Latest news with #EricTan
Business Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
FedEx partners Singapore startup QuikBot to deploy robots for deliveries in commercial areas
[SINGAPORE] Courier and logistics giant FedEx has partnered home-grown startup QuikBot Technologies to deploy autonomous delivery robots to commercial areas in Singapore and to address the challenges plaguing deliveries in urban areas. The tie-up is part of FedEx's efforts to improve last-mile delivery in the city state by integrating automation into deliveries, thus streamlining courier operations and saving time, said the company on Friday (Jul 11). It does so by eliminating wait times in lift lobbies and security checkpoints, so couriers can move on quickly to their next stop and prioritise time-sensitive deliveries, said FedEx. Alan Ng, founder and chief executive officer of QuikBot Technologies, said of the challenges in last-mile deliveries: 'Last-mile logistics is one of the most expensive and inefficient segments in the supply chain, plagued by labour shortages, rising emissions, and mounting delivery demands.' Eric Tan, managing director of FedEx Singapore, added that delivering in dense urban environments such as Singapore's calls for the use of technology. By improving operational efficiency, QuikBot's technology addresses the challenges that plague deliveries in dense urban areas, said Ng. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Under the collaboration, FedEx couriers drop off parcels at QuikBot's forward fulfilment depots in selected buildings clusters. There, QuikBot staff verify and load the parcels into secured QuikBoxes. At this point, the robots enter the picture. Guided by artificial intelligence agents, these QuikBots can navigate lifts and access individual floors, accomplishing contactless deliveries without human assistance. QuikCat, a short-distance autonomous robot designed for quick deliveries, manages shorter distances and floor-to-floor deliveries. QuikFox, a mid-distance autonomous robot that can carry up to three QuikBoxes per trip, manages transfers between buildings and hands the QuikBoxes to QuikCats for last-mile delivery. The partnership follows a six-month pilot in two commercial areas – South Beach Tower and Mapletree Business City. The delivery robots are now in service in both places. They are expected to be set to work in more commercial buildings in Singapore by end-2025, FedEx said.
Business Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
FedEx partners Singapore startup QuikBot to deploy robot deliveries in commercial areas
[SINGAPORE] Courier and logistics giant FedEx has partnered homegrown startup QuikBot Technologies to deploy autonomous delivery robots to commercial areas in Singapore and address challenges that plague deliveries in urban areas. The tie-up is part of FedEx's efforts to improve last-mile delivery in the city state by integrating autonomation into deliveries to streamline courier operations and cut down on time, said the company on Friday (Jul 11). It does so by eliminating wait times at lift lobbies and security checkpoints, to allow couriers to move on quickly to their next destination and prioritise time-sensitive deliveries, said FedEx. Alan Ng, founder and chief executive officer of QuikBot Technologies pointed out challenges faced by last-mile deliveries: 'Last-mile logistics is one of the most expensive and inefficient segments in the supply chain, plagued by labour shortages, rising emissions, and mounting delivery demands.' Eric Tan, managing director of FedEx Singapore, also noted that delivering in dense urban environments such as Singapore can call for the use of technology. By improving operational efficiency, QuikBot's technology addresses the challenges that plague deliveries in such dense urban areas, said Ng. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Under the collaboration, FedEx couriers drop-off parcels at QuikBot's forward fulfillment depots at selected buildings clusters, where QuikBot staff verify and load the parcels into secured QuikBoxes which are then transported to their destinations by the robots. Guided by artificial intelligence agents, the QuikBot robots are capable of navigating lifts and accessing individual floors to complete contactless deliveries without human assistance. QuikCat, a short-distance autonomous robot designed for quick deliveries, manages shorter distance and floor-to-floor deliveries. Meanwhile QuikFox, a mid-distance autonomous robot capable of carrying up to three QuikBoxes per tip, manages transfers between buildings and hands QuikBoxes to QuikCat for last-mile delivery. The partnership follows a six-month pilot at two commercial areas – South Beach Tower and Mapletree Business City. The delivery robots are now fully operational at both sites and are expected to be deployed to more commercial buildings in Singapore by end-2025, FedEx said.
CNA
09-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Autonomous robots, AI chatbots help couriers speed up deliveries as e-commerce volumes soar
SINGAPORE: Logistics firms in Singapore are turning to solutions driven by artificial intelligence such as chatbots and autonomous robots to boost efficiency amid soaring e-commerce volumes. Parcel delivery giant FedEx, for instance, has rolled out the Quikbot, an autonomous final-mile delivery platform that helps couriers with the last leg of the process. Their commercial partnership began in May this year, following a 6-month-long pilot at two locations - South Beach Tower and Mapletree Business City. Quikbot has helped its couriers save more than an hour of work per day, during its trial at South Beach Tower. It has allowed them to focus on other aspects of their job such as customer interaction, said the company. 'It takes away the couriers' last mile challenges … such as waiting time for the lift … and crossing through the gantries, which are activities that the Quikbot robot can automate on its own,' said Mr Eric Tan, managing director of FedEx Express Singapore. The Quikbot, which can carry loads up to 80kg, begins its rounds at its assigned building. These buildings are digitally mapped out on a cloud-based system so that these robots can be programmed to take elevators on their own. 'We need to first work with real estate owners, help them digitise the building … (sync) doors, turnstiles and elevators,' said Mr Alan Ng, founder and CEO of QuikBot Technologies. The robots are then integrated into the delivery systems of FedEx and other logistics clients, and they can start offloading some work to technology. CHATBOTS AI-powered chatbots are also being increasingly used by logistic firms. Courier services firm Ninja Van has introduced one that can offer quicker and more accurate advice on procedures if its delivery drivers face any issues. The software also helps dispatchers manage more vehicles in the company's fleet, letting them handle deliveries across more sectors. Previously, drivers could only specialise in one type of delivery – such as to food and beverages clients or to retail customers – as standard operating procedures differ across sectors. With the support of the chatbot, they will be able to handle deliveries for different industries, said Mr Lai Chang Wen, group CEO of Ninja Van. '(For example, at) Orchard Paragon, there're optical shops and cafes. We used to send two different drivers – one specialised in the exchange process at optical shops (and) the other specialising in the handover process of coffee beans. Now we can send one driver who is better able to handle both types of complex jobs,' he said. 'Drivers just text on Telegram … (the chatbot) looks through our entire database … and everything is orchestrated in a way where we then provide a very clear, succinct answer to what he must do.' Mr Lai added that as the chatbot is tailor-made to each customer, clients can customise their delivery instructions, offering more flexibility than a one-size-fits-all approach. TECH HELPS COURIERS MANAGE VOLUME Experts said such efficiency gains will be crucial to manage the growing volume of orders faced by logistics and e-commerce firms. Data published by the Department of Statistics in August last year showed that the total revenue generated from e-commerce across all service sectors was S$401.1 billion (US$314.2 billion) in 2022, up from S$365.3 billion in 2021. Associate Professor Goh Puay Guan from the National University of Singapore Business School's analytics and operations department noted that such companies will continue to innovate to improve their efficiency. He added that being able to scale up and handle higher volumes is a critical part of their business model. 'That will include the use of different technologies, whether it's AI or automation, and a lot of it will involve tweaking the processes … and learning from what they have implemented, improving their work processes and workflow so that it becomes … better in terms of the deployment,' he said. Assoc Prof Goh added that automation will play a key role in the logistics sector's growth, including aspects such as route planning and optimisation to improve delivery timing. He also noted that hybrid delivery models would become more prevalent over the next five to 10 years, with humans working alongside robots.
CNA
08-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Man gets jail, fine for evading S$1.1 million in taxes by under-declaring value of imported cars
SINGAPORE: A 32-year-old man was sentenced to 28 months' jail and fined S$4,194,000 (US$3,281,000) for evading S$1,147,298 in taxes, and laundering proceeds of crime, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Customs said in a joint news release on Tuesday (Jul 8). Eric Tan Zhi Hao pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraudulently evading excise duties and Goods and Services Tax (GST) over the under-reporting of the value of imported motor vehicles into Singapore, the release said. He also facilitated the concealment of funds obtained from the criminal conduct and attempted to obstruct the course of justice during investigations. Tan had conspired with three other co-accused persons to under-declare the value of cars imported by parallel importer Lightspeed Performance, to Singapore Customs. Tan used his firm Eagle 9 Automotive as an intermediary to receive funds from car retailers that purchased vehicles imported by a firm called Lightspeed into Singapore, with Lightspeed billing Eagle 9 a partial amount of the actual value of the vehicles. To make up for the shortfall that was not declared to Singapore Customs, Eagle 9 would make separate transfers labelled as 'warranty payments' to two overseas companies, K3 Strategic and K3 Strategic Limited. As a result of the under-declaration scheme, which took place between 2022 and 2023, Lightspeed evaded GST and excise duty totalling about S$3.53 million over the importing of 485 motor vehicles, authorities said. Of the 485 vehicles, Eagle 9 was used in the under-declaration of 190 cars, resulting in excise duty and GST of S$723,141.32 and S$424,156.19 being evaded. Investigations showed that Tan was aware that the 'warranty payments' were false, and that they were created for Lightspeed to under-declare the true value of the imported vehicles to Singapore Customs. In total, Tan received at least S$188,416 for his participation in the under-declaration scheme. Besides tax evasion, Tan was also found to have been involved in the laundering of another's criminal proceeds and the obstruction of justice. After one of the co-accused was arrested by Singapore Customs around June 2023, Tan and the other two co-accused agreed to delete WhatsApp messages in their group chats about their scheme to avoid incrimination. He also disposed of his phone containing the messages. Court proceedings against the three other co-accused persons are ongoing. If Tan does not pay his S$4,194,000 fine, he will have to serve an additional 44 months of jail. 'Singapore takes a serious view on fraudulent evasion of duties and GST and related money laundering activities and will not hesitate to take stern enforcement actions against any individuals who commit these offences and persons who facilitate them,' said SPF and Singapore Customs in the release.
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
FedEx partners with Pick Network to provide parcel drop-off services across Singapore
Customers can now drop off FedEx packages at over 1,000 Pick smart lockers island-wide. PHOTO: FEDEX SINGAPORE — Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) has partnered with Pick Network, a local parcel locker provider, to provide consumers with the option of dropping off pre-labelled FedEx packages for delivery at over 1,000 Pick smart lockers located across Singapore. This will add to FedEx's existing infrastructure of two FedEx facilities and over 410 drop-off points across the Republic, bringing the number of lockers customers can now access for drop-offs to over 1,500. The move, announced on June 16, comes a month after FedEx and SingPost announced a collaboration to expand FedEx parcel drop-off points to all SingPost offices nationwide as well as at POPStop@Tampines MRT, increasing acceptance points from six to 43. FedEx said the collaborations come in response to rapid e-commerce growth and rising consumer demand for greater flexibility and security in parcel handling options. Pick's smart lockers, which will be available around the clock, can be found in residential estates, community hubs and shopping malls, and fit small to medium-sized parcels with dimensions up to 41 x 26 x 46 cm. FedEx customers will be able to drop off their packages at Pick's lockers directly and have the option of self-collection at over 2,000 locations, including Pick Network. Managing director of FedEx Singapore Eric Tan noted that 'by expanding our collaboration with Pick Network, we're building smarter, more accessible supply chains that give individuals and businesses even greater control over how, when, and where they ship'. He added that expanding the FedEx drop-off and collection network in Singapore will support evolving customer preferences and improve pick-up and delivery success rates. 'This move is primarily driven by the continued growth of e-commerce and the need for smart convenient solutions that offer greater flexibility and adapt to customers' daily routines.' Pick Network CEO New Soon Tee added that the partnership with FedEx has made it more convenient for consumers to send parcels through Pick's lockers to over 220 countries worldwide. The collaboration also builds on the previous partnership between the two companies under the launch of the nationwide parcel locker network in 2021, for which Pick Network has since been providing parcel collection services for FedEx packages. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
