The popularity of e-commerce among the population is growing, and the number of items sent via parcel lockers is increasing significantly. To combat that, the national Latvian postal service Latvian Post installed the first automated parcel tower, Cleveron 401, in one of the busiest parcel locker network points in Riga, Latvia. It has space to store a substantially larger number of items simultaneously, which means that customers will receive their items faster than before. In addition, it is more environmentally friendly, as it occupies a very small area but offers a considerably higher capacity.
Developing various item delivery solutions following today’s consumption habits of customers, Latvian Post has supplemented its parcel locker network with the first parcel tower in Latvia: an efficient and modern parcel delivery machine. Latvian Post’s parcel tower with the automated item delivery function is the most efficient item servicing solution currently operating in Latvia.
The five-metre-high tower is not only spacious but also very compact, conserving environmental resources. The parcel tower requires only 5.4 square metres, but it can store up to 500 items at a time. When using the parcel tower, the customers will no longer be faced with the challenge of figuring out which parcel locker door has opened. All items can be collected from one user console, thus providing a convenient experience and transparency.
The parcel tower will be available to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and initially, it will only be used to deliver items, eventually activating the sending function too.
Commenting on the development projects of Latvian Post’s parcel locker network, Tālis Linkaits, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Latvia, points out: “The global trends and the pandemic have contributed to a rapid growth of the postal sector not only in the world but also in Latvia; therefore, Latvian Post, as the leading communications and logistics company in the country, must be able to keep up with the times and offer solutions that are convenient and accessible to customers,” and expresses hope that the parcel tower opened is the first step towards the further development and expansion of such innovative forms of postal services.
In turn, Mārcis Vilcāns, Chairman of the Board of Latvian Post, admits: “Along with the current worldwide trends in the postal industry and the global technological revolution, Latvian Post has been undergoing a significant change in recent years: the demand for traditional postal services is declining, but simultaneously the segment of modern postal services is growing substantially – as the volume of online commerce rises, we increasingly opt-out of buying goods in-store but buy them virtually. At the same time, what is still not a virtual online phenomenon, but an offline reality is the physical delivery of these items: more and more items need to be delivered to customers in ever shorter deadlines and in an increasingly diverse, customer-friendly way. As a result, not only the international logistics of items is becoming ever more important, but also convenient and local solutions for the delivery of items, adapting to the new daily routine of customers.”
The first parcel tower in Latvia has been installed in one of Riga’s most densely populated neighbourhoods and one of the busiest points of Latvian Post’s parcel locker network. The new solution will help ensure faster delivery of items to customers who want to receive their online orders through a parcel locker and reduce the flow of customers to the nearby post office. In the future, Latvian Post is considering implementing such a solution in other neighbourhoods of Riga, which are overloaded in parcel delivery.
The parcel tower is developed by the Estonian technology company Cleveron that creates award-winning parcel delivery solutions. Cleveron has created market disrupting parcel lockers and robots for more than 13 years, partnering with world’s leading retailers and grocers. Latvian Post’s parcel tower was installed in co-operation with Pristis, Cleveron’s official partner in Latvia.
The installation of the innovative parcel tower is one of the steps of the targeted modernisation of Latvian Post, along with novelties such as a modern and convenient tool for customs clearance of items by customers and a fully automated item sorting line operated by artificial intelligence. It is planned that the targeted development will also continue in the future.
Photos: Latvijas Pasts
