International technology and logistics group Omniva has opened its first MicroHUB in Tallinn, a pilot facility intended to reduce the number of van journeys the company makes in the city.
The hub is a specially adapted container fitted with security systems and located inside a courier's delivery area. Instead of making a lengthy round trip to a sorting centre, couriers can pick up additional parcels during their rounds from the container, which Omniva says should save them time and help parcels reach customers faster.
Cargo bikes and shorter round trips
The arrangement is also meant to support greener urban logistics. With parcels available closer to the delivery area, Omniva expects to use more cargo bikes and fewer vans for parcel deliveries.
The company said the first results from the pilot are expected within a month and will help determine its next steps. In the next phase, Omniva plans to test parcel collection from the MicroHUB with Crowd Delivery couriers.
If the pilot is successful, Omniva intends to introduce more MicroHUBs in Tallinn and to offer a similar solution in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Company estimates
Hannes Falten, head of delivery innovation at Omniva, said initial estimates suggest a MicroHUB could save each courier up to three hours a day and allow them to serve around 20 additional customers. He described the concept as an opportunity to handle growing parcel volumes without putting more vans on city streets, moving towards what he called smarter logistics with a smaller environmental footprint.
The container has a decorative side as well: its exterior was painted by the team of street artist S-Boy, which Omniva said was intended to bring more colour and character to the neighbourhood and give passers-by something worth stopping to look at.