Rittal solutions for the biggest Chinese e-commerce platform

When vast quantities of goods are being ordered online, you are dependent on state-of-the-art logistics centres to guarantee efficient order processing and to deliver the goods to customers as quickly as possible.  In the case of JD.com, the biggest e-commerce platform in China, Rittal has supplied a diversity of Blue e+ cooling units, enclosures and power distribution solutions.

Online trade is booming – also in China. Turnover here is growing by around 40 per cent each year. From the still modest total of 125 million users in 2009, the sector has seen figures rise to reach 410 million in 2015 and 610 million Chinese online shoppers in 2018. The e-commerce logistics sector also faces a constant challenge to keep pace with this development.

JD.com, China’s biggest e-commerce platform, has responded by establishing “Asia No. 1”, one of the largest and most modern B2C logistics operations in Asia. Originally based in Shanghai, “Asia No. 1” has in the meantime developed nine more centres in eight major cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan.

Compared to conventional warehousing, e-commerce business places very high demands on the entire logistics system. The warehousing and stock-picking process must be efficient, precise and, above all, highly automated. This modern fulfilment infrastructure calls not only for sophisticated logistics installations, but also for high-quality enclosure, power distribution and climate control solutions. For “Asia No. 1”, these solutions were obtained from Rittal.

Solutions for logistics centres

The French-based Fives Group has been developing and supplying machines, processing equipment and production lines to the world’s biggest industrial companies for more than 200 years. As a logistics solutions provider, the Fives Group assumed responsibility for planning and realisation of the material flow and sorting systems for JD.com’s “Asia No. 1”, and chose Rittal – as the the world’s leading supplier of enclosure solutions – as a project partner.

Automated logistics solutions, ranging from the cargo-to-person picking system, the automated 3D warehouse, the high-speed cross-belt sorter and automatic driverless transport systems to the multi-storey loft-style steel shelving systems and numerous automatic conveyors, require sophisticated cabling between the individual logistics elements.  Various large and small enclosures from Rittal provide secure accommodation for the electronic components. Climate control is based on energy-efficient Blue e+ cooling units. Power distribution is realised by way of the Rittal busbar system RiLine. The latter scores highly for the project thanks to its compact design and flexible mounting options.

Box: Rittal solutions in logistics

Rittal solutions are to be found in all areas of modern logistics centres. Whether for the general building infrastructure with power distribution and IT networking, the product handling section with its automated loading systems, transport conveyors and high-rack management systems and operating panels, or the picking area with electronic weighing, scanning and measuring systems, Rittal offers large enclosure systems, flexible small enclosures and a variety of climate control and power distribution solutions. Rittal compact enclosures, for example, are an ideal choice for driverless transport systems. They represent a highly versatile solution for control applications with mid-range space requirements.

When it comes to sustainable enclosure cooling, logistics companies rely on climate control systems of the Blue e+ series. Here, Rittal has implemented a patented hybrid technology in combination with innovative inverter control. This hybrid technology is based on the interaction of a compressor cooling unit and a heat pipe. The compressor is only used if passive cooling is no longer sufficient.