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How to tackle inefficiencies in China’s US$35 trillion logistics industry - big data, AI, robotics

Leading logistics solutions provider GLP says application of cutting edge technology can improve the efficiency of China’s booming logistics industry

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A package sorting centre in China. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has projected that the proportion of logistics costs to China’s GDP will shrink to about 14 per cent this year. This figure is still larger than the 8 to 9 per cent recorded in developed markets. Photo: China Foto Press
Elaine Chan

The booming Chinese logistics industry is also very inefficient, but this is not an issue technology cannot resolve, according to GLP, one of the world’s largest logistics solutions providers.

China’s 230 trillion yuan (US$35.76 trillion) logistics industry, fraught with wastage and challenged by changing consumption patterns, must adopt cutting edge technology. Although the Chinese Academy of Sciences projected that the proportion of logistics costs to China’s gross domestic product will shrink to about 14 per cent this year, it will still be larger than the 8 to 9 per cent recorded in developed markets.

There is a lot of room for better integrating the use of technology in the logistics industry
Ming Mei, co-founder and CEO, GLP
Putting its money where its mouth is, a 10 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion) private equity fund recently launched by the company is investing in three areas: multimodal solutions that combine water, rail, road and air transport; cold chain logistics for the food sector; and third, smart trucking.
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“Technology is not being deployed in a lot of instances, and its use is very fragmented. There is a lot of room for better integrating the use of technology in the logistics industry,” said Ming Mei, the company’s co-founder and chief executive.

“What we are investing heavily in now is … the multimodal logistics park [concept]. So, basically we are integrating water, rail, motorways and air, based on a customer’s demands.

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A GLP warehouse in Shanghai. Photo: Handout
A GLP warehouse in Shanghai. Photo: Handout
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