摘要：Each day, more than 500 million parcels are collected nationwide, meaning that every second, nearly 6,000 items are shuttled into
中国快递的规模究竟有多么惊人呢？据国家邮政局数据，我国平均每天揽收超过5亿件，相当于每秒钟就有近6000件快递进入寄递渠道。
面对如此庞大的规模，中国快递已经能做到发件平均不到48小时送达全国，行业内普遍的每单平均价格仅为8元，成为国际上“中国速度”的又一名片。
Each day, more than 500 million parcels are collected nationwide, meaning that every second, nearly 6,000 items are shuttled into the express delivery process.
These statistics, showing average daily operations, were released by the State Post Bureau in July, and reflect the staggering size and progress of the industry in China. The sector is another hallmark of the country's efficiency and technological innovation, experts said.
快递能跑出这样的加速度，究竟是怎么做到的呢？
答案就是，科技挖潜，降本增效。
原本基本依赖人工的快递运送，已完全进化到智能化时代。中国日报走访的数家中国知名快递公司表示，如今全国包裹量这么大，快递早已摆脱劳动密集型的帽子，依靠的是由科技主导的全产业链。
Behind such colossal volume is efficient resource allocation and technological prowess, with the industry evolving from labor-intensive operations to technology-driven processes.
利器一：手写面单变电子面单
十年前的快递，大多是手写面单，小哥在负责片区一天集中取件一次。到如今，大多数快递企业，能在一小时内响应客户的发件，揽收频次增加，意味着到达后续各个节点的时间都提前。
“今天，当一个用户在手机上下单，几点要从家里发一个快递，一条龙的自动化流程就被激活了——要派单给哪个快递员上门去取件，取回哪个网点，上哪辆车，几点到哪个节点，就全定了。整个流程的中间段几乎全自动由电脑自行判断分配，只有在收发两端有快递员，这也大大节省了人力成本。”中通快递媒体公关高级经理杨清悦表示。
"The moment a user places an order to send a parcel on his or her mobile phone, the smart system of a courier company activates a chain of automated responses, including which courier will be assigned to pick up the parcel, which outlet the parcel will go to, which vehicle it will be on, and its scheduled arrival time at various points along the route," said Yang Qingyue, a public relations manager for delivery company ZTO Express.
"The entire process is automated, with heavy human intervention only required at the sending and receiving ends, including interactions with the clients," he said.
利器二：机器中转替代人工分拣
如今，各大快递企业在全国分别设有100家上下的转运中心，负责集中分拣本地发往外地、外地发来本地的包裹。
记者在位于上海市郊青浦区的圆通速递上海集运中心看到，一辆辆集卡驶入，卡车上装载的是全国各地运抵上海的包裹。自动分拣传输带的一头可以延伸至卡车里，工人们把车里的包裹依次放上传输带。
为什么这个环节需要有人参与呢？因为放包裹时，必须把有快递电子面单的那一面往上，使得传输带上方的机器可以扫描到面单信息——知道这个快递的终点是上海的哪个网格，自动分拣系统便可以让这个包裹在庞杂的传输带网络上奔跑后，精准掉落到管辖那个网格的快递网点的档口。
传输带以每分钟向前运输240个包裹的速度飞快运转，令人眼花缭乱，但非常精准，无需人为干预和二次核对。因此，在整个转运中心庞大的空间里，看不到多少工人。
The conveyor belts move at a speed that can carry 240 packages per minute, which is a dizzying speed but accurate, and requires no human intervention or secondary verification.
在一些快递企业的转运中心，这一步甚至也无需人工。它们采用视觉技术，对每个包裹进行“六面扫描”，只需要个把人手处理机器无法识别的异形包裹。
而十年前，转运中心并没有这么科技范。钱逸是该集运中心的一名操作组长。他说，当时是直线型的传输带，需要大批工人站在传输带的两边手动分拣。
“排头是一个熟练工，手拿记号笔，在每个包裹上写下这个包裹的目的地行政区代码，比如，上海是黄浦区是001号。左右两排工人就根据他手写的编号，每人负责拿不同编号，也就是要派往不同行政区的包裹。这个工作必须眼疾手快，几小时下来头晕眼花。”钱逸说。
“那时候，一到‘双十一’就爆仓，人手人脑根本来不及。而现在，这里一天最高可处理500万件包裹。爆仓的情况就少多了。”
"Sorting centers were not like this a decade ago. Manual sorting used to be labor-intensive. Workers were stationed on either side of straight conveyor belts, with each person responsible for parcels destined for a district of Shanghai. They had to be swift in both their mind and hand movements," said Qian Yi, leader of a parcel-sorting team at the Shanghai sorting center of YTO Express in Shanghai's Qingpu district.
Manual operations sometimes collapsed if the workload was too heavy during periods such as the "Double 11" shopping festival. "However, with the current system, the center can process up to 5 million parcels a day," he said.
利器三：人工智能设施设备加速应用
各家快递公司都已建立起千人规模的科技公司，承担大脑中枢作用，研发软件系统和数字化工具。无人车、无人机的应用也逐步成为常态，无人驿站使用范围扩大，人工智能应用场景不断丰富。目前，中通快递全网约1000辆无人车投入运营，覆盖180多个城市，累计行驶里程超1000万公里。
Major players have established large technology divisions to serve as the brain of their operations. The integration of new technologies, such as unmanned vehicles and drones, is reshaping courier services.
So far, about 1,000 unmanned vehicles have been put into operation across the ZTO Express network, covering more than 180 cities.
韵达速递2000余辆无人车奔跑在城市社区和乡镇小道。在浙江桐乡，网点引进了30台无人配送车，单车日配送量可达2000个包裹，较传统配送方式降低成本30%以上，并提升物流效率。在陕西宝鸡，网点引进了10辆无人车，用于网格仓与分部之间的短驳运输。该网点的每日派送量达7万票，其中无人车日均派送近5万票。
2019年，申通快递获得阿里巴巴入股，并成立以信息技术、大数据技术、人工智能、物流科技为主业的上海喵柜智能科技有限公司，致力于全面升级网络和改进服务体系，提升用户体验。
要进一步了解中国快递业发展史，还有一个地方不得不提。
青浦区，作为上海唯一一个与江浙两省接壤的行政区，凭借紧邻虹桥国际综合交通枢纽的优势，自2003年迎来圆通，如今已是多家快递行业领军企业的全国或区域总部。2016年，青浦成为全国唯一的快递行业转型发展示范区。如今，全国每10件快递中，就有7件由总部位于这里的快递企业承运。
Qingpu, the only Shanghai district connecting to both Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and adjacent to the Shanghai Hongqiao international transportation hub, has become home to the national and regional headquarters of many courier companies. Of every 10 courier parcels delivered nationwide, seven are handled by Qingpu-headquartered express delivery companies.
大约十年前，面对大规模设备升级转型，青浦区财政设立现代服务业专项资金，补助智能化技改和数字平台搭建，并牵线银行等投融资平台开辟绿色通道。市场竞争驱动与政府制度供给共同促进企业的智能化改造。去年，总部位于青浦的快递企业将单票运输成本压缩到了0.41-0.42元，同比下降10%-30%。
青浦区重固镇副镇长刘静俊说，快递量已是高位运行，量不太会继续大增。接下来要做的就是高质量发展，进一步科技赋能，还有转运设备的提升。
“比如，用科技手段减少路上漏包的发生，以及提升装载率——明明一车可以装10个箱子的，就不应该装上9个箱子就开走了。”
Liu Jingjun, deputy head of Chonggu town in Qingpu, said that the volume of express deliveries is already at a high level and is unlikely to further rise significantly. The focus, therefore, will be on high-quality development and seeking productivity from technology, he said.
"For example, technology can play a part in further reducing deliveries that go missing and increasing loading efficiency. If a vehicle can carry 10 boxes, it shouldn't drive off with nine boxes loaded," he said.
记者：周文婷
实习生：宋怡璇
来源：中国日报双语新闻一点号
