Logistics industry upgrading for the future
The State Post Bureau said 40 billion parcels were delivered in China in the first five months of the year.
The logistics industry is upgrading in the face of new digital retail operation models and the adoption of smart devices will pick up rapidly in the coming years, according to industry executives.
There were 40 billion parcels delivered in China in the first five months of the year, according to the State Post Bureau. Last year, the total was 83 billion following a 31-percent rise from the year before.
Zhang Yansheng, chief researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, expects retailers and manufacturers to shift to more tailor-made products to cater to demand in various regions and supply chains will be crucial to reaching booming consumer markets.
He expects global trade to return to pre-pandemic levels in about two years, with a recovery rate faster than expected, and new supply chain models are being explored by industry players.
There is also a fast-rising demand for a fulfilment and delivery network in lower-tier cities and county-level markets, according to Daniel Zhang, Alibaba's chairman.
Smart logistics networks require the participation of ecosystem partners and the setting up of decentralized collaboration schemes among stakeholders, he told the Global Smart Logistics Summit on Thursday.
Wan Lin, CEO of Cainiao Logistics, said the number of Internet of Things devices deployed in China's logistics industry is the largest sector behind manufacturing,
The e-commerce giant's logistics affiliate will expand deployment of unmanned delivery vehicles with 1,000 additions at domestic university campuses and community neighborhoods this year.
They are currently used at about a dozen college campuses with each delivering a daily average of 500 packages.
