Are AI robots the future solution for last-mile delivery? Interview with Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability at DPD Group UK

The robots, produced by Cartken, are fully electric and autonomous, small and lightweight, safe and city-friendly, co-existing easily with humans, pets, and objects, and navigating pavements and road crossings with ease.  

We caught up with the Head of Sustainability at DPDgroup UK, Olly Craughan – who recently achieved the top spot in Motor Transport’s Decarbonisation Power Players list 2023 – to hear more about the company’s plans with AI robotics and how it is likely to transform the way we deliver goods in the UK.    

Robot deliveries feel like a real glimpse into the future. How proud are you of the project and what does it mean for the logistics industry?  

“DPD has a long-standing history of innovation; we are proud to be at the forefront of progress and the development of future technologies. We were the first company to provide a one-hour delivery window and we were early adopters of electric vehicles and HGVs run on hydrotreated vegetable oil.   

“Robots open another door to the future of parcel delivery; they pave the way for a different way of delivering. They show that there are more options to last mile delivery than a van: alternatives such as robots and bikes are suitable too.  

“We are proud that the robots are sustainable and operate on electric energy with low power needs; all our sites are totally powered by renewable energy and the robots charge from these sites.”  

How long has the project been in development from the initial idea to the rollout?  

“The project took around 18 months to complete, working in partnership with Cartken – which produced the robots – and liaising with local government to gain permission to operate the robots in the urban environment.  

“We find that local administrations are receptive to having autonomous robot deliveries operated in communities and are supportive of the future development of the project. They love that the robots help with the decarbonisation of logistics and are sustainable, but also that they help to reduce road congestion. While you can have electric vans with no tailpipe emissions, a van is still a van on our roads, contributing to potential traffic congestion, whereas robots are an alternative solution that take vehicles off our roads; that is something local administrations are keen to explore.”  

What inspired the creation of autonomous robot deliveries? Who really drove the project forward?  

“The main drivers are Chris Meir, who is our director of IT and Innovation, and Stuart Woodruff, who is one of our DC managers in the network. They were inspired by seeing autonomous robots delivering non-postal sector items in Milton Keyes; they thought how innovative and beneficial this could be for parcel delivery and took the opportunity to link up with Cartken to start producing robots for DPD.”  

Where do the robots fit into the DPD supply chain?  

“The robots are the final stage in the supply chain, undertaking the last mile of a parcel’s delivery to the customer’s doorstep. Currently the robots deliver a single parcel at a time, but we have recently received delivery of a robot with four compartments, capable of making four deliveries and improving efficiencies for the service.”  

How do the robots use AI technology to operate?  

“The technology used to create the robots is extremely advanced. The robot uses AI capabilities to learn the routes it needs to take and to identify and react to objects in its path instantly and independently.   

“The robot was at an event in Paris recently, Viva Technology, and you can imagine how busy the footfall of an event that size is. It was amazing to see the robot in action with so many obstacles in its way; obviously, the occasional person jumped out in front of it to see how it would work and its reaction was just instant, without mishaps.”  

How have you ensured that the robots are safe to be moving independently on our streets?  

“The robots are fully autonomous and utilise advanced technology to identify obstacles and react effectively. To increase its visibility, the robot has front and rear lights, and it has a small flag at about knee height.”  

How are you protecting the robots and their cargo from theft?  

“The robots have live camera capabilities; if someone was to pick up the robot, an alert would be issued, and we would see instantly who the perpetrator was through the live feed. We have found, though, that the public is very respectful of the robots.   

“Maybe as we expand in other towns, we may see instances increase of individuals picking up the robots and/or theft attempts, but I do not see it being likely, people are just intrigued by technology in general and enjoy watching them in action.  

“To keep the customer’s package secure, there is a pin panel on top of the robot. The consumer who is receiving the delivery will be given a specific PIN code, which can be used to open the lid and retrieve the parcel.”   

What challenges did you face getting the robots operational? How were these overcome?  

“We had to undertake internal IT fixes and routing adaptations and amendments to get the robots operational; they differ to vans, as they drive on pavements and tracks etc, so we had to make those changes in the software.   

“The public loves the idea of them. They are intrigued by the technology. One of the biggest challenges is the legislation around fully autonomous vehicles and/or robots. And that is where we are very lucky that the local authorities we have been working with are so open to robot deliveries. Fully autonomous vehicles on the road are a way off, obviously, but these robots are the start of the journey to their introduction.”  

What would you say to people who are sceptical about the use of robots?  

“If you do not try new technologies, you are limiting progress. This is a first step. Already, we have progressed from a robot that delivers a single parcel at a time to, as I say, launching a vehicle with the capacity to deliver four at a time. That progression is very quick.  

“It would be phenomenal to see fully automated and autonomous vehicles, already packed with parcels, driving to a location where a worker can simply walk out of their front door, get into the van, and start delivering. This would make the drive time much more efficient; instead of a vehicle being on the road for an hour or so before they make a first delivery, parcel deliveries would commence from the start of their working day and no time would be lost on a commute to work.”  

What environmental and efficiency benefits are you seeing?  

“The robots are much smaller than a conventional delivery vehicle, with a small battery to match. They are fully electric – no petrol or diesel is used – and are charged through a simple three pin plug. Their use takes vehicles off our roads, which of course supports decarbonisation.  

“We will see the full extent of efficiency results as we expand the project, as we deploy robots capable of handling more parcels; currently, each robot can deliver around 25 packages a day, one at a time, but you need to start somewhere.”  

How have your employees reacted to working with the robots?  

“They think the robots are really cool – a bit futuristic, a bit Star Wars, very innovative.   

“The concern in the media seems to be that robots will take over people’s jobs, but I do not see that happening at DPD. We always need people to do a variety of roles here and someone will still need to load the parcels and undertake the other work around the journey of packages.”  

And what about your customers?  

“They love the novelty of the robots and understand that we are looking at innovative solutions to decarbonise our operations and become more efficient. It is all part of seeking out the best solutions to get to the UK’s net zero target; we need to reduce emissions by 43% in the next six and a half years, which will be a huge step without changes to the sector.”  

What is next for autonomous deliveries? Faster robots? Bigger robots? Drone deliveries?  

“Drone deliveries are currently a very niche mode of delivery. They have use in urgent medical deliveries, especially in more isolated places, but the UK is relatively compact, with good transport links in general 

“For me, it is all about bigger robots and robots capable of carrying more packages. That is linked to government legislation with autonomous vehicles. The power of them, the size of them - obviously as they get larger, they cannot go on footpaths and tracks, they would have to go on roads. We are reliant on the government easing that legislation to allow their use to be possible, but obviously the technology has to be proven to be safe.”   

Do you intend to utilise this technology in other projects? Is there anything in the pipeline that you can tell us about?  

“Our EcoLaunchpad brings together experts in sustainability, technology, and innovation to develop and test new ideas that can help DPD further reduce its carbon footprint. This partnership assists in DPD’s goal of reaching net zero by 2040.”  

The EcoLaunchpad will be a ten-week immersive programme where participants will have the opportunity to validate their solutions, have access to DPD’s network and resources and mentorship from industry experts.  

The business is also working with L Marks, leading global innovation specialists, to find innovative solutions to decarbonise last mile delivery, our transport fleet, and buildings. L Marks will scout and identify businesses to apply for a unique opportunity to take their innovative ideas to the next level.   

“We have another sort of pillar of that project and that is about robotics; not just in delivery, but also the potential use of robotics in depot hubs, as well as offices where we could utilise the technology, and extending the use of AI in those sorts of situations to make processes work more effectively as well.”  

How important is it for companies like DPD to be at the forefront of AI and automation technology?  

“It is like any emerging technology, if businesses like us do not trial and adopt the products, there will be no case for them to be developed.   

“It is essential that we lead in this area and trial new technologies, so we can test, and then hopefully prove that they work, so that the businesses developing these products understand the need and the use cases. They may decide on a different direction for the product from our feedback, to make it more suitable. It is important that we work in partnership with those developing the technologies.”  

https://green.dpd.co.uk/  

Published On: 21/09/2023 15:00:00

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