outside, it is actually the result of many iterations inside the product. According to the staff of JD.com’s booth, the express car on display is the fifth-generation smart express car independently developed by JD.com.
Compared with the common form of unmanned vehicles, the drones farther away from the daily life scene attracted more curious onlookers. In fact, these seemingly unfamiliar products have been battle-hardened. It is understood that, for example, the logistics drones displayed by SF Express in the shape of “stingray” have safely operated nearly one million sorties in Ganzhou in Jiangxi, western Sichuan, Jinshan in Shanghai, the Greater Bay Area and other places by 2021, and can cope with plains and hills. , plateau mountains, cities and islands and other complex scenes.
And Zhongtong also moved out its self-developed drones and unmanned vehicles. According to the data, the hybrid express UAV exhibited by ZTO can cope with various scenarios such as terminal distribution, rural e-commerce, medical emergency, emergency rescue, etc., and the terminal distribution intelligent unmanned vehicle can carry a weight of 250KG. People and vehicles can also be linked and handed over with smart express cabinets.
In fact, companies are competing for digital and intelligent unmanned products, the core of which is to reduce costs and increase efficiency. The relevant person in charge of Meituan Intelligent Distribution Station told the Beijing Business Daily reporter that through the application of digital and intelligent products in the whole process of goods distribution, enterprises can further break through the limitations of human resources, and at the same time, they can also expand business scenarios and effectively improve the ability of logistics to fulfill contracts .
Customization capabilities to be improved
Enterprises spend a lot of effort in the research and development of intelligent technology, no doubt to see the double growth of efficiency and profitability. For an instant distribution platform that undertakes a large number of orders, the intelligence and flexibility of the scheduling system constitute the lifeline of the enterprise, and it is also a weapon to break the situation in the fierce competition.
“Compared with delivering mobile phones and delivering documents, the former requires security, and the latter requires speed.” Facing differentiated C-side demands, Yu Hongjian, co-founder and CEO of Flash Delivery, said in an interview with a reporter from Beijing Business Daily, “The platform needs to keenly judge the attributes of the delivered items and the needs of the orderer, and then allocate orders based on the experience of different shippers.”
“According to the experience of flash delivery, the delivery of mobile phone orders often requires the delivery staff to have the experience of delivering valuables, while the order to send documents needs to be screened according to the previous delivery time. Fast delivery staff. Therefore, we must Narrow down the filterable scope of each order first, and finally get the order by a few qualified flash couriers through order grabbing or system dispatch.” Yu Hongjian said frankly that although it is difficult to use digital to match differentiated needs, it is still a problem. necessary.
Yu Hongjian believes that the current digital logistics is more about the basic function of order-to-capacity allocation, and the differentiated needs of users have not been met. “It is difficult to accurately meet the different needs of individuals with a general program template. The special needs behind each order generally require customized services, and the service is actually matched by manpower, which is why , efficiency will also be lost,” he explained further.
A technical marathon
What is doubtful is that when companies bet on intelligent technology, they must be engaged in a rally around the effects of talents, funds, policies and other factors. For example, the accelerated promotion of smart express cabinets and unmanned vehicles in recent years is not only affected by the epidemic prevention environment and the penetration of non-contact distribution consumption, but also behind the companies’ plans for future market trends.
“At present, express delivery companies are already facing the problem of shortage of terminal labor. Many outlets cannot recruit young people. This will become more prominent in the future. As the volume of express delivery increases year by year, companies must make plans around the future terminal distribution market.” A senior Express practitioners pointed out to the Beijing Business Daily reporter.
It is understood that in scenarios such as universities, factories, hospitals and ports where the environment is relatively stable, from terminal to trunk and branch transportation, logistics companies have been accelerating the popularization and even normalization of driverless technology for several years. According to public information, there are more than 300 college campuses that have introduced Cainiao unmanned vehicles to deliver express delivery. In addition to developing smart express vehicles, JD.com also exhibited smart retail vehicles for the first time at the 2022 World Robot Conference, using refrigerated retail cabinet technology to cut into the retail scene.
On the one hand, the continuous technological investment of enterprises is to add more weight to building competitiveness, and on the other hand, it is to find the answer to the greening of supply chain logistics. The financial report shows that in the past five years, JD.com has invested nearly 80 billion yuan in technology research and development. In 2017-2021, SF Express’s R&D investment reached 12.5 billion yuan.
At the service trade fair, SF Express demonstrated the achievements of carbon-neutral recycling packaging “Fengduobao π-BOX”, and it is expected that more than 1.2 million such recycling packaging boxes will be put into use by the end of this year. In addition to “reducing carbon” for themselves, many logistics companies have also joined hands with their partners to “slim down”. A reporter from Beijing Business Daily learned that after Cainiao and merchants jointly built a green logistics supply chain, each package can reduce carbon by an average of 180 grams.
“The most important thing in green development is not the level of science and technology, but the attitude and determination of the enterprise.” Yu Hongjian said.
Beijing Business Daily reporter He Qian intern reporter Qiao XinyiReturn to Sohu, see more