DPD expanding robot deliveries to 10 more UK towns and cities

The robots were first introduced in Milton Keynes in July 2022 and they’ve since travelled almost 500 miles and successfully performed over 2,500 deliveries.  

Based at DPD’s depot at Warth Park on the western edge of Raunds, the robots will deliver to nearby residential areas within a mile of the depot via the existing network of footpaths.  In Raunds, the robots will have three separate parcel compartments, instead of just one in the original trial, and an extended battery life of up to 12 hours. 

DPD parcel recipients in Raunds will be notified of a robot delivery in advance. Once the customer confirms they are at home to accept the parcel, the robot will be dispatched.  

Customers will then be able to track the robot's progress on a map and are notified when it reaches their property. They then use a code to open the secure compartment and access their parcel. Once the compartment is closed, the robot will either continue to its next delivery or return to the depot. 

DPD has worked closely with North Northamptonshire Council on the introduction of the robots in Raunds. 

"We are delighted that DPD is introducing delivery robots in Raunds,” said Cllr Graham Lawman, North Northamptonshire Council's Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets.

“The council is committed to the environment and supporting clean and green alternatives to traditional forms of transport to reduce emissions. It is great to be able to help bring this innovation to North Northamptonshire." 

Tim Jones, Director of Marketing, Communications & Sustainability DPDgroup UK commented said: "The trial in Milton Keynes has been a huge success for us. The robots have exceeded our expectations and the feedback has been fantastic. We can see people's reactions when they meet them, and it’s overwhelmingly positive. We set out to understand the role that delivery robots could play in certain locations in the UK and the trial has helped us identify more sites where we could deploy the robots successfully. 

"Our aim is to be the UK's most sustainable delivery company and that means investing in innovations and trying new things. We are well on our way to decarbonising our van fleet with EVs and we are also making a big step forward by switching our HGVs to renewable biofuel, but we are also interested in brand new solutions that can help us transition to a smarter, more sustainable future." 

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Published On: 13/07/2023 12:00:50

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