Oct 22, 2020|
GSSC Series: JD Announces World’s First Level-4 Autonomous Delivery Vehicle Application at Scale
by Yuchuan Wang
At Global Smart Supply Chain Summit held by JD Logistics on October 22nd, Zhenhui Wang, CEO of JD Logistics, announced that a city-level autonomous delivery robot project is being operated on a daily basis in Changshu, Jiangsu province, a top 5 county-level city by GDP in China. JD plans to put 100 autonomous delivery robots into operations in the city by the end of this year to facilitate Changshu in building smart city.
The robot drives itself, unsupervised, from JD’s delivery station loaded with parcels and plans its own route based on the parcels’ addresses. It will send messages or phone calls to recipients with a verification code so that they can pick up their packages. It waits a certain amount of time at every stop, such as a residential compound or an office building, before moving on to the next stop.
According to the State Post Bureau of China, as of October 18th, China has delivered over 60 billion packages in 2020. Thirty-eight days prior, the number was only 50 billion. Nearly 50% of couriers in China work 10 to 12 hours a day. As the delivery amount skyrockets, automated solutions are considered a viable way to ease the stress of both the industry and couriers.
JD debuted its very first autonomous delivery robot in September 2016. After years of research and iterations, JD Logistics revealed its 4.0 robot last year and became the world’s first company to apply Level-4 autonomous driving technology on public roads without any human interaction. In February this year, this robot was put into use in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, to ensure contactless delivery from delivery station to hospitals and residential compounds. During its 107-day deployment, the robot traveled over 6,800 kilometers and delivered more than 13,000 packages.
The core of JD’s autonomous delivery robots is the autonomous driving system developed in-house and its arithmetic logic unit which has lowered the power consumption to 10% of the industry average, and is equivalent to that of a standard lightbulb.
JD also researched a cloud simulation platform which has accumulated the historical operations data and is able to discern how the robot should behave in numerous traffic scenarios which largely raises the vehicle’s ability to drive safely on open roads.
In addition, JD also launched a delivery robot “adoption plan”. In Changshu, couriers can apply to adopt the delivery robots to facilitate their work. “We expect JD’s delivery robots to largely improve couriers’ working efficiency and enable them to have more time to provide more caring and customized services to consumers, transforming their job from operations to management,” said Qi Kong, Chief Scientist and head of Autonomous Driving at JD Logistics.
Jie Wang is a courier at JD’s Dongnan delivery station in Changshu. He adopted a delivery robot in August. He said that by employing the robot for part of his deliveries his monthly salary increased by over 30% in September alone. “It saved me plenty of time for delivery so that I am now able to put more of my attention on parcel collection,” said Wang.
Jie Wang, JD courier
“We will continue to increase the investment in logistics technology and we will also make logistics technologies available to the general public, facilitating social infrastructure upgrades,” said Zhenhui Wang, CEO of JD Logistics. “In terms of the application of technology, more than 100,000 robots will join our family in the next five years, greatly enhancing the customer experience and alleviating the workloads of our front-line brothers and sisters.”
Nov 7, 2024|
CIIE 2024: JD.com to Expand Imports of Specialty Brands, Strengthen Healthcare Partnerships, and Enhance Logistics
At the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 5, JD Super, the supermarket division of JD.com, announced a major initiative to broaden its selection of imported specialty. Over the next three years, JD Super plans to introduce over 1,000 new international brands to meet the increasing demand for high-quality, diverse imported goods.
Meeting the Growing Demand for Quality Imports
According to JD Worldwide’s “White Paper on 2024 China Cross-Border Consumption Trends,” more than 80% of Chinese consumers are interested in imported products, with many prioritizing authenticity, quality, and fast delivery. In response, JD has significantly expanded its range of international offerings. During the ongoing Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, sales of cross-border products have surged, with more than 600 brands experiencing a sales increase of over 100% compared to last year.
Strengthening High-Quality Food Partnerships
Demonstrating JD.com’s commitment to sourcing high-quality products, JD Super signed a new procurement agreement at CIIE with Huadong Foods and Teys, a major Australian beef brand under Cargill. Under this agreement, JD Super and Huadong Foods will procure $50 million of Teys beef throughout 2025. This partnership underscores JD’s strategy of collaborating with trusted suppliers to provide high-quality, affordable beef to Chinese consumers.
Delivering Authentic Global Goods Efficiently
JD Logistics has built a robust logistics network that spans bonded, direct mail, and overseas warehouses, facilitating fast deliveries of imported items across categories such as electronics, fashion, beauty, food, and baby products. In many major cities, delivery times have been reduced to under 48 hours.
For instance, JD Super’s partnership with Raub of Malaysia enables the import of Musang King durians, which are harvested at peak ripeness and air-shipped with cold chain logistics for delivery within 24 hours. Additionally, JD.com also secured an early supply of Chilean cherries, available since October, which can be delivered in as little as 30 minutes in many areas through JD NOW, its on-demand retail service.
JD.com’s “JD National Pavilions” program, which features over 150 country-themed flagship stores from more than 70 countries and regions, continues to be a cornerstone of its import strategy. Supported by embassies and reputable organizations, this initiative offers Chinese consumers access to premium products and cultural experiences from around the world. In April, JD launched the JD National Pavilion of Mali, introducing popular items like shea butter and garnering over 40,000 followers.
Expanding Healthcare and Logistics Partnerships
JD Health is also making strides at CIIE by strengthening partnerships with leading global healthcare companies, including Merck, Bayer, and Roche. As “China’s premier online health access point,” JD Health is committed to integrating digital and physical healthcare resources to improve access and convenience for patients.
Key collaborations include initiatives with Haleon to promote brain health and anti-aging for the “silver economy,” with MSD China on a digital diabetes management model, and with Teva Pharmaceuticals to provide patient education for conditions such as tardive dyskinesia (TD) and Huntington’s disease (HD).
On the logistics front, JD Logistics announced plans to double its overseas warehouse space by 2025 and expand its network of bonded and direct mail warehouses. JD Express now serves over 60 countries, enhancing cross-border delivery efficiency and supporting both brands and consumers.
Through these efforts, JD.com reaffirms its commitment to sourcing and delivering authentic, high-quality imported products to Chinese consumers, supported by an advanced supply chain that ensures a superior shopping experience.
(vivian.yang@jd.com)
Nov 5, 2024|
JD Logistics Introduces “Zhilang” Intelligent Warehousing Solution at CeMAT Asia 2024
JD Logistics (also known as JINGDONG Logistics) announced today at CeMAT ASIA 2024 its latest Goods-to-Person (GTP) automated warehousing innovation, the “Zhilang” solution. Meaning “Intelligent Wolf”, Zhilang is a proprietary system that improves picking efficiency by over three times compared to traditional methods. This advanced system is already supporting operations during the Singles Day Grand Promotion.
The Zhilang GTP solution combines several technologies, including handling AGVs, lifting robots, and shelving systems, along with automated inbound and picking workstations and an empty tote reflow line. Leveraging warehouse height, Zhilang increases storage density to 2.5 times the industry average for facilities up to 10 meters high.
The system’s modular design enables handling AGVs and lifting robots to operate independently. Powered by JD Logistics’ self-developed “upper tote storage and lower picking scenarios” algorithm and “buffer storage” technology, the network is fully flexible for optimized routing. The high-precision navigation algorithm, dual-direction laser obstacle detection technology, and vision-based verification ensure precise retrieval with minimal error. Additionally, Zhilang’s payback period is 30% shorter than comparable solutions.
Currently, nearly 100 Zhilang AGVs and lifting robots are in operation at an intelligent logistics park in Beijing, handling nearly a million items, from tops to shoes. With a click, pickers receive requested items directly from the robots, enabling a seamless, automated order fulfillment process from inbound to outbound.
JD Logistics continues to advance logistics operations with a wide array of solutions, including the the Tianlang Tote Shuttle GTP system, Dilang AGV GTP system, Four-way Pallet Shuttle Storage system, Auto Remin Wall, and the Aidong mobile data terminal. In terms of software, JD Logistics’ WCS (warehouse control system), WES (warehouse execution system), RMS (robotics management system), 3D SCADA (3D supervisory control and data acquisition), and Lomir intelligent logistics park management platform, are used in over 1,600 JD-operated warehouses and client facilities.
As JD Logistics expands globally, its solutions now serve thousands of corporate clients across dozens of countries and regions, including Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, the United States, and throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
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