Omniva, an international technology and logistics group, has opened its first MicroHUB in Tallinn, aiming to cut the number of van journeys in the city and help parcels reach customers faster.
The hub is a specially adapted container equipped with security systems and placed 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, an arrangement Omniva says allows it to use more cargo bikes rather than vans for parcel deliveries and supports greener urban logistics.
The first results are expected within a month and will help determine the next steps. In the following phase, Omniva plans to test parcel collection from the MicroHUB with Crowd Delivery couriers. If the pilot is successful, the company intends to introduce more MicroHUBs in Tallinn and a similar solution in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Estimates rather than measured results
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 an opportunity to handle growing parcel volumes without putting more vans on city streets, moving towards what he called smarter logistics with a smaller environmental footprint. Those figures are company estimates tied to the trial rather than verified outcomes.
Omniva added that the first MicroHUB has a creative side: its exterior was painted by street artist S-Boy's team to bring more colour and character to the neighbourhood and give passers-by something worth stopping to look at.