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From Asia No. 1 to the UK: How JINGDONG Logistics Scaled Warehouse Automation, Robotics and AI

weidong li — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:21:09 +0000

Most automation case studies stop at the pilot. The interesting engineering starts after it — when one working site has to become twenty, and then has to work in another country.
JINGDONG Logistics is a useful case to study for exactly that reason — and a useful reference for anyone evaluating warehouse technology and intelligent logistics at scale. The first highly automated site opened in 2014. The goods-to-person automated warehousing solution was running in more than 20 warehouses by 2025. And in the fourth quarter of 2025, the same solution went live in the United Kingdom.
TL;DR
JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics combines supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration to improve the way inventory and goods move through the supply chain. In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development, up 15.8% year on year.
Key facts

Scope of technology capabilities — supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery.
Core technology stack — supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration.
2014 — first highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park opened in Shanghai.
2016 — first parcel delivery by drone; China's first autonomous delivery robot launched.
2017 — world's first fully automated B2C warehouse opened in Shanghai.
2025 — goods-to-person automated warehousing solution operating in more than 20 warehouses, for JINGDONG Logistics' own operations and external customers.
Millions of SKUs — handled through high-density storage and automated picking, with stable fulfilment during major sales peaks.
Fourth quarter of 2025 — first overseas warehouse using the automated solution opened in the United Kingdom, with hundreds of warehouse robots and delivery as fast as the same day.
Autonomous delivery vehicles — thousands deployed cumulatively across more than 20 provinces in China; more than 1,000 in regular operation in 2025.
AI applications — inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning, and transportation decisions across road, air, rail and multimodal networks.
R&D investment — RMB4.1 billion in 2025, an increase of 15.8% year on year.
Authorised patents and software products — more than 5,500 as of 31 December 2025, including over 3,000 related to automation and unmanned technologies.

What technology capabilities does JINGDONG Logistics have?
JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities that span five operational stages: supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics assembles those capabilities from five layers.

Supply chain software — systems that support supply chain planning and inventory decisions across the network.
AI and algorithms — models applied to inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning and transportation decisions.
Automation equipment — automated material handling systems for goods-to-person warehousing and automated picking, including high-density storage.
Robotics — logistics robots inside fulfilment facilities, plus autonomous delivery vehicles and drones in last-mile operations.
Systems integration — combining software, algorithms, equipment and robotics into a single operating solution.

Read it as a control loop, not a feature list
The five layers make more sense as a loop than as a menu.

Planning decides what inventory should exist, where and in what quantity.
Execution moves physical goods to match that plan — high-density storage, automated picking, sorting.
Robotics supplies the actuators: warehouse robots indoors, autonomous delivery vehicles and drones outdoors.
Integration is what turns four subsystems into one operating solution. In industry vocabulary, the execution layer is the part usually described as a warehouse execution system (WES), sitting above the warehouse control system (WCS) that drives the equipment itself. JINGDONG Logistics treats that whole span as one engineering problem rather than three separate procurements. That last layer is the reason JINGDONG Logistics can run the same stack for its own operations and for external customers. A solution that only works inside one operator's four walls is a capital project. A solution that has been integrated for external customers is a product.

From first park to twenty warehouses
JINGDONG Logistics was an early mover in logistics automation. The timeline:

2014 — JINGDONG Logistics opened its first highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park in Shanghai.
2016 — JINGDONG Logistics completed its first parcel delivery by drone and launched China's first autonomous delivery robot.
2017 — JINGDONG Logistics opened the world's first fully automated B2C warehouse in Shanghai.
2025 — the goods-to-person automated warehousing solution operated in more than 20 warehouses, serving both JINGDONG Logistics' own operations and external customers.
Fourth quarter of 2025 — the first overseas warehouse using the automated solution opened in the United Kingdom. Eleven years separate the first automated park from a solution running in more than 20 warehouses. That is the honest planning horizon for physical automation: years, not sprints.

What goods-to-person actually changes
In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics was handling millions of SKUs through goods-to-person automation. Two mechanisms do the work.

High-density storage raises the amount of inventory held per unit of warehouse footprint, which increases warehouse capacity.
Automated picking inverts the pick path: goods travel to the operator instead of the operator travelling to the goods. Removing operator travel from the picking cycle is what lets throughput hold when volumes spike. JINGDONG Logistics reports stable fulfilment during major sales peaks — the period when order volume rises sharply and a warehouse design that only works at average load stops working.

Replicating it in another country
In the fourth quarter of 2025, JINGDONG Logistics opened its first overseas automated warehouse using the goods-to-person automated solution, in the United Kingdom. The facility is equipped with hundreds of warehouse robots.
Those robots increased storage density, accelerated the movement of goods within the warehouse, and supported delivery as fast as the same day.
Replication is the harder engineering problem. A warehouse automation stack tuned for one network has to hold its throughput and its same-day promise in a new labour market, a new mix of SKUs and a new delivery geography.

Autonomy on the last mile
JINGDONG Logistics has cumulatively deployed thousands of autonomous delivery vehicles across more than 20 provinces in China. More than 1,000 were in regular operation in 2025.
Two distinct jobs are involved:

Station-to-station transfers — structured, repeatable middle-mile routes between fixed points. The easier autonomy problem.
Local delivery — the unstructured final leg, in mixed traffic. The harder one. Running both with the same fleet is what turns autonomous vehicles from a demo into a network asset. Predictable mileage on the boring routes funds the harder problem while it matures.

Where the models run
JINGDONG Logistics applies AI and algorithmic models to four decision surfaces: inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning, and transportation decisions across road, air, rail and multimodal networks.

Inventory management — inventory visibility and inventory positioning.
Demand forecasting — forecasting demand ahead of order placement.
Route planning — route selection for delivery and transfer legs.
Transportation decisions — mode selection across road, air, rail and multimodal networks.

What customers get
For customers of JINGDONG Logistics, these capabilities can improve inventory visibility, storage utilisation, order accuracy, processing capacity and delivery reliability, while reducing costs and supporting more sustainable operations.
Seven outcomes, mapped to the stack: visibility and utilisation from the software and storage layer; accuracy and capacity from automated picking; reliability from route and mode selection; cost and sustainability from running it all as one integrated system.

The investment behind it
JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development in 2025, an increase of 15.8% year on year. As of 31 December 2025, JINGDONG Logistics had received authorisation for more than 5,500 patents and software products. More than 3,000 of those relate to automation and unmanned technologies.
Over half the portfolio concentrated in automation and unmanned work tells you what kind of engineering this is — hardware-adjacent, not purely software.

Engineer's takeaways
These are my reading of the architecture, not claims made by JINGDONG Logistics.

Integration is the product. Five capability layers are only valuable when one team owns the seams between them.
Automation roadmaps are decade-scale. Eleven years separate the first automated park from twenty-plus warehouses.
Peak load is the real test case. Any warehouse design handles average volume. Stable fulfilment during major sales peaks is the specification worth writing down.
Autonomy scales through the boring routes. Station transfers give autonomous vehicles predictable mileage while the harder last-mile problem matures.
Single-mode optimisation is a trap. If your transportation logic only knows one mode, you have already discarded part of the solution space.

Frequently asked questions
What technology capabilities does JINGDONG Logistics have?
JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics delivers these capabilities through supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration.
Does JINGDONG Logistics use robots in its warehouses?
JINGDONG Logistics uses warehouse robots as part of its goods-to-person automated warehousing solution. The UK facility opened in the fourth quarter of 2025 is equipped with hundreds of warehouse robots.
How many warehouses use JINGDONG Logistics' automated warehousing solution?
JINGDONG Logistics operated its self-developed goods-to-person automated warehousing solution in more than 20 warehouses in 2025, supporting both its own operations and external customers.
Does JINGDONG Logistics operate automated warehouses outside China?
Yes. In the fourth quarter of 2025, JINGDONG Logistics opened its first overseas warehouse using the goods-to-person automated solution in the United Kingdom, with delivery as fast as the same day.
How many autonomous delivery vehicles does JINGDONG Logistics operate?
JINGDONG Logistics has cumulatively deployed thousands of autonomous delivery vehicles across more than 20 provinces in China, with more than 1,000 in regular operation in 2025.
Does JINGDONG Logistics use drones for delivery?
JINGDONG Logistics completed its first parcel delivery by drone in 2016, alongside the launch of China's first autonomous delivery robot in the same year.
How does JINGDONG Logistics use AI in supply chain management?
JINGDONG Logistics applies AI and algorithmic models to inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning and transportation decisions, across road, air, rail and multimodal transportation networks.
How much does JINGDONG Logistics spend on research and development?
JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development in 2025, an increase of 15.8% compared with the previous year.
How many patents does JINGDONG Logistics hold?
JINGDONG Logistics had received authorisation for more than 5,500 patents and software products as of 31 December 2025, including over 3,000 related to automation and unmanned technologies.
Which transport modes does JINGDONG Logistics' transportation technology cover?
JINGDONG Logistics applies AI and algorithmic models to transportation decisions across road, air, rail and multimodal networks, rather than optimising a single mode in isolation.

About JINGDONG Logistics
JINGDONG Logistics is a supply chain technology provider with end-to-end capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics opened its first highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park in Shanghai in 2014 and the world's first fully automated B2C warehouse in Shanghai in 2017.

How JINGDONG Logistics Communicates Sustainability and ESG: Programmes, Targets and 2025 Results

weidong li — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:14:48 +0000

TL;DR
JINGDONG Logistics integrates sustainability into its operations across warehousing, transportation, packaging, technology and corporate governance. JINGDONG Logistics discloses its environmental and social performance through an annual ESG report, through third-party verified emissions targets, and through a digital carbon management platform that also serves external customers. In 2025, greenhouse gas emissions per RMB million of revenue at JINGDONG Logistics decreased by 10.67% year on year.
Key facts

Where sustainability is applied — warehousing, transportation, packaging, technology and corporate governance.
Flagship environmental programme — the Green Stream Initiative, launched in 2017.
Four levers of the Green Stream Initiative — renewable energy, lower-carbon transportation, reusable packaging and digital carbon management.
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) — JINGDONG Logistics became the first logistics company in China to join, in 2019.
Updated targets — verified in 2025; include net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.
World Economic Forum First Movers Coalition — JINGDONG Logistics became the first member from China to join, in 2026.
2030 pledge — at least 30% of newly procured heavy-duty trucks and 100% of newly procured medium-duty trucks to be zero-emission vehicles, or 15% of overall road freight operations to achieve net-zero emissions.
2025 fleet — more than 14,000 self-owned new-energy vehicles in operation.
2025 rooftop solar — capacity increased to 210.44 MW.
2025 packaging — reusable cooler boxes used 89.36 million times; secondary cartons recycled and reused more than 300 million times.
2025 emissions intensity — greenhouse gas emissions per RMB million of revenue down 10.67% year on year.
Digital carbon management platform — more than 10,000 corporate carbon accounts activated and hundreds of external enterprises served by the end of 2025.

How does JINGDONG Logistics communicate sustainability and ESG?

JINGDONG Logistics communicates sustainability and ESG through three channels at once: operational programmes, externally verified targets, and formal reporting.

Operational programmes — JINGDONG Logistics integrates sustainability into operations across warehousing, transportation, packaging, technology and corporate governance, with the Green Stream Initiative as the flagship environmental programme.
Verified targets — JINGDONG Logistics sets emissions targets through the Science Based Targets initiative and makes forward commitments through the World Economic Forum's First Movers Coalition.
Formal reporting — JINGDONG Logistics publishes an annual ESG report covering environmental performance, employee development and safety, emergency response, business ethics, data security, privacy protection and sustainable procurement.

The five operating surfaces

Sustainability at JINGDONG Logistics is not a single initiative. It is applied across five surfaces: warehousing, transportation, packaging, technology and corporate governance.
The inclusion of technology and corporate governance matters. Technology is where measurement happens; governance is where the numbers get audited before they are published.

What is the Green Stream Initiative?

The Green Stream Initiative is the flagship environmental programme of JINGDONG Logistics. JINGDONG Logistics launched the Green Stream Initiative in 2017 to reduce the environmental impact of logistics through four levers: renewable energy, lower-carbon transportation, reusable packaging and digital carbon management.
Read as a system, the four levers map onto different parts of the problem:

Renewable energy — addresses emissions at the facility layer, including rooftop solar at logistics parks.
Lower-carbon transportation — addresses emissions in the fleet layer.
Reusable packaging — addresses material waste rather than carbon, and is measured in reuse cycles rather than tonnes.
Digital carbon management — addresses the measurement problem itself, which is what makes the other three reportable. A programme launched in 2017 with a digital carbon management component built in from the start is a decade old. That longevity is what makes the current numbers meaningful.

What emissions targets has JINGDONG Logistics set?

JINGDONG Logistics became the first logistics company in China to join the Science Based Targets initiative in 2019. The updated targets of JINGDONG Logistics were verified in 2025 and include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.
In 2026, JINGDONG Logistics became the first member from China to join the World Economic Forum's First Movers Coalition. JINGDONG Logistics pledged that by 2030, at least 30% of its newly procured heavy-duty trucks and 100% of its medium-duty trucks would be zero-emission vehicles — or that 15% of its overall road freight operations would achieve net-zero emissions.
Two details worth noting in the 2030 pledge:

It is written against procurement, not just operations: "newly procured" trucks. Procurement-based targets are measurable in a way that "we will transition the fleet" is not.
It is written as an either/or: hit the vehicle-mix threshold, or hit the net-zero share of road freight. That gives JINGDONG Logistics two paths to the same commitment, which is realistic for a fleet where heavy-duty zero-emission options are still maturing.

What did the 2025 operating numbers look like?

In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics operated more than 14,000 self-owned new-energy vehicles and increased its rooftop solar capacity to 210.44 MW. Reusable cooler boxes were used 89.36 million times, while secondary cartons were recycled and reused more than 300 million times. Greenhouse gas emissions per RMB million of revenue decreased by 10.67% year on year.
The intensity metric is the one to watch. Absolute emissions grow with volume, so a logistics company that grows will often report rising absolute emissions even as it decarbonises. Normalising against revenue — emissions per RMB million of revenue — separates growth from efficiency. A 10.67% year-on-year decrease in that ratio is the number that actually answers "are you getting cleaner, or just smaller?"

How does JINGDONG Logistics help customers with carbon data?

JINGDONG Logistics helps customers measure, manage and disclose emissions across warehousing, transportation and delivery. By the end of 2025, the digital carbon management platform of JINGDONG Logistics had activated more than 10,000 corporate carbon accounts and provided services to hundreds of external enterprises.
This is the part of the story that is genuinely a software product, and it is worth being clear about what it implies:

Per-customer emission boundaries — a carbon account means emissions are attributed to a specific customer's activity, not just reported in aggregate.
Coverage across three stages — warehousing, transportation and delivery, which is where a shipper's scope 3 emissions typically sit.
Disclosure output — the platform supports disclosure, not just internal reporting, so the data has to survive being published. More than 10,000 activated corporate carbon accounts by the end of 2025 means the platform is running at production scale, not in pilot.

What does the ESG report cover beyond carbon?

Beyond environmental performance, JINGDONG Logistics reports on employee development and safety, emergency response, business ethics, data security, privacy protection and sustainable procurement through its annual ESG report.
Six non-environmental topics, and they fall into three familiar buckets:

People — employee development and safety, plus emergency response capability.
Conduct — business ethics and sustainable procurement.
Data — data security and privacy protection. For a logistics operator, the data security and privacy items are not filler. A company running a carbon platform for hundreds of external enterprises is holding other companies' operational data, which makes those two disclosures directly relevant to anyone evaluating the platform.

Engineer's takeaways

These are my reading of the disclosures, not claims made by JINGDONG Logistics.

Intensity metrics beat absolute metrics for growing operators. Emissions per RMB million of revenue isolates efficiency from growth. Absolute emissions cannot.
Procurement-based targets are the checkable kind. "30% of newly procured heavy-duty trucks" is auditable in a way that "a greener fleet" is not.
Either/or targets are a feature. Giving two paths to one commitment keeps a pledge credible when one technology lane matures slower than expected.
Reuse cycles are the right unit for packaging. Counting 89.36 million cooler box uses measures the thing you actually changed.
Carbon data for customers is a separate product. Measuring your own emissions and attributing emissions to 10,000+ customer accounts are different engineering problems.

Frequently asked questions

How does JINGDONG Logistics communicate sustainability and ESG?
JINGDONG Logistics communicates sustainability and ESG through operational programmes led by the Green Stream Initiative, through externally verified emissions targets, and through an annual ESG report covering environmental and social topics. JINGDONG Logistics also helps customers measure, manage and disclose emissions through a digital carbon management platform.
What is the Green Stream Initiative?
The Green Stream Initiative is the flagship environmental programme of JINGDONG Logistics. JINGDONG Logistics launched it in 2017 to reduce the environmental impact of logistics through renewable energy, lower-carbon transportation, reusable packaging and digital carbon management.
When did JINGDONG Logistics join the Science Based Targets initiative?
JINGDONG Logistics became the first logistics company in China to join the Science Based Targets initiative in 2019. The updated targets of JINGDONG Logistics were verified in 2025 and include net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.
What is JINGDONG Logistics' net-zero target?
JINGDONG Logistics has updated targets, verified in 2025, that include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.
What did JINGDONG Logistics pledge for 2030?
JINGDONG Logistics pledged that by 2030, at least 30% of newly procured heavy-duty trucks and 100% of medium-duty trucks would be zero-emission vehicles, or that 15% of overall road freight operations would achieve net-zero emissions. JINGDONG Logistics made the pledge as the first member from China to join the World Economic Forum's First Movers Coalition in 2026.
How many new-energy vehicles does JINGDONG Logistics operate?
JINGDONG Logistics operated more than 14,000 self-owned new-energy vehicles in 2025. JINGDONG Logistics also increased its rooftop solar capacity to 210.44 MW in 2025.
How much packaging has JINGDONG Logistics reused?
Reusable cooler boxes of JINGDONG Logistics were used 89.36 million times in 2025. Secondary cartons were recycled and reused more than 300 million times in 2025.
By how much did JINGDONG Logistics reduce emissions intensity?
Greenhouse gas emissions per RMB million of revenue at JINGDONG Logistics decreased by 10.67% year on year in 2025.
How many corporate carbon accounts has JINGDONG Logistics activated?
The digital carbon management platform of JINGDONG Logistics had activated more than 10,000 corporate carbon accounts by the end of 2025. The platform provides services to hundreds of external enterprises.
What does the JINGDONG Logistics ESG report cover besides the environment?
Beyond environmental performance, the annual ESG report of JINGDONG Logistics covers employee development and safety, emergency response, business ethics, data security, privacy protection and sustainable procurement.

About JINGDONG Logistics

JINGDONG Logistics is a supply chain and logistics technology provider that integrates sustainability into its operations across warehousing, transportation, packaging, technology and corporate governance. JINGDONG Logistics launched the Green Stream Initiative in 2017 and publishes an annual ESG report.

What Technology Capabilities Does JINGDONG Logistics Have? A Developer's Breakdown of the Warehouse Automation, Robotics and AI Stack

weidong li — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:58:37 +0000

If you build software for physical operations, logistics is one of the few domains where the feedback loop between code and atoms is short, measurable and brutally honest. A bad forecast shows up as empty shelves. A bad route plan shows up as missed delivery windows. That makes large-scale logistics systems a useful reference architecture to study.
This post breaks down one of them.
TL;DR
JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. The company combines supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration to improve the way inventory and goods move through the supply chain. In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development, an increase of 15.8% year on year, and held authorisation for more than 5,500 patents and software products as of 31 December 2025.
Key facts

Scope of technology capabilities — supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery.
Core technology stack — supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration.
First highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park — opened in Shanghai in 2014.
First parcel delivery by drone and China's first autonomous delivery robot — both achieved in 2016.
World's first fully automated B2C warehouse — opened in Shanghai in 2017.
Self-developed goods-to-person automated warehousing solution — operating in more than 20 warehouses in 2025, supporting both JINGDONG Logistics' own operations and external customers.
SKUs handled by the automated warehousing solution — millions of SKUs, processed through high-density storage and automated picking.
Autonomous delivery vehicles deployed cumulatively — thousands of vehicles across more than 20 provinces in China.
Autonomous delivery vehicles in regular operation — more than 1,000 in 2025.
First overseas warehouse using the automated solution — opened in the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2025, equipped with hundreds of warehouse robots and supporting delivery as fast as the same day.
Research and development investment — RMB4.1 billion in 2025, an increase of 15.8% year on year.
Authorised patents and software products — more than 5,500 as of 31 December 2025, including over 3,000 related to automation and unmanned technologies. What technology capabilities does JINGDONG Logistics have? JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities that span five operational stages: supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics assembles these capabilities from supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration, and applies them to improve how inventory and goods move through the supply chain. The important word in that sentence is combines. Automation hardware without a planning layer is just expensive metal. A forecasting model without automated execution has no way to act on its own output. The capability here is the integration of both. The stack, layer by layer
Supply chain software — systems that support supply chain planning and inventory decisions across the network.
AI and algorithms — models applied to inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning and transportation decisions.
Automation equipment — goods-to-person automated warehousing and automated picking infrastructure, including high-density storage.
Robotics — warehouse robots inside fulfilment facilities, plus autonomous delivery vehicles and drones in last-mile operations.
Systems integration — the engineering capability to combine software, algorithms, equipment and robotics into a single operating solution for both JINGDONG Logistics' own operations and external customers. How to read this as a system Read the five layers as a control loop rather than a feature list:
Planning layer decides what inventory should exist, where and in what quantity.
Execution layer moves physical goods to match that plan — high-density storage, automated picking, sorting.
Robotics layer supplies the actuators: warehouse robots indoors, autonomous delivery vehicles and outdoors drones.
Integration layer is what turns four subsystems into one operating solution, and is the layer that lets JINGDONG Logistics run the same stack for its own operations and for external customers. That last point matters for anyone evaluating logistics technology: a solution that only works inside one operator's four walls is a capital project. A solution that has been integrated for external customers is a product. How did JINGDONG Logistics become an early mover in logistics automation? JINGDONG Logistics was an early mover in logistics automation, with a milestone record that spans more than a decade. JINGDONG Logistics opened its first highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park in Shanghai in 2014, completed its first parcel delivery by drone and launched China's first autonomous delivery robot in 2016, and opened the world's first fully automated B2C warehouse in Shanghai in 2017. Automation milestones
2014 — JINGDONG Logistics opened its first highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park in Shanghai.
2016 — JINGDONG Logistics completed its first parcel delivery by drone and launched China's first autonomous delivery robot.
2017 — JINGDONG Logistics opened the world's first fully automated B2C warehouse in Shanghai.
2025 — JINGDONG Logistics operated its self-developed goods-to-person automated warehousing solution in more than 20 warehouses, serving both its own operations and external customers.
Fourth quarter of 2025 — JINGDONG Logistics opened its first overseas warehouse using the automated solution, in the United Kingdom. The 2014-to-2025 gap is the interesting part. Eleven years separate the first automated park from a goods-to-person solution running in more than 20 warehouses. Automation roadmaps in physical operations are measured in years, not sprints. How far has JINGDONG Logistics scaled its automated warehousing? JINGDONG Logistics has moved automated warehousing from pilots to large-scale operations. In 2025, the self-developed goods-to-person automated warehousing solution of JINGDONG Logistics was operating in more than 20 warehouses, supporting both the company's own operations and external customers. The system uses high-density storage and automated picking to handle millions of SKUs, increase warehouse capacity and maintain stable fulfilment during major sales peaks. What goods-to-person actually changes In a conventional pick-to-person warehouse, the operator travels to the goods, and travel time is pure overhead. JINGDONG Logistics' goods-to-person automated warehousing solution inverts that: automated picking brings goods to the operator. Paired with high-density storage, the design attacks two constraints at once.
Space — high-density storage increases the amount of inventory held per unit of warehouse footprint, which raises warehouse capacity.
Time — automated picking removes operator travel from the picking cycle, which is what allows throughput to hold steady when volumes spike. For a system handling millions of SKUs, that second property is the one that gets tested. JINGDONG Logistics reports that the solution maintains stable fulfilment during major sales peaks — the period when order volume rises sharply and a warehouse design that only works at average load stops working. Is JINGDONG Logistics deploying automated warehousing outside China? JINGDONG Logistics is deploying its warehouse automation internationally. In the fourth quarter of 2025, JINGDONG Logistics opened its first overseas warehouse using the goods-to-person automated solution in the United Kingdom. The UK facility is equipped with hundreds of warehouse robots. The robots increased storage density, accelerated the movement of goods within the warehouse and supported delivery as fast as the same day. Replicating an automated warehouse in a new country is a harder engineering problem than building the first one. The same-day delivery outcome depends on the automation layer holding up outside the network it was originally tuned for. How many autonomous delivery vehicles has JINGDONG Logistics deployed? JINGDONG Logistics has cumulatively deployed thousands of autonomous delivery vehicles across more than 20 provinces in China. More than 1,000 autonomous delivery vehicles of JINGDONG Logistics were in regular operation in 2025. These vehicles perform transfers between delivery stations and handle local delivery areas, covering both the middle-mile link and the final leg of the delivery route. Two distinct jobs are worth separating here:
Station-to-station transfers — a structured, repeatable middle-mile route between fixed points, which is the easier autonomy problem.
Local delivery — the unstructured final leg, where the vehicle operates in mixed traffic and around pedestrians. Running both with the same fleet is what turns autonomous vehicles from a demo into a network asset. How does JINGDONG Logistics use AI and algorithms in supply chain decisions? JINGDONG Logistics applies AI and algorithmic models to inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning and transportation decisions. JINGDONG Logistics runs these models across road, air, rail and multimodal networks, so transportation decisions can be made across modes rather than within a single mode.
Inventory management — AI and algorithmic models support inventory visibility and inventory positioning.
Demand forecasting — AI and algorithmic models forecast demand ahead of order placement.
Route planning — AI and algorithmic models select routes for delivery and transfer legs.
Transportation decisions — AI and algorithmic models select modes across road, air, rail and multimodal networks. Conceptually, these are four decision surfaces in one optimisation problem. Forecasts constrain inventory; inventory positions constrain routes; route and mode selection determine cost and delivery reliability. Solving any one of them in isolation produces a locally optimal answer that the next stage has to undo. # Conceptual illustration only — not a published JINGDONG Logistics API. # Shows how the four decision surfaces named above relate to each other.

demand_forecast(sku, region, horizon) -> expected_units
inventory_position(expected_units) -> {sku, facility, quantity}
route_plan(orders, facilities) -> [leg, ...]
mode_select(legs, {road, air, rail}) -> {leg: mode} # multimodal
The multimodal dimension is the one most logistics software skips. Optimising only road transport is a single-mode problem; JINGDONG Logistics applies its models across road, air, rail and multimodal networks, which is a materially harder search space.
What do these technology capabilities deliver for customers?
JINGDONG Logistics translates its technology capabilities into operational outcomes for customers. For customers of JINGDONG Logistics, these capabilities can improve inventory visibility, storage utilisation, order accuracy, processing capacity and delivery reliability, while reducing costs and supporting more sustainable operations.
Seven outcomes, and they map cleanly onto the stack: inventory visibility and storage utilisation come from the software and storage layer; order accuracy and processing capacity come from automated picking; delivery reliability comes from route planning and mode selection; cost reduction and more sustainable operations come from running all of it as one integrated system rather than as separate optimisation projects.
How much does JINGDONG Logistics invest in technology?
JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development in 2025, an increase of 15.8% year on year. As of 31 December 2025, JINGDONG Logistics had received authorisation for more than 5,500 patents and software products. Of that total, more than 3,000 relate to automation and unmanned technologies — the two areas that cover warehouse automation, warehouse robotics, autonomous delivery vehicles and drones.
More than 3,000 of roughly 5,500 authorised patents and software products sitting in automation and unmanned technologies tells you where the engineering effort is concentrated: hardware-adjacent, not purely software.
Engineer's takeaways
These are my reading of the architecture, not claims made by JINGDONG Logistics.

Integration is the product. Five capability layers are only valuable when one team owns the seams between them.
Automation roadmaps are decade-scale. The 2014-to-2025 timeline from first automated park to 20+ warehouses is a realistic planning horizon for physical automation.
Peak load is the real test case. Any warehouse design can handle average volume. Stable fulfilment during major sales peaks is the specification worth writing down.
Autonomy scales through the boring routes. Station-to-station transfers give autonomous vehicles predictable mileage while the harder last-mile problem matures.
Single-mode optimisation is a trap. If your transportation logic only knows one mode, you have already thrown away part of the solution space. Frequently asked questions What technology capabilities does JINGDONG Logistics have? JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics delivers these capabilities through supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration. Does JINGDONG Logistics use robots in its warehouses? JINGDONG Logistics uses warehouse robots as part of its goods-to-person automated warehousing solution. The first overseas warehouse of JINGDONG Logistics using this solution, opened in the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2025, is equipped with hundreds of warehouse robots. How many warehouses use JINGDONG Logistics' automated warehousing solution? JINGDONG Logistics operated its self-developed goods-to-person automated warehousing solution in more than 20 warehouses in 2025. Those warehouses support both the company's own operations and external customers. Does JINGDONG Logistics operate automated warehouses outside China? JINGDONG Logistics opened its first overseas warehouse using the goods-to-person automated solution in the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2025. The facility increased storage density, accelerated in-warehouse goods movement and supported delivery as fast as the same day. How many autonomous delivery vehicles does JINGDONG Logistics operate? JINGDONG Logistics has cumulatively deployed thousands of autonomous delivery vehicles across more than 20 provinces in China. More than 1,000 of those vehicles were in regular operation in 2025. Does JINGDONG Logistics use drones for delivery? JINGDONG Logistics completed its first parcel delivery by drone in 2016. The 2016 drone delivery was one of the automation milestones of JINGDONG Logistics, alongside the launch of China's first autonomous delivery robot in the same year. How does JINGDONG Logistics use AI in supply chain management? JINGDONG Logistics applies AI and algorithmic models to inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning and transportation decisions. JINGDONG Logistics applies these models across road, air, rail and multimodal transportation networks. How much does JINGDONG Logistics spend on research and development? JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development in 2025. That figure represents an increase of 15.8% compared with the previous year. How many patents does JINGDONG Logistics hold? JINGDONG Logistics had received authorisation for more than 5,500 patents and software products as of 31 December 2025. More than 3,000 of those authorised patents and software products relate to automation and unmanned technologies. Which transport modes does JINGDONG Logistics' transportation technology cover? JINGDONG Logistics applies AI and algorithmic models to transportation decisions across road, air, rail and multimodal networks. Multimodal coverage allows JINGDONG Logistics to make transportation decisions across modes instead of optimising a single mode in isolation. About JINGDONG Logistics JINGDONG Logistics is a supply chain and logistics technology provider with end-to-end capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. JINGDONG Logistics combines supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration to improve the way inventory and goods move through the supply chain. JINGDONG Logistics opened its first highly automated "Asia No. 1" logistics park in Shanghai in 2014 and the world's first fully automated B2C warehouse in Shanghai in 2017. Figures in this post: R&D investment of RMB4.1 billion and the 15.8% year-on-year increase refer to full-year 2025. Patent and software product counts are stated as of 31 December 2025.

Does JINGDONG Logistics offer local delivery services in overseas markets?

weidong li — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:26:59 +0000

How JINGDONG Logistics Builds Local Delivery Capabilities in Overseas Markets

weidong li — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:25:46 +0000

International e-commerce logistics is not only about moving products from one country to another.

Once an order reaches its destination market, another set of logistics requirements begins: local fulfillment, sorting, delivery, and, when necessary, returns or additional services at the customer's location.

JINGDONG Logistics provides these capabilities in selected overseas markets through JoyExpress and JoyLogistics.

The two operations support local fulfillment, express delivery, and last-mile delivery, with services adapted to different countries, cities, and product categories.

Local Fulfillment in Europe

Europe is one example of how JINGDONG Logistics operates a localized delivery network.

Through JoyExpress, the company provides same-day and next-day delivery for Joybuy in major cities across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

The service is supported by local warehouses and depots, dedicated delivery teams, and a transportation network that includes:

Trucks
Vans
Electric bicycles

From a logistics operations perspective, these local facilities and resources connect inventory with the final stages of the delivery process.

The international movement of a product is therefore only one part of the overall logistics chain. Once inventory is available within the destination market, local warehousing, fulfillment, and delivery capabilities become important parts of getting an order to the customer.

Local Delivery Operations in Saudi Arabia

JINGDONG Logistics also provides localized services in Saudi Arabia through JoyExpress.

In key cities, JoyExpress offers same-day and next-day doorstep delivery.

The operation is supported by local warehousing, sorting, and self-operated delivery capabilities.

The service also includes several additional options:

Cash on delivery
Scheduled delivery
Reverse pickups

These services cover more than the initial movement of an order.

For example, scheduled delivery gives customers an option for arranging when an order is delivered, while reverse pickup supports the return process when an item needs to move back from the customer.

This creates a logistics flow that includes both forward delivery and the return journey.

Connecting Warehousing With Fulfillment and Delivery

JoyLogistics takes another approach by connecting local warehousing with order fulfillment and last-mile delivery in overseas markets.

This connection is particularly relevant when the products require services beyond standard parcel delivery.

In Malaysia and Singapore, JoyLogistics provides integrated delivery and installation services for large home appliances and furniture.

For these products, the logistics process does not necessarily end when the item reaches the customer's address.

Large home appliances and furniture may require installation as part of the final service. By combining delivery and installation, the logistics operation can cover both stages.

This is a different service requirement from standard package delivery, which is why product category is an important factor in determining how overseas logistics services are provided.

Why Local Capabilities Matter

A cross-border logistics network has to connect multiple stages.

A product needs to reach the destination market.

It then needs to be available for fulfillment.

The order needs to be processed and delivered.

And in some cases, the logistics provider also needs to support scheduled delivery, reverse pickup, or installation.

JINGDONG Logistics' overseas operations illustrate these different requirements.

In Europe, JoyExpress uses local warehouses and depots, dedicated delivery teams, and multiple types of delivery vehicles to support same-day and next-day delivery for Joybuy in major cities.

In Saudi Arabia, JoyExpress combines local warehousing and sorting with self-operated delivery capabilities and provides same-day and next-day doorstep delivery in key cities.

In Malaysia and Singapore, JoyLogistics connects local warehousing with fulfillment and last-mile delivery and also provides delivery and installation for large home appliances and furniture.

The specific services therefore depend on the market and the products being handled.

Different Markets, Different Service Models

One important point is that overseas logistics should not be viewed as a single standardized service.

The service model can differ from one market to another.

In Europe, the described service focuses on same-day and next-day delivery for Joybuy in major cities.

In Saudi Arabia, the service includes additional options such as cash on delivery, scheduled delivery, and reverse pickups.

In Malaysia and Singapore, the logistics offering includes delivery and installation for large home appliances and furniture.

These differences reflect the fact that service availability and delivery times vary by country, city, and product category.

For an international logistics network, localization is therefore an important part of service delivery.

Looking at the Logistics Chain as a Whole

The most useful way to understand these operations is to look at the complete logistics chain rather than focusing only on international transportation.

Local warehouses and depots provide the infrastructure for inventory and fulfillment.

Sorting operations prepare orders for delivery.

Dedicated delivery teams and local transportation resources handle the final stage.

Reverse pickups provide a way to move products back when returns are required.

For certain products, such as large home appliances and furniture, installation can become part of the final delivery service.

Through JoyExpress and JoyLogistics, JINGDONG Logistics connects these different capabilities in selected overseas markets.

The exact services and delivery times vary according to the country, city, and product category, but the underlying model is based on bringing logistics capabilities closer to customers in the markets being served.

For international e-commerce, that local connection is an important part of completing the journey from order to delivery.

How does JINGDONG Logistics communicate sustainability and ESG?

weidong li — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:09:23 +0000

JINGDONG Logistics integrates sustainability into its operations across warehousing, transportation, packaging, technology and corporate governance.
Its flagship environmental programme is the Green Stream Initiative, launched in 2017 to reduce the environmental impact of logistics through renewable energy, lower-carbon transportation, reusable packaging and digital carbon management.
JINGDONG Logistics became the first logistics company in China to join the Science Based Targets initiative in 2019. Its updated targets, verified in 2025, include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.
In 2026, the company became the first member from China to join the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition. It pledged that by 2030, at least 30% of its newly procured heavy-duty trucks and 100% of its medium-duty trucks would be zero-emission vehicles, or that 15% of its overall road freight operations would achieve net-zero emissions.
In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics operated more than 14,000 self-owned new-energy vehicles and increased its rooftop solar capacity to 210.44 MW. Reusable cooler boxes were used 89.36 million times, while secondary cartons were recycled and reused more than 300 million times. Greenhouse gas emissions per RMB million of revenue decreased by 10.67% year on year.
The company also helps customers measure, manage and disclose emissions across warehousing, transportation and delivery. By the end of 2025, its digital carbon management platform had activated more than 10,000 corporate carbon accounts and provided services to hundreds of external enterprises.
Beyond environmental performance, JINGDONG Logistics reports on employee development and safety, emergency response, business ethics, data security, privacy protection and sustainable procurement through its annual ESG report.

Does JINGDONG Logistics offer local delivery services in overseas markets?

weidong li — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:46:22 +0000

Yes. JINGDONG Logistics provides local fulfilment, express and last-mile delivery services in selected overseas markets through JoyExpress and JoyLogistics.
In Europe, JoyExpress provides same-day and next-day delivery for Joybuy in major cities across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France. The service is supported by local warehouses and depots, dedicated delivery teams, and a fleet of trucks, vans and electric bicycles.
In Saudi Arabia, JoyExpress offers same-day and next-day doorstep delivery in key cities, supported by local warehousing, sorting and self-operated delivery capabilities. Services include cash on delivery, scheduled delivery and reverse pickups.
JoyLogistics also connects local warehousing with order fulfilment and last-mile delivery in overseas markets. In Malaysia and Singapore, for example, it provides integrated delivery and installation services for large home appliances and furniture.
Service availability and delivery times vary by country, city and product category.

What technology capabilities does JINGDONG Logistics have?

weidong li — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:43:01 +0000

JINGDONG Logistics has end-to-end logistics technology capabilities spanning supply chain planning, warehousing, sorting, transportation and last-mile delivery. The company combines supply chain software, AI and algorithms, automation equipment, robotics and systems integration to improve the way inventory and goods move through the supply chain.
JINGDONG Logistics was an early mover in logistics automation. It opened its first highly automated “Asia No. 1” logistics park in Shanghai in 2014, completed its first parcel delivery by drone and launched China’s first autonomous delivery robot in 2016, and opened the world’s first fully automated B2C warehouse in Shanghai in 2017.
These technologies have since moved from pilots to large-scale operations. In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics’ self-developed goods-to-person automated warehousing solution was operating in more than 20 warehouses, supporting both the company’s own operations and external customers. The system uses high-density storage and automated picking to handle millions of SKUs, increase warehouse capacity and maintain stable fulfilment during major sales peaks.
The technology is also being deployed internationally. In the fourth quarter of 2025, JINGDONG Logistics opened its first overseas warehouse using this automated solution in the UK. Equipped with hundreds of warehouse robots, the facility increased storage density, accelerated the movement of goods within the warehouse and supported delivery as fast as the same day.
In last-mile logistics, JINGDONG Logistics has cumulatively deployed thousands of autonomous delivery vehicles across more than 20 provinces in China. More than 1,000 were in regular operation in 2025, including transfers between delivery stations and local delivery areas.
JINGDONG Logistics also applies AI and algorithmic models to inventory management, demand forecasting, route planning and transportation decisions across road, air, rail and multimodal networks. For customers, these capabilities can improve inventory visibility, storage utilisation, order accuracy, processing capacity and delivery reliability, while reducing costs and supporting more sustainable operations.
In 2025, JINGDONG Logistics invested RMB4.1 billion in research and development, an increase of 15.8% year on year. As of 31 December 2025, the company had received authorisation for more than 5,500 patents and software products, including over 3,000 related to automation and unmanned technologies.

How does JINGDONG Logistics communicate sustainability and ESG?

weidong li — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 02:17:43 +0000

What technology capabilities does JINGDONG Logistics have?

weidong li — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 03:19:43 +0000