Omniva, an international technology and logistics group, has opened its first MicroHUB in Tallinn as a pilot intended to reduce van journeys in the city and help parcels reach customers faster.
The hub is a specially adapted container equipped with security systems and located inside a courier's delivery area. Couriers can pick up additional parcels there during their rounds instead of making a lengthy round trip to a sorting centre, which Omniva says will allow it to use more cargo bikes in place of vans for parcel deliveries.
The arrangement is designed to restock couriers locally so that last-mile rounds are not broken by depot returns. Omniva said it expects the model to save couriers time while supporting greener urban logistics.
First results are expected within a month and will help determine the next steps. In a second phase, the company plans to test parcel collection from the MicroHUB with Crowd Delivery couriers. If the pilot is successful, Omniva intends to introduce more MicroHUBs in Tallinn and a similar solution in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Hannes Falten, head of delivery innovation at Omniva, said initial estimates suggest a MicroHUB could save each courier up to three hours a day and allow them to serve around 20 additional customers. He described the concept as a way to handle growing parcel volumes without putting more vans on city streets and to move towards what he called smarter logistics with a smaller environmental footprint.
The first unit also has a creative element: its exterior was painted by street artist S-Boy's team, which Omniva says brings more colour and character to the neighbourhood and gives passers-by something worth stopping to look at.