JD.com eyes smarter logistics ecosystem with robots and drones

© Freer Law

Chinese e-tailer JD.com has signed a “strategic partnership” deal with compatriot Siasun Robot & Automation to develop intelligent logistics systems that are expected to incorporate robots, drones and the Internet of Things. While sales at JD.com are soaring, so too are its logistics costs. In its recently released first-quarter results, the company recorded a 68% increase in fulfilment costs, mostly attributed to “the increase in the number of fulfilment employees associated with the expansion of the company’s fulfilment network into ...