Cainiao, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group Holding Limited, has announced the launch of parcel sorting centers in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy, in order to boost ecommerce parcel delivery efficiency to different destinations in these countries. 

In a statement, the Chinese logistics firm said currently it operates existing local warehouses in the logistics compounds near Madrid, Paris, Bremen and Rome and has equipped the first three warehouses with automated sorting machines sourced from European companies.

The four centers currently have a combined maximum sorting capacity of about half a million parcels per day, which is expected to double by the end of March 2022. 

Cainiao noted that it has also been working with long-term partners like Cacesa, Sinotrans and 4PX in order to kick off the operations in these centers, creating approximately 100 job opportunities for local residents.

It said e-commerce parcels will be delivered to these centers by trucks from Cainiao’s Liege eHub or nearby airports for processing based on their final destinations.

Once sorted, the parcels will be delivered by smaller trucks or vans to their respective destinations for last-mile delivery with customers of AliExpress, the global retail online marketplace of Alibaba Group, set to first benefit from the new sorting centers.

"Over the past years, Cainiao has been setting up its smart regional eHub located at the Liège Airport, which will serve as a key node in its global logistics network to connect chartered flights between China and Europe," Cainiao said. "This is further complemented by the deployment of an intra-Europe trucking network that covers more than 30 European countries."

Cainiao said it has also been installing a network of parcel lockers in Spain and France to improve customer experience and reduce carbon footprint in the last mile.

The launch of sorting centers is the latest step in strengthening its logistics infrastructure to provide a more efficient and seamless cross-border logistics experience across Europe. 

"Localized logistics infrastructure and processing capacity are key to Cainiao's continued development in Europe. Together with our local partners and suppliers, we strive to deliver superior service and operations, and will continue to contribute to the growth of Europe's logistics ecosystem," commented David Bu, general manager of Cainiao Network Europe.