Sinotrans “Smart Logistics” Delegation Visited VisionNav Robotics to Accelerate Corporation for New Projects

Sinotrans "Smart Logistics" Delegation Visited VisionNav Robotics to Accelerate Corporation for New Projects

   On September 5, 2019, Sinotrans "Smart Logistics" team visited VisionNav Robotics. They had detail technical communications with Dr. Li Luyang, CEO of VisionNav Robotics, about the upcoming automated warehousing project. Mr. Mo Haiyang, Assistant General Manager of VisionNav Robotics, also introduced their unmanned warehouse and latest technological achievements. In addition, both parties discussed in-depth on topics such as smart logistics, advantages and disadvantages of warehouse robots, project implementation experience, and so on.

Li Luyang introducing unmanned transportation roadmap to Sinotrans team

Sinotrans Smart Logistics Embraces New Changes as Logistics Giants Are All in transition

As China pursuing supply-side reform, and recent breakthrough and application of artificial intelligence, big data, LOT and 5G technology, all levels of the society have undergone profound changes, therefore the development of logistics industry is also facing an important inflection point. With the rapid development of cross-border logistics, e-commerce and mega-cities, large numbers of 3^rd party logistics, industrial logistics and ecommerce logistics start to focus on warehousing logistics, creating a new pattern for logistics industry.

• In 2014, JD.com started to build Asia No.1.
• In 2016 May, JD-X established.
• In 2017 May, Cainiao Network proposed to set up Smart Logistics Park in Yuhang
• In 2018 February, the Central Bureau of Beijing Post Area released intelligent transportation robot project for testing in public.
• In 2018 March, SF Express obtained the pilot license of drone operation.
• In 2018 Deppon Express planed to invest AGVs in its distribution center in Pudong on a trail basis.
• ……

As CMG’s unified logistics operation platform and brand, since its third strategic transformation, Sinotrans has always taken the goal of “building a world-class smart logistics platform enterprise” as its development goal. With the help of total digitalization, it completes the transformation of logistics providers and integrators to logistics platform providers by comprehensively reconstructing its operation, business and organization models. And the first step of such transformation is to reduce labor and increase logistics value and efficiency with mechanized, automated, unmanned equipment, as well as informationalized, digitized, intelligentized applications.

TOP10 Chinese Logistics Enterprises

2016 Ranking		2018 Ranking
Rank	Enterprise	Rank	Enterprise
1	Sinotrans	1	Sinotrans
2	Cosco Shipping Logistics	2	Cosco Shipping Logistics
3	SF Express	3	SF Express
4	CNPC Transportation	4	CNPC Transportation
5	Yuan Cheng Logistics	5	Yuan Cheng Logistics
6	Deppon Logistics	6	YTO Express
7	Fujian Provincial Communication Transportation	7	Deppon Logistics
8	YTO Express	8	JD.com Logistics)
9	JCtrans Logistics Group	9	JCtrans Logistics Group
10	Jizhong Energy Group International Logistics	10	Jizhong Energy Group International Logistics

Data sources: CCTA

Figure: The key of Sinotrans' "build to last" strategy is timely industry transform.

"The reason why we only work on unmanned forklifts and persist in this field for three years," Li Luyang introduced, is because VisionNav Robotics team knows that the landing of any material handling robots requires the support of massive data, including technical and industry recognition ability from a large number of scenarios. "We hope that being integrated can help to land scenarios faster, and we complete product iterative upgrade through digitalization." This is just align with the concept of digitalization proposed in smart logistics 3.0 by Sinotrans. VisionNav Robotics is willing to deepen "Smart Logistics" with Sinotrans to achieve greater cost reduction and increasing efficiency.

Material Handling Robots Seamlessly Apply in Modern Logistics? Peak Efficiency vs. Absolute Efficiency

In the field of logistics, the construction of warehousing platform is crucial to logistics costs. By the end of 2017, the area of commercial (room temperature) warehouses in China reached 1.038 billion square meters, 4% increase from a year earlier. Among them, stereoscopic warehouses accounted for 26.4%, single warehouses for 58%, and multistoried storehouses for 15.6%.

After a round of "enclosure" expansion, warehouse automation has become a basic requirement of modern logistics. AGV (automatic guided vehicle), automated shelving, picking robot, automatic identification, automatic sorting and other related devices have become standard configuration in a warehouse. However, unless there is further breakthrough in visual identification, artificial intelligence and LOT, the efficiency of robot operations is still lower than human operation. It is true that storage automation has made great process in informatization, but transferring and storage is still the short board. The huge difference between input and output discourage many enterprises to use material handling robots.

"Although robots cannot reach the same peak efficiency as human, they have always maintained its peak efficiency." Luyang Li said. To seamlessly integrate material handling robots into the modern logistics industry requires process optimization, which can reduce the occurrence of bursting problems that affect robot operation.

Technology Landing Requires the Focus on End-User Requirement and Scenario Analysis in Depth

"We have a lot in common", Mr. Gao, Head of Logistics Automation Contractor at Sinotrans South China headquarter, said with emotion during the discussion about project landing plan,. Sinotrans's upcoming automated warehousing project covers more than 20,000 square meters. It will be mainly used to serve industrial supply chain warehousing and logistics business. The plan is to use automated warehousing facilities covering the entire production line. VisionNav robot unmanned forklifts will act as "blood" circulation inside the warehouse. And it will also be a challenge for VisionNav Robotics to stack cages up to 9 meters. It will be the first application in the industry as well.

"Our interaction with customers is more like 'answering questions'. Because there are diverse scenarios in AGV downstream industry, it is very difficult to use a fixed product to meet actual requirement of different customer. We don’t produce forklift vehicle, instead we put more technical resources to better solve problems for our customers". So far, VisionNav Robotics can provide unmanned upgrade transformation to forklift from different brands, including main products from Linde, Nichiyu, Crown, Hangcha, Heli, Rebot, etc. With accumulated project experience in different scenarios, VisionNav Robotics has already realized multiple applications of warehousing logistics and production logistics  with different technologies, for example material transfer between production lines, from production line to warehouse, storage into high level, multi-layer stacking, etc.

Mr. Mo Haiyang also invited the delegation to visit VisionNav Robotics’ unmanned warehouse to understand our newly-developed multilayer cages stacking application. With a deep understanding of user scenarios, spatial perception and safety protection capability have been enhanced based on previous project experience. Forklift AGV now can stack and place cages very precisely for high-level position. Such breakthrough will help VisionNav Robotics further expand their application in a larger scope and depth.

Forklift AGVs for multilayer cages stacking

Mo Haiyang introducing their perception technology on the forklift AGV

Sinotrans delegates asked about unmanned forklift spatial perception and navigation technology, and expressed their affirmation of the stability and technical level of VisionNav Robotics unmanned forklift. In the end, both parties expressed strong expectations for the cooperation of project establishment. In the field of smart logistics, both parties can communicate in depth, empower each other, and achieve cost reduction during highly efficient operations.

End.