Omniva, an international technology and logistics group, has opened its first MicroHUB in Tallinn, a pilot aimed at reducing van journeys in the city while helping 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 during their rounds instead of making a lengthy round trip to a sorting centre. Omniva expects the arrangement to save couriers time and to allow more cargo bikes, rather than vans, to be used for parcel deliveries, supporting greener urban logistics.
Pilot results expected within a month
According to the company, the first results are expected within a month and will help determine the next steps. In the next phase, Omniva 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 to apply a similar solution in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
Company estimates time savings per courier
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 framed the concept as a way to handle growing parcel volumes without putting more vans on city streets, and as a step towards smarter logistics with a smaller environmental footprint.
Falten also pointed to a design aspect of the pilot: the exterior of the first MicroHUB 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 to stop and look at.