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.”
Apr 25, 2024|
JD Logistics and MINISO Announce Expanded Partnership to Enhance Logistics Efficiency
JD Logistics (also known as JINGDONG Logistics), a leading global logistics provider, recently announced the expansion of its partnership with MINISO, the renowned household and consumer goods retailer. This collaboration, which began in 2022 with operations in Australia, now extends to MINISO’s network in Malaysia.
JD Logistics’ robust global supply chain infrastructure includes nearly 90 bonded, direct mail, and overseas warehouses across key markets such as the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Committed to replicating its proven supply chain management expertise from China in international markets, JD Logistics provides extensive support to a broad spectrum of clients, including international enterprises and Chinese brands expanding overseas.
MINISO’s diverse product range and rapid restocking requirements, combined with its strategic store locations in bustling commercial areas, present unique logistical challenges. These include critical delivery lead times and the need for off-hours operations to ensure uninterrupted customer experiences. JD Logistics has effectively met these demands through reliable and adaptable warehousing and fulfillment service solutions.
Notably, the trust built with MINISO has led some store managers to entrust their store keys to JD Logistics’ drivers to facilitate smooth and timely deliveries. Among them is JD Logistics driver Nick Yang, responsible for delivering goods to all MINISO stores in Sydney. Yang’s daily schedule involves commuting between JD Logistics’ warehouse and approximately 10 MINISO outlets throughout the city.
Over the next three years, JD Logistics will continue to develop its comprehensive global supply chain logistics network, which integrates overseas warehouses, international transshipment hubs, local distribution networks, and transnational transportation networks.
This partnership is not only a testament to JD Logistics’ proven expertise and global operational capabilities but also underscores the commitment of both companies to foster innovation in supply chain management for retail operations worldwide.
Apr 18, 2024|
JD.com Awarded 2024 INFORMS Prize for Excellence in Operations Research and Analytics
JD.com is honored to announce that it has been awarded the 2024 INFORMS Prize. This recognition makes JD.com the first Asia-based enterprise to receive the award, highlighting its pioneering use of advanced analytics and operations research/management sciences (OR/MS) within its business operations.
The INFORMS Prize is awarded an organization that has repeatedly applied the principles of advanced analytics and OR/MS in pioneering, varied, novel, and lasting ways. Previous recipients include Walmart, Wayfair, Amazon, UPS, Booz Allen Hamilton, BNSF Railway, Walt Disney Company, U.S. Air Force, General Motors, Intel, HP, IBM, Ford, Procter & Gamble and GE Research.
Speaking on behalf of the selection committee, Mehmet Gumus, 2024 INFORMS Prize committee chair, remarked: “JD.com is showcasing data science as a source of business success and a necessary element to achieve customer satisfaction with continuous and dedicated practice. JD.com is truly deserving of this prestigious prize, and the entire O.R. and analytics community joins INFORMS in thanking them for their priceless contributions to the field and the business world.”
JD.com’s commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and customer service through OR/MS has been integral to its success. The company has developed an independently managed intelligent supply chain system that utilizes cutting-edge operations research algorithms to optimize warehouse management and logistics operations. This includes the operation of hundreds of intelligent warehouses and dozens of “Asia No. 1” intelligent logistics parks.
“We are honored to accept the INFORMS Prize and will continue to be steadfast in our dedication to leveraging the transformative potential of operations research,” said Sandy Xu, CEO of JD.com. “Our company’s supply chain not only aims to lead the industry, but also enhance the efficiency and well-being of our entire ecosystem.”
By the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, JD’s supply chain infrastructure assets had grown to RMB 153.8 billion, an increase of 16% year-on-year. Managing over 10 million self-operated SKUs, JD has achieved a global leading average inventory turnover of 30.3 days. This operational prowess enables JD to fulfill 95% of retail orders within 24 hours, significantly enhancing customer satisfaction and setting new standards in the industry.
JDer Lab #8 with Jeff Chai: Embracing Changes and Challenges
