Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

newsworthy

JD Logistics continues last-mile deliveries in China's virus zone

E-commerce marketplace protects carriers with hygiene supplies, scrubs DCs with disinfectant.

JD Logistics continues last-mile deliveries in China's virus zone

In an effort to provide last-mile logistics service in the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, JD Logistics—the e-commerce marketplace arm of Chinese retail giant JD.com—is continuing operations in the quarantined city of Wuhan, the company said today.

It will support those operations by issuing hygiene supplies to delivery workers, disinfecting its trucks and warehouses, and offering favorable payment and insurance terms for merchants shipping inventory on its platform that are located within the affected Hubei Province, the company said.


First reported in late January during the country's Lunar New Year celebration, coronavirus was likely sparked by an infection that jumped from animals to humans in Wuhan's wild food markets. Since then, the pneumonia-like bug has killed hundreds of people, sickened thousands, and lead to widespread closures of travel lanes, airplane flights, containerships, and other business. Business are now bracing for supply chain disruptions that could last from three to six months, conditions similar to what businesses saw in the wake of 2009's swine flu outbreak, experts say.

Despite the travel bans and quarantines imposed to slow the spread of the virus, JD Logistics first opened a dedicated channel on Jan. 25 to funnel relief materials from across the country to assist Wuhan, the company said. By Feb. 2, JD Logistics had received a total of 600 requests to transport donated materials from public welfare organizations, enterprises, and institutions. To date, the company has delivered more than 2.36 million units of medical and epidemic prevention supplies, including masks, medical gloves, goggles, and disinfectants, to major hospitals in Wuhan, Huanggang, and other places in Hubei Province, JD Logistics said.

Continuing to run last-mile distribution operations in those conditions raises extra challenges, so JD Logistics has allocated emergency materials for epidemic prevention—such as masks, thermometers, protective glasses and clothing, and disinfectant—to protect its employees "fighting on the frontlines," the company said. JD has also provided those "frontline" employees with a supplemental coronavirus insurance plan, on top of their existing benefits.

The company has also deployed emergency plans to cleanse its physical fleets and facilities, and is now undergoing regular disinfection of its warehouses, delivery stations, and vehicles.

For merchants selling inventory through JD Logistics' online marketplace, the company has offered special financial terms to companies located in Hubei Province. For those firms, JD will waive one month of fees, provide maximum insurance premiums, and support one month of free operations.

Finally, the company says it is supporting the general public by offering free online doctor consultations for people who suffer from coronavirus symptoms, opening a hotline for people who need psychological support, and hosting free, educational live-streams by respiratory and infectious disease experts and academics.

The Latest

More Stories

autonomous tugger vehicle

Cyngn delivers autonomous tuggers to wheel maker COATS

Autonomous forklift maker Cyngn is deploying its DriveMod Tugger model at COATS Company, the largest full-line wheel service equipment manufacturer in North America, the companies said today.

The deal was announced the same week that California-based Cyngn said it had raised $33 million in funding through a stock sale.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

photo of self driving forklift
Lift Trucks, Personnel & Burden Carriers

Cyngn gains $33 million for its self-driving forklifts

Study: Industry workers bypass essential processes amid mounting stress

Study: Industry workers bypass essential processes amid mounting stress

Manufacturing and logistics workers are raising a red flag over workplace quality issues according to industry research released this week.

A comparative study of more than 4,000 workers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that manufacturing and logistics workers say they have seen colleagues reduce the quality of their work and not follow processes in the workplace over the past year, with rates exceeding the overall average by 11% and 8%, respectively.

Keep ReadingShow less
photo of a cargo ship cruising

Project44 tallies supply chain impacts of a turbulent 2024

Following a year in which global logistics networks were buffeted by labor strikes, natural disasters, regional political violence, and economic turbulence, the supply chain visibility provider Project44 has compiled the impact of each of those events in a new study.

The “2024 Year in Review” report lists the various transportation delays, freight volume restrictions, and infrastructure repair costs of a long string of events. Those disruptions include labor strikes at Canadian ports and postal sites, the U.S. East and Gulf coast port strike; hurricanes Helene, Francine, and Milton; the Francis Scott key Bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor; the CrowdStrike cyber attack; and Red Sea missile attacks on passing cargo ships.

Keep ReadingShow less
diagram of transportation modes

Shippeo gains $30 million backing for its transportation visibility platform

The French transportation visibility provider Shippeo today said it has raised $30 million in financial backing, saying the money will support its accelerated expansion across North America and APAC, while driving enhancements to its “Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platform” product.

The funding round was led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, with participation from existing investors: Battery Ventures, Partech, NGP Capital, Bpifrance Digital Venture, LFX Venture Partners, Shift4Good and Yamaha Motor Ventures. With this round, Shippeo’s total funding exceeds $140 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cover image for the white paper, "The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: expectations for 2025."

CSCMP releases new white paper looking at potential supply chain impact of incoming Trump administration

Donald Trump has been clear that he plans to hit the ground running after his inauguration on January 20, launching ambitious plans that could have significant repercussions for global supply chains.

With a new white paper—"The threat of resiliency and sustainability in global supply chain management: Expectations for 2025”—the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) seeks to provide some guidance on what companies can expect for the first year of the second Trump Administration.

Keep ReadingShow less