Building a modern logistics system into the key tasks of economic work in 2021
High-tech to create smart logistics
China is the world's largest logistics market and one of the most important logistics markets. Its developed logistics industry has surprised the world.
At the Central Economic Work Conference held not long ago, "building a modern logistics system" was included as one of the key tasks of this year's economic work.
The "Recommendations" adopted by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee also proposed: "Accelerate the development of service industries such as R&D and design, modern logistics, and legal services", "Improve comprehensive transportation channels, comprehensive transportation hubs and logistics networks", and "Build a modern logistics system."
Modern logistics system is an important part of modern industrial system.
Relevant experts pointed out: "The level of logistics largely determines the speed and quality of the domestic large cycle, domestic and international dual cycles. The construction of smart logistics is the inevitable way to build a modern logistics system."
In recent years, the intelligent application and technical level in the domestic logistics field have developed rapidly.
At the 2020 Asia International Logistics Technology and Transportation System Exhibition, a large number of domestic "black technology" equipment is displayed intensively, and logistics in the traditional sense is increasingly being replaced by digital logistics and smart logistics.
1. A "business expert" who handles more than 1.5 million express items per day
An express delivery takes only 18 minutes from unloading at the station to sorting and loading, and the probability of error is almost zero.
Such good performance comes from the automatic sorting equipment in SF's Tianjin automatic transfer hub station.
In the past, more than a dozen salesmen were busy in the express mail pile for a day, and they had to scan the code and supply the goods, and they couldn't achieve such a high transmission speed and accuracy.
Nowadays, unmanned and fully automatic sorting operations are basically realized in the hub, and the maximum daily express delivery capacity exceeds 1.5 million pieces.
"Workers must first sharpen their tools if they want to do well."
High-tech technical equipment is an important support for the modern logistics system.
The "New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" issued by the State Council pointed out that it is necessary to accelerate the promotion of intelligent logistics, strengthen the research and development and application of intelligent logistics equipment such as intelligent loading and unloading, sorting and packaging, processing and distribution, and build a deep-sensing intelligent warehousing system to improve warehousing operations Management level and efficiency.
In recent years, with the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data, many logistics "black technologies" have emerged.
At the 2020 Asia International Logistics Technology and Transportation System Exhibition, a large number of domestic "black technology" equipment is displayed in a concentrated manner: intelligent robots pick goods quickly, big data calculate transportation routes, unmanned vehicles, drones, and stair climbers Help deliver items...From warehousing to transportation to end delivery, there are high-tech equipment.
Artificial intelligence is the new engine of modern logistics.
At this exhibition, smart storage equipment demonstrated richer perception capabilities, more precise positioning capabilities, and decision-making capabilities that traditional equipment does not possess.
The world’s first artificial intelligence stacker with stack shape recognition, foreign object detection, and intelligent inventory functions, and a shuttle smart warehousing that can sort goods orders according to the rhythm of production and delivery... These devices are improving the rate of goods in and out The storage capacity also reduces the overall cost of storage.
In the terminal distribution link, automated intelligent equipment such as AGV (unmanned distribution or truck) is gradually popularized.
JD Logistics' intelligent express vehicles rely on L4 level autonomous driving technology and Beidou satellite positioning system to successfully complete the "contactless delivery" task during the epidemic.
Debon Express’s stair climbing machine can not only transport goods on flat ground, but also carry heavy objects up and down the stairs. The climbing speed can reach 39 steps per minute, which greatly reduces the burden of the "courier brother".
The advancement of 5G network construction also provides more possibilities for improving logistics efficiency.
Yu Chengzhi, deputy general manager of China Mobile's government-enterprise division, said that promoting 5G's integration into the traditional logistics industry is a digital, networked, and intelligent upgrade of industrial infrastructure, and an effective measure and important practice to achieve the development of the country's "new infrastructure" strategy.
In June last year, the country’s first full-scenario 5G smart logistics equipment innovation incubation base built by China Mobile was put into operation in the logistics park of Kunming Kunming Shipbuilding Group in Yunnan, achieving 100,000 square meters of 5G network coverage in the east area of Kunming Shipbuilding Industrial Park. Unmanned operation scenario verification of the link.
What superb performance does 5G technology give to logistics equipment?
According to Wang Xianglei, director of Kunming Ship’s Intelligent Software Division, traditional industrial wireless application scenarios mostly adopt wireless WIFI, infrared communication, etc., which require high installation accuracy and operating environment, and the wireless signal stability is poor, which cannot meet the requirements of flexible production of enterprises. demand.
The 5G network is a more efficient and smooth transmission channel, which can effectively avoid production downtime and quality loss caused by control delays.
For example, Wang Xianglei said: "The roadway stacker is mainly used to store and retrieve production materials on the elevated warehouse, and it has to move in the roadway that is tens to hundreds of meters long. In the past, the equipment used infrared communication for data return. But in reality During use, infrared communication will cause unstable communication due to equipment vibration, workshop dust, etc. Now we directly connect the controller of the stacker to the 5G terminal, and communicate with the logistics dispatch platform through the 5G network, replacing the original The infrared communication scheme makes the stacker operate more smoothly."
2. From "people looking for goods" in the past to "goods looking for people" now
"Dingdong, Dingdong, Dingdong..." At 2 pm on December 29, 2020, in the Lenghuang apparel e-commerce enterprise in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, there were prosperous prompts and keyboard tapping sounds one after another.
Hundreds of express orders have been packed and will be sent to express outlets.
In Yiwu, a city known as "the world's largest small commodity distribution center", tens of millions of domestic express parcels are sent out every day on average.
In the Yiwu Express Park, Zhejiang Province, facing the massive workload, the staff were calm. Behind them, various automated sorting and transmission equipment were operating at high speed in an orderly manner, greatly reducing the timeliness of express shipments and enabling express companies to achieve all-weather and multi-frequency operations. Receiving, the fastest delivery can be achieved within 1 hour.
With the digitalization of warehousing and logistics, modern "warehousing" is no longer a "warehouse" in the traditional sense, but a process that can provide more refined services and resources.
The application of electronic form, big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc. has promoted the emergence of more and more smart warehouses, digital warehouses and smart logistics parks.
The last minute is still the payer, and the next minute is the receiver.
This is the consumer experience brought about by the trend of intelligent and digital warehousing.
Data shows that on the day of Double 11 in 2020, the 12 o'clock shipment volume of more than ten "super cloud warehouses" nationwide by Suning Logistics has exceeded the entire day of 2019, and the volume of three-party business orders undertaken increased by 107% year-on-year.
In June 2020, the Suning Logistics digital twin system was launched in Nanjing's large-size logistics warehouse. Technical personnel set condition parameters in the system, and the system can automatically output the warehouse's optimal operation plan, so that the warehouse's incoming and outgoing efficiency will increase by 30%.
In fact, in an environment of increasingly fierce competition in the e-commerce market, major e-commerce companies have accelerated their logistics intelligent layout.
On the storage side, Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd., jointly established by Alibaba, SF Express, and Shentong, has invested in the world's largest intelligent storage system in 2019.
Among them, the new generation smart warehouse in Wuxi is the first domestic logistics park to apply the overall solution of the Internet of Things.
Under the dispatch of artificial intelligence, over a thousand different types of automation equipment in the park work together to process massive packages around the clock.
On the storage side, the intelligent three-dimensional warehouse has a larger capacity than the traditional storage area; in the picking process, nearly 1,000 unmanned handling robots automatically go to the warehouse area to find the goods to be picked, and move the shelves carrying the goods to the picking work The platform reduces the walking distance of picking operators, and realizes the "people looking for goods" from the past to the current "goods looking for people".
In the distribution link, the intelligent cross-distribution equipment automatically completes the distribution of packages to different express stations. The whole set of equipment has a total of 144 slides, which are distributed to different express stations, eliminating the need for manual distribution.
"We have independently developed a set of supply chain management system that allows robots to complete operations in the warehouse area through sophisticated algorithms. They can take orders independently, plan the optimal path between the goods and the picking station, and avoid each other during operation. , There will be no conflicts and collisions.” said Yao Xinyu, manager of the public relations department of the supply chain of the Cainiao Wuxi Future Park, “the current storage area of the warehouse is 3-4 times that of the traditional logistics warehouse, and the operation of the entire logistics warehouse is reduced by half. With the above manpower, the efficiency of picking is three times higher than that of manual mode, and the management pressure and difficulty are also lower."
3. Zhiyun Express Line ensures immediate delivery of fresh fruits
Compared with the well-developed logistics network in big cities, rural areas have problems such as high delivery costs and long time due to remote geographical location and other reasons.
To build a modern logistics system, the "last mile" of rural logistics must be opened up.
Hezi Town, Anyuan County, Jiangxi Province is rich in navel oranges.
In the past, villagers sold navel oranges mainly through purchasers. Due to the inconvenient transportation in mountainous areas and the difficulty of storing agricultural products, the annual sales volume was not ideal.
In recent years, the rapid development of e-commerce has provided a way for local sales.
But how to quickly deliver navel oranges to consumers at a lower cost is still a problem.
The same problem also exists in Xin'an Town, Huazhou City, Guangdong Province.
On the one hand, the local agricultural products cannot be easily shipped out; on the other hand, the villagers bought things online but could not be delivered to the village, so they had to travel far to the town to get them.
This situation will finally be resolved in April 2020.
On April 15, an unmanned, lightweight transportation network named "Intelligent Transport Express" was officially put into operation in Xin'an Town.
From the appearance, the Zhiyun Express Line is a bit like a mini low-altitude cable car: two two-way steel cables form a "low-altitude high-speed track" on which shuttle robots move quickly.
Each robot carries a transport box with a load of 100 kilograms. Under the control of the cloud system, the express delivery will be transported from the town-level base station to the village-level base station. The whole journey takes only ten minutes.
After the first line landed in Xin'an Town, in December 2020, the Zhiyun Express Line network in Hezi Town, Anyuan County was also put into trial operation.
In the past, the navel oranges in the village were ripe, and they had to wait for the purchaser to get a truck together before they could be shipped out.
Nowadays, fruit growers receive orders of ten catties, eight catties or even one catty, and they can pick them immediately and deliver them through the Zhiyun Express Line.
Zhiyun Express belongs to the world's first technology, and the research and development party is a private technology and innovation enterprise in Guangdong-China Insurance Stone Group.
Guo Xiaolong, CEO of the group, said that the construction of the Zhiyun Express Line takes the county as a unit and builds a three-level network of "county-town-village" to provide an effective supplement and extension to the traditional logistics network.
“We are building a comprehensive industrial park (general warehouse) of the Zhiyun Express Line in the suburbs of the county, building logistics base stations in towns, and establishing sending and receiving points in the administrative villages. The stations are connected by the Zhiyun Express line by ropeway. The goods can be delivered within one hour within the county. Outside the county, we have signed an all-weather business partner agreement with SF Express, which can be shipped nationwide through SF Express."
At present, Anyuan County plans to build a county-level intelligent distribution warehouse, 18 township (town) intelligent distribution warehouses, 102 village-level base stations, and the entire Zhiyun Express line is about 360 kilometers in length.
“The shuttle robot has its own power and has extremely low energy consumption. It only costs 3-5 yuan in electricity to carry 100 kilograms of goods for 100 kilometers.” Li Shuzhong, technical director of the county’s Zhiyun Express project engineering department, said, “The entire Zhiyun Express network Equipped with a central control system, superimposed on cutting-edge technologies such as big data, cloud computing, Beidou navigation, etc., it can grasp the state and position of the shuttle robot in real time. For the state of the shuttle robot, the system can monitor the whole process, such as insufficient power, excessive wind, etc. Early warning is provided to avoid the occurrence of general failures. Once a mechanical failure occurs, the monitoring system will immediately receive information, and dispatch a wrecking robot or staff nearby to investigate.” Li Shuzhong also said that because the Zhiyun Express line has a mesh layout, one A line failure will not affect the operation of other lines. The shuttle robot will be arranged by the system to take a backup route. Generally, the entire network will not be paralyzed.
The author has learned that, in addition to the Zhiyun Express, express delivery companies such as JD.com and SF Express also use drones in rural agricultural transportation, effectively solving the problem of difficult land transportation in mountainous areas.
(Wang Yahui)