Pod-like autonomous vehicles navigate through underground tunnels or large-diameter pipelines, connecting urban logistics centers with city supermarkets, warehouses, industrial parks, and end stations; delivery pipelines transport packages from underground collection centers to residential buildings and office towers, achieving door-to-door delivery without human intervention...
What will future logistics look like? How will intelligent logistics play a role in the construction of smart cities? On October 18th, at the 2018 Global Intelligent Logistics Summit, attendees witnessed possibilities that go beyond imagination. Today, logistics has transcended the concept of traditional freight transportation. The modern logistics system will become a core strategic resource for the competitiveness of smart cities, activating regional economic development through logistics connections.
At the event, the Urban Intelligent Logistics Research Institute (Xiong'an), jointly initiated by nine organizations including JD Logistics, Nankai University, the Comprehensive Transportation Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Planning and Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing Institute of Material Sciences, Shanghai Maritime University, China Merchants Nanshan Logistics, and the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute, was officially unveiled and established. In the future, JD will contribute to the intelligent construction of Chinese cities by promoting the transformation and implementation of modern logistics technologies through more urban logistics planning and spatial logistics research projects.
Discussing the reasons for establishing the Urban Smart Logistics Research Institute, JD.com told the journalist that there are two backgrounds. One is that intelligent logistics is playing an increasingly important role in urban development, but traditional logistics methods have various issues such as planning discrepancies, low land utilization, occupying public transportation resources, and environmental pollution. The other is the establishment of the Xiong'an New Area, which provides a significant opportunity to explore the future development model of urban logistics.
Under the plan, the City Intelligent Logistics Research Institute (Xiong'an) positions Xiong'an New Area as a global model city for intelligent logistics and a highland for China's logistics innovation. As a new hub for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and a city planned from scratch for innovation, the Institute will operate under the guidance of the Xiong'an New Area Management Committee. It will rely on Xiong'an New Area for the planning of an intelligent logistics hub for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, the top-level design of urban logistics systems, the construction of logistics big data and cloud computing platforms, the exploration and establishment of space logistics systems, and forward-looking research on urban intelligent logistics. The Institute aims to serve the intelligent logistics and smart city development of Xiong'an New Area, providing a model for global urban intelligent logistics and the construction of modern logistics systems.
Academician Chen Xiangsheng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering introduced at the summit that underground logistics is not a fantasy; it was already realized as early as 1927, with postal transport taking place in tunnels in London, England at that time, although the distance was short. "Before entering the venue, I saw a similar future underground intelligent logistics system model from JD.com outside, and it was even better than mine," Chen Xiangsheng said.
It is understood that some developed countries around the world have conducted extensive research and practical work on the feasibility, network planning, and engineering technology of underground logistics systems. Studies show that underground logistics systems not only offer advantages such as speed and high accuracy but also serve as a crucial and effective means to alleviate urban traffic congestion, reduce environmental pollution, and enhance the accessibility and quality of urban freight transportation. They align with the development requirements of a resource-saving society and are an essential choice for urban sustainable development.
JD Logistics states that express delivery has now become one of the "seven daily necessities" for the common people, and for urban development, it is akin to "water, electricity, and gas," serving as a core infrastructure. To some extent, the supply chain is a lifeblood of urban development. Building on over a decade of experience in infrastructure construction and supply chain collaboration, JD Logistics has taken the lead in proposing logistics construction plans such as underground tunnels, and has developed a comprehensive set of logistics solutions for smart city development.
The Xiong'an New Area is a millennium project and a national affair, yet it is also a city planned from scratch, with the research institute's future plans garnering industry attention. Reporters learned that one of the research goals of the institute is to construct a new intelligent integrated urban space logistics distribution system. This system encompasses three aspects: achieving three-dimensionalization at the spatial level by establishing underground logistics centers, underground pipeline transportation, intelligent terminal stations on the ground, and intelligent community distribution; achieving intelligence at the infrastructure level by fully integrating infrastructure such as driverless vehicles, drones, driverless warehouses, and intelligent industrial parks; and achieving interconnectivity at the data level by integrating the logistics data platform into the city's big data, thereby enhancing the city's overall intelligence level.