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By early 2021, 200 parcel lockers to be set up islandwide — a year ahead of schedule

SINGAPORE — The set-up of a nationwide parcel locker network has sped up, such that by the first quarter of next year, 200 parcel lockers will be put up around the island.

Online shoppers may get a wider range of parcel pick-up options as the nationwide parcel locker network is rolled out progressively.

Online shoppers may get a wider range of parcel pick-up options as the nationwide parcel locker network is rolled out progressively.

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SINGAPORE — The set-up of a nationwide parcel locker network has sped up, such that by the first quarter of next year, 200 parcel lockers will be put up around the island.

The initiative by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will see all neighbourhoods having such lockers by end-2021, which is a year ahead of schedule.

After the first 200 lockers are put in place early next year, the rest will be progressively made available until all 1,000 lockers are set up.

Each locker kiosk will also be within five minutes’ walk of every public housing block. 

Speaking at a virtual press conference on Friday (July 3), Mr S Iswaran, who was communications and information minister in the past term of government before the General Election was called, said that the initiative will “create a sustainable delivery ecosystem which will benefit both consumers and industry players”.

“Consumers can look forward to greater convenience and wider options in their preferred parcel pick-up locations, at affordable rates, while the urban logistics sector will be able to raise its productivity and efficiency in managing the surge in e-commerce volumes,” he added.

The locker network was conceived in March by Mr Iswaran as a sustainable solution to the rapid rise of parcel deliveries due to the growth of e-commerce. 

In a debate in Parliament, he said that such alternative solutions were needed to “enhance Singapore’s last-mile delivery infrastructure”.

On why the project is being completed ahead of schedule, Mr Iswaran said on Friday that this could be attributed to the “strong support of partner merchants and service providers”.  

To spearhead the nationwide parcel locker network, IMDA has incorporated Pick, a wholly owned subsidiary that will own, operate and build up the locker network.

These include working with other government agencies to identify optimal sites for the locker stations, ensuring that logistic service providers can access the network, offering flexible rates to customers and better engagement with the e-commerce industry. 

Mr New Soon Tee, the chief executive officer of Pick, said: “(We) will fulfil a vital function for parcel deliveries in Singapore, enabling logistics services to become a much more efficient and productive process, improving scalability and opening new opportunities”. 

Pick has already signed Memoranda of Intent with merchants such as Lazada, Shopee and Qoo10, and partnered with logistic service providers including DHL, FedEx and NinjaVan. 

The set-up of the locker network comes after the success of the Locker Alliance pilot programme led by IMDA, where 23 locker sites in Bukit Panjang and 39 in Punggol were launched in 2018 to assess the demand of parcel delivery infrastructure by merchants and logistic operators. 

IMDA said in March that the pilot showed a four-fold increase in delivery efficiency. Delivery drivers were able to despatch 250 parcels a day, compared with about 60 parcels if they were to do it door-to-door.

Source: Infocomm Media Development Authority

Related topics

parcel lockers IMDA HDB delivery e-commerce

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