The Singapore government is launching a nationwide network of about 1,000 parcel lockers, accessible to all logistics firms, with the aim of having a locker station within five minutes' walk of every housing block by the end of 2022.
This was announced by Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, at the beginning of March.
The network will be owned by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and complements existing commercial parcel lockers and doorstep deliveries. Locker stations will be rolled out to HDB housing estates, MRT public transport stations and community centres, starting from late 2020.
By launching the Locker Alliance, IMDA’s major aim is to help both delivery personnel and online shoppers who are eagerly awaiting their package. Since 7 December 2018, the Locker Alliance has installed locker stations in both Bukit Panjang and Punggol, the West and North-East regions of Singapore.
Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, officiated the launch of the Locker Alliance trial in Punggol.
At the heart of the project is an interoperable digital platform that is open to players in the industry, such as locker operators, logistics service providers, and online retailers too. The platform, developed and operated by Parcel Perform and overseen by IMDA, allows online retailers and different locker operator networks to work together under a single interoperable system. This eliminates the need for each player to integrate its systems with multiple parties.
Working with Blu Logistics and Singapore Post in the respective towns of Bukit Panjang and Punggol, the locker stations have been located so that anyone living in an HDB block can collect their parcels from a locker only a few minutes’ walk away at any convenient time.
As of now, there are 62 lockers stationed in the HDB estate sites in Bukit Panjang and Punggol. IMDA plans on reaching the aim of a total of 1,000 stations distributed all over Singapore by end-2022.
FedEx is already using this emerging network. The express parcel provider just recently announced that self-collection services for its deliveries are now available at all participating bluPort and Parcel Santa lockers, and Park N Parcel retail collection points strategically located throughout Singapore.
In Singapore, around 200,000 parcels are delivered daily, with e-commerce projected to grow at 12% to 20% annually over the next five years, Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran noted earlier. He added: "We must enhance Singapore’s last-mile delivery infrastructure."
This is where the nationwide parcel locker network comes in, building on the earlier Locker Alliance pilot from 2018. Apart from greater access for residents, merchants and logistics service providers will also enjoy greater delivery efficiency, which may result in more competitive delivery prices for consumers, said Ms Sim.
To provide the technical knowledge to ensure the lockers work, carrier-independent parcel tracking SaaS platform, Parcel Perform, was officially accredited by IMDA under the Accreditation@SG Digital programme.
This prestigious accreditation positions Parcel Perform as a qualified service provider to government and large enterprise buyers in Singapore. Also, it is an extension of Parcel Perform's long-standing partnership with IMDA having developed and operated the interoperability platform behind IMDA's Locker Alliance pilot project in December 2018.
The pilot enabled a four times performance improvement and cost savings compared with doorstep deliveries.
Dr. Arne Jeroschewski, founder and CEO of Parcel Perform, commented: "As a Singapore-headquartered company, we're proud to be accredited under the Accreditation@SG Digital programme. This reaffirms our long-standing partnership with IMDA and track record with a successful Locker Alliance pilot to benefit the e-commerce logistics industry in Singapore, and we look forward to working more closely in future initiatives."
