Jingdong Stays Ahead Of The Game With New Technology Enabled Logistics Solutions
China’s largest retailer and second largest e-commerce giant Jingdong has put into operation drones and autonomous delivery robots in its renewed effort to revolutionise logistics solutions in China. To find out more about Jingdong and the comprehensive suite of services it provides, you may sign up for economics tuition Singapore with a reputable economics tutor Singapore. Mr Edmund Quek is the best economics tutor Singapore with over 20 years’ experience teaching economics tuition Singapore. Developed by JD X, Jingdong’s very own research and logistics innovation lab, these revolutionary logistics solutions are testament to Jingdong’s unwavering commitment to providing fastest delivery for its customers, even if they live in hard to reach, remote areas.
Wider, Faster And Cheaper
Jingdong first put its self-developed drones to test in 2016 during the Singles Day sales festival, where drones were used to cover four remote areas in the outskirts of Beijing, Jiangsu, Shanxi and Sichuan. Jingdong was the first e-commerce company in the world to apply drone technology to mass commercial use. The launch of drones has opened up a window of new opportunities for Jingdong. It has allowed the company to reach out to a wider base of customers in the rural communities in China who had been underserved by e-commerce companies in the past due to their low accessibility. With guidance from your economics tutor Singapore in your economics tuition Singapore class, discuss the strategic significance of enlarging Jingdong’s customer base to include rural communities.
The drones helped Jingdong overcome the challenge of poor infrastructure in these rural areas. Parcels can now be flown in by drones and delivered to the entrance of these villages for Jingdong’s local dispatch partners to pick up. You may discuss with your economics tutor Singapore in economics tuition Singapore the advantages of economies of scale. When applied in larger scale, the drones will also provide a more cost-effective option for Jingdong to expand its business footprints to cover all rural areas of China without significantly increasing its operational budget.
Contactless And Safe
Following the successful launch of drones, in June 2018, Jingdong released over 20 autonomous delivery robots onto the streets of Beijing. The robots are designed to plan optimal delivery routes, avoid obstacles, and even respond to traffic lights. Navigating a five km radius, they have a loading capacity of 30 packages and a speed limit of 15 km per hour. You may consult your economics tutor Singapore in your economics tuition Singapore class about the pros and cons of delivery robots. Upon arrival at their destinations, a message will be sent to the customers to pick up their parcels, which can be done by facial recognition, passwords or via JD.com’s app. Autonomous robots provide a contactless and hence safe delivery option for Jingdong and its vast customers in China, which is of pivotal importance amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. To find out why, you may approach Mr Edmund Quek, principal economics tutor Singapore of Economics Cafe Learning Centre, the best economics tuition Singapore centre. Two smart delivery stations using autonomous delivery robots were launched by Jingdong in early 2019. If running at their full capacity, the two stations will be able to process and deliver up to 2,000 packages per day.
It is thrilling to see application of cutting-edge technology in our daily lives. However, the reliability and stability of these new logistics solutions have yet to be confirmed. In addition, it remains to be seen whether the relevant authorities in China would be able to support them with clearly spelt out industry standards to ensure safety in transport.
Linda Geng
Economics Tuition Singapore @ Economics Cafe
Principal Economics Tutor: Mr. Edmund Quek