Omniva has opened its first MicroHUB in Tallinn, a pilot aimed at reducing van journeys in the city and helping parcels reach customers faster. The international technology and logistics group said the hub is a specially adapted container fitted with security systems and placed inside a courier’s delivery area.
Couriers can collect additional parcels during their rounds instead of making a lengthy round trip to a sorting centre. According to Omniva, this allows the company to use more cargo bikes rather than vans for parcel deliveries.
The first results are expected within a month and will help determine the next steps. In the next phase, Omniva plans to test parcel collection from the MicroHUB with Crowd Delivery couriers. If the pilot is successful, the company intends to introduce more MicroHUBs in Tallinn and a similar solution in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Estimated courier savings
Hannes Falten, head of delivery innovation at Omniva, said initial estimates suggested that a MicroHUB could save each courier up to three hours a day and allow them to serve around 20 additional customers. He said the approach offered a way to handle growing parcel volumes without putting more vans on city streets, adding that Omniva wanted to move towards smarter logistics with a smaller environmental footprint.
Omniva said the first MicroHUB also has a creative side. Its exterior was painted by street artist S-Boy’s team to bring more colour and character to the neighbourhood and give passers-by something worth stopping to look at.