- Alibaba logistics arm to roll out robotic warehouse system across Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Europe over the next four months
- Dutch fulfillment hub to anchor European expansion as Cainiao scales automation network across 18 countries
Alibaba’s logistics affiliate Cainiao (菜鸟) has tested its self-developed climbing warehouse robot during China’s 618 shopping festival and plans to deploy the system across four large-scale facilities in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Spain and the Netherlands within the next four months, according to a senior executive.
Bi Jianghua (毕江华), vice president of Cainiao and head of its logistics technology unit, made this announcement during an interview with media journalists on June 18.
The Yangtzeer reported in mid-April that Cainiao showcased the climbing robot, called Zeebot, at the MODEX 2026 logistics exhibition in Atlanta of the United States.
The first warehouse deployment, built in collaboration with Alibaba’s cross-border platform AliExpress in Dongguan, Guangdong, uses 134 robots that can move on the ground and climb shelving units to pick storage boxes.
According to published specifications, the robots move at speeds of up to 4 meters per second and can climb to five-level shelf heights in 10 seconds, increasing storage utilization by about 40%.
In the case of the Dongguan warehouse, Cainiao said the facility triples storage density compared with a traditional manual warehouse and doubles picking efficiency.
Stepping up the Europe expansion
Overseas expansion is now shifting to Europe. In the Netherlands, the logistics titan will build a new fulfillment and supply chain hub serving the broader European market, equipped with more than 100 of its in-house robots.
The facility, spanning 26,000 square meters, has a 10-year lease and is located with access to Rotterdam port and inland transport corridors. It will handle both business-to-business shipments and direct-to-consumer orders.
Cainiao has accelerated its European warehouse rollout this year, opening four sites in April alone in Daventry in the UK, Paris, Madrid and Rokitno in Poland.
The company now operates more than 50 overseas warehouses across 18 countries and regions, has deployed over 1,100 logistics technology projects globally, and serves more than 400 enterprise customers.
