Wuxi to develop as logistics center in Yangtze River Delta

Workers sort boxes at a package transfer center in the Sunan Express Industrial Park, Wuxi. [Photo/jswx.spb.gov.cn]

Express delivery companies in China have entered their busiest season of the year, judging by the huge number of online orders placed by shoppers during the Double 11 shopping gala.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, more physical purchases have been moving online in 2020. The total delivery volume rose by 60 percent due to the double peaks of Alibaba Group's global shopping festival which fell both on Nov 1 and Nov 11, according to local postal administration department.

The development plan for Sunan Express Industrial Park (SEIP) has been finished and is expected to be put into operation in the near future, according to officials from Wuxi Airport Industry Park (A-Park) at Wuxi National Hi-tech District.

According to the plan, SEIP will be developed into an international air cargo distribution center, an express distribution center in East China, an airport industry supply chain organization center, and a cross-border e-commerce logistics industry cluster. It is expected to develop into a model of integrated development of logistics, and transport hub for industries.

Smart logistics distribution systems utilize information technology to a great degree, including internet, cloud computing and big data, with functions such as automated perception, comprehensive analysis and self-regulation. IT feeds through all aspects of logistics, from storage and delivery to distribution processing and information services.

SEIP has experienced rapid development since its establishment at the A-Park in December 2013. It was chosen as the first national demonstration zone of express industry clusters by the State Post Bureau in October 2015.

A total of 14 domestic and overseas logistic giants have settled at the park, including SF Express, YTO Express, Deppon, Fedex and DHL. The park has attracted investment of 12 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) and over 8,000 workers to the 1.6-million-square-meter area.

In 2019, SEIP transferred 3.6 billion items and realized business income of 3.875 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than 40 percent. The number of goods delivered by SEIP reached 10 million a day, accounting for about 7 percent of the country's total, making it the express delivery center of the Yangtze River Delta.