Leads: Hong Kong's South China Morning Post recently published an article saying that under the impetus of Alibaba and Jingdong, the Chinese express industry has developed rapidly. Now, the two e-commerce giants are investing in new logistics technologies and hope to further reduce logistics time.
The following is the full text of the article:
In an open space at the Hangzhou International Expo Center, curious people rushed out of the mobile phone. The objects they shot were the robots who were presenting here. In an area, the robots seemed to have their will and they shuttled around in the open space. They picked up the goods in the sorting area and then reloaded them into collection bags. The collection bags were marked with different places and they would be sent to various receiving locations in China.
This is the annual global smart logistics summit. In another pavilion, several automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) are reminiscent of Roomba's robot vacuum cleaners. These AGVs walk on metal shelves filled with courier boxes. No matter where you look, you can see high-tech logistics technology, from drones that can carry up to a ton of cargo, to drone shopping that can be driven on the street and deliver goods to consumers. car.
These new devices are the latest attempts of Chinese companies in logistics. They hope that in this way, express delivery can be made more efficient, whether it is at a sorting center where a large number of parcels are gathered or before the parcels are sent to consumers. The last kilometer ', these robots can play an important role.
Although the timeliness of express delivery has been greatly improved in the past few years, Alibaba founder and chairman of the board of directors Ma Yun still has a more ambitious goal. He wants his logistics department to complete the international package within 72 hours. Distribution. In order to accomplish this goal, he has prepared to invest more than 100 billion yuan.
In the past few years, thanks to the rapid development of e-commerce, China’s express delivery industry has also experienced rapid development. In China today, about 130 million packages are delivered to consumers every day. Ma Yun said that China’s express delivery The number ranks first among all countries in the world.
Ma Yun
The surge in business has also made the founders of Chinese express companies a billionaire. In just 2017, seven Chinese logistics companies completed the listing. Today, Shunfeng, Zhongtong, Shentong, Yuantong, Best, Yunda and Dezhou. The total market value of the state has reached 82 billion US dollars.
How quickly does China's courier service level develop? In many cities, intra-city distribution can usually be completed within one day, and even some provincial courier services can be delivered within one day. Between first-tier cities, such as Shenzhen And Beijing, express delivery between these cities can usually be achieved on the next day.
Earlier this month, at the Global Smart Logistics Summit held in Hangzhou, Ma Yun said: 'Five years ago, the average time for global distribution was approximately 70 days... Nowadays, express delivery time between China and other major countries in the world has already been Reduced to less than 10 days. '
In the revolution of express delivery services, Alibaba and JD.com, China’s largest e-commerce companies, played a huge role. Both companies hope to provide consumers with fast delivery and better services, so they are based on logistics. Large investment in facilities construction.
China's 7 Express Courier Express shipments and market share
Neil Wang, president of Greater China, consultancy Frost & Sullivan, said: 'The development of e-commerce has helped the development of the logistics industry in two aspects. First, it has attracted more companies into the logistics industry. The industry not only increased the number of express delivery companies, but also promoted their service quality. The quality measurement dimensions of express delivery companies included delivery time, on-time delivery rate, and ratio of lost/damaged goods, thereby enhancing the customer's user experience.
He added that a large amount of capital has flooded into China's logistics industry. The modernization of Chinese express delivery companies has been rapidly popularized, and massive amounts of user information and logistics data have been created. These data can be used by enterprises to further improve logistics and Supply chain efficiency.
Wang Shuquan said: 'The logistics experience is an important part of the online shopping experience. Longer delivery times and frequent delays in distribution, damaged or even lost goods, will allow consumers to abandon online shopping and return to physical stores to buy Things. '
However, Jingdong and Alibaba chose two completely different paths in terms of logistics infrastructure.
Alibaba has always been using a light asset strategy. In 2013, the company set up its own rookie logistics department. This department cooperated with other express companies to create an open source, standardized logistics service. Jingdong decided to create a With its own logistics network, it has built a large number of warehouses, conducted large-scale distribution personnel recruitment, and provided distribution services to all Chinese consumers. Their practice is very similar to that of US-based company Amazon.
Two different approaches reflect the respective business models of the two companies. Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms include Taobao and Tmall, both of which are online platforms for third-party merchants. Jingdong’s At that time, the business model was self-purchasing and self-selling, and it sold its products directly to consumers. Although Jingdong had previously introduced third-party sellers on its platform, sales of self-operated products still accounted for the company’s overall business. A majority.
Alibaba's rookie has already reached cooperation with 15 major Chinese express delivery companies. At the international level, they also have tens of thousands of other express delivery partners. All of these express delivery companies can use the rookie data platform. The data provided can help express companies forecast delivery volumes, especially during peak periods, such as before and after the Singles.
The company said that the rookie has helped a number of express companies to standardize electronic bills. The advantage of this bill is that the rookie courier partners can manage and track all express delivery sent by rookie on a single platform. Also, With rookie platforms that have access to Taobao and Tmall, merchants can choose the best path and their preferred courier company, so rookies can increase the efficiency of distribution and bring more orders to the courier company.
However, in recent years, the rookie has also begun to invest in physical logistics infrastructure construction and innovation. At this summit held in Hangzhou, Ma Yun reiterated that the rookie will not run its own logistics business, but they will invest the funds in Those things that their partners are unable or unwilling to do.
PwC's China Digital Strategy Director Tom Birtwhistle said: 'China has huge opportunities in e-commerce, which means companies must be willing to invest in this network. In China, express companies The operating costs are relatively low, as many 'last mile' deliveries are done by humans riding electric vehicles... In terms of labor costs, the obstacles faced by Chinese express companies are not as high as those of European and North American companies. . '
In September last year, Alibaba took control of the controlling stake in the rookie. After that, Alibaba said that they will invest 100 billion yuan to create an efficient logistics network. Their goal is to complete domestic 24-hour delivery and international 72-hour delivery. Delivery.
As part of the increase in distribution efficiency, the rookie has invested heavily in technology development and has reached a cooperative relationship with companies such as fast warehouses and deployed many automated guided vehicles that can draw half a ton of cargo from the shelves.
The rookie also entered into a cooperation with the state-owned automaker, FAW, and the two parties will jointly develop a driverless truck for long-distance delivery. In addition, the rookie and the unmanned technology company Sagitar will create a hand in hand. The two sides will create a name called Little G. Plus' unmanned logistics vehicle, this is the first driverless vehicle to use MEMS solid-state Lidar technology.
The MEMS solid-state lidar used by Sagitar Polytronics is equipped with a mirror that is only a few millimeters wide. It can emit laser beams in multiple directions and scan the surrounding environment quickly, enabling driverless cars to See 'Pedestrians around, road signs and potential obstacles.
Since no moving parts are used, such as the rotating mirrors commonly found in conventional lidars, MEMS solid-state lidar sensor technology may reduce the cost of lidar detectors in driverless cars. These rotations in lidars The mirror must send the laser beam to the environment.
Zhang Chunhui, the rookie ET logistics laboratory leader, said in a visit: 'MEMS will reduce the cost of the sensor by about two-thirds, which makes it can be used on a large scale in driverless vehicles.'
He also revealed that the Little G Plus vehicle is currently being tested on the street. The speed of this vehicle is 15 km/h, which is a very reasonable speed - neither too fast (not to pedestrians and vehicles It is not too slow.
In addition, the rookie also cooperated with Beihang’s intelligent unmanned aerial system. This is a company born in Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The two parties will jointly develop express drones. This drone may become the largest in the world. The civilian drones help logistics companies distribute goods in remote areas of China. The drone has a wingspan of nearly 20 meters and can fly 1,500 kilometers. It will be able to carry up to one ton of cargo.
In addition to Alibaba, JD.com has also invested heavily in logistics technology. In May this year, the company released their unmanned truck technology, which was developed by the company’s research center in the United States. The truck has reached Level 4 unmanned technology. The so-called Level 4 unmanned driving means that the vehicle can handle all driving functions without human intervention and can guarantee safety.
Xiao Jun, president of Jingdong X Division, said at a media conference last month that the truck is capable of unmanned work on public roads, but it still needs to learn how to read traffic lights. Xiao Jun said: 'If our Technology can only reduce the number of drivers needed for a truck from three to two people or one person. This technology is of little value. We want to develop a truck that does not require manpower at all.'
Like the rookie, Beijing-based JD.com has also developed a small, driverless delivery vehicle that is currently being tested on some university campuses in Beijing. In addition, JD.com is also trying to send drones in remote areas. 3. They opened a distribution drone operation and dispatching center in Suqian, Jiangsu Province.
Jingdong said that the company currently has 500 warehouses and nearly 7,000 sorting centers, which allows 90% of their orders to be shipped on the same day or the next day.
The innovation competition between the two companies is not limited to picking and distribution. JD.com and Alibaba.com are also focused on improving the user's experience by providing consumers with convenience in various ways and enabling them to perform at any time of the day. Receiving goods, and increasing the number of goods that can be delivered by the delivery staff for a single attendance.
At present, there are many companies in China that are operating smart express counter services. These companies have placed a large number of courier counters in their homes. Distribution staff can place the things they buy in these express counters, and then the express counters give consumers Send a text message with a picking code. Consumers can pick up the goods in the courier at any convenient time. This new delivery method eliminates the need for delivery personnel to negotiate delivery times with consumers.
China Post is one of the many companies that are operating this business. The company said that they have placed more than 90,000 functional courier counters in more than 80 cities. Fengchao is another smart express cabinet company. The company said that At present they have 'delivered' 7% of all express delivery in China.
In this summit held in Hangzhou, the rookie also released a device called the rookie smart express delivery tower. Consumers can install this equipment outside the home door. This kind of express delivery tower can be expanded vertically to accommodate larger packages. In addition, it can adjust the internal temperature, so that it can be used to store goods with higher temperature requirements, such as pizza and other foods. In addition, the express tower also has a face recognition function, to ensure that only the consumer can open it , To ensure the safety of the goods. The company said that many consumers who love to eat pizza have an interest in this device, although this device is currently not officially listed.
Although both Alibaba and Jingdong have invested heavily in logistics infrastructure, China Express still lags behind many other countries in terms of express delivery quality. In 2016, the World Bank’s logistics performance rankings ranked China’s 27, behind China Taiwan (25th), South Korea (24th), Japan (12th) and China Hong Kong (9th). This list is based on each market's logistics environment, core logistics process, industry management and distribution Data such as time and price ranked all markets.
Ma Yun said in Hangzhou that rookie hopes to reduce the cost of logistics in China's GDP to 5%, and the current logistics cost accounts for about 15% of GDP.
PwC's Betwitz Chart said: 'China is a very attractive market, companies are willing to build large-scale supply chain solutions here. But many companies have made a mistake and they believe that because China has experienced an electronic Business growth miracles, so they think the same thing will happen in Southeast Asia and India market, but the real situation is that the penetration rate in these areas is still very low. If you do not have a national or overseas supply chain network, then you can not Serve most people in this market. '
According to Betwists, Southeast Asia is also a very fragmented market. There are numerous islands here and the level of urbanization is not high, so it is very difficult to build an efficient logistics network here. Alibaba et al. Enterprises have already seen the potential of e-commerce in Southeast Asia. They have already reached cooperation in countries such as Malaysia and Thailand. Both sides have established electronic free trade zones and have invested in some local logistics companies, such as the Singapore postal service company Singpost. .
Betteves diagramed: 'In the supply chain, you need to invest before demand arises.'