DPD expands robot delivery service after successful trial

DPD intends to expand autonomous robot deliveries to 10 UK towns and cities in the next 12 months, starting with Raunds in Northamptonshire. 

The announcement follows the parcel delivery company’s successful trial in Milton Keynes, last year (June, 2022).

Robot deliveries were carried out in two Milton Keynes neighbourhoods, as part of a trial with AI-powered robotics and last-mile delivery company, Cartken. 

The DPD branded robots, which operated out of the firm's Knowlhill depot, navigated the city's traffic-free Redway network to access residential areas.

The decision to expand the service extends DPD's relationship with Cartken and follows work by DPD that identified up to 30 UK depot locations which could potentially deploy robots. 

Tim Jones, director of marketing, communications and sustainability at DPD Group UK, said: "The robots have exceeded our expectations, and the feedback has been fantastic. 

“We can see people's reactions when they meet them, and it is overwhelmingly positive. 

“We set out to understand the role that delivery robots could play in certain locations in the UK and the trial has helped us identify more sites where we could deploy the robots successfully.” 

The Cartken robots in Milton Keynes have travelled almost 500 miles and successfully performed more than 2,500 trips delivering parcels to DPD customers.  

In Raunds, the robots will deliver to nearby residential areas within a mile of the depot, via the existing network of footpaths. 

They will also have three separate parcel compartments, instead of just one in the original trial, and an extended battery life of up to 12 hours. 

DPD parcel recipients in Raunds will be notified of a robot delivery in advance, and once they confirm that they are at home to accept the parcel, the robot will be dispatched.  

Customers will then be able to track the robot's progress on a map and are notified when it reaches their property. They then use a code to open the secure compartment and access their parcel. Once the compartment is closed, the robot will either continue to its next delivery or return to the depot. 

DPD has worked closely with North Northamptonshire Council on the introduction of the robots in Raunds. 

Cllr Graham Lawman, North Northamptonshire Council's executive member for highways, travel and assets, said: "We are delighted that DPD is introducing delivery robots in Raunds.

“The council is committed to the environment and supporting clean and green alternatives to traditional forms of transport to reduce emissions. It is great to be able to help bring this innovation to North Northamptonshire." 

Jones continued: "Our aim is to be the UK's most sustainable delivery company and that means investing in innovations and trying new things. 

“We are well on our way to decarbonising our van fleet with EVs and we are also making a big step forward by switching our HGVs to renewable biofuel, but we are also interested in brand new solutions that can help us transition to a smarter, more sustainable future." 

Further towns and cities where the service will be deployed are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.