On 8 September 2020, China’s National Development and Reform Commission published a plan for closer integration and innovation between logistics and manufacturing. It set out ambitions for logistics to contribute more to cost efficiency, supply-chain coordination and manufacturing development by 2025, with increased use of logistics robots, intelligent warehousing and automated sorting.
As equipment and staffing improvements reach their limits, intelligent logistics offers another route to operational efficiency. The historical article describes logistics as a company’s “third source of profit”. It cites examples of automated storage using over 70% less land and over 80% less labour for equivalent storage capacity, while releasing people from repetitive heavy handling. Actual benefits depend on the warehouse and workflow.
At the time of publication, Hefei Xiaopeng Information Technology’s business covered automated warehouse construction, AGVs, visual warehouse-management software and intelligent factory solutions. Applications included enterprise warehouses, military equipment management, hospital medicine storage and logistics handling.
High-bay storage, computer control and QR-code identification support inventory information and first-in, first-out management. The article describes configurable load capacity and ±5 mm fork and horizontal-travel positioning for the equipment discussed, with the aim of reducing receiving and dispatch errors and improving operating efficiency.
