From robotic logistics processing to drone delivery demonstration, the era of commercialization of advanced logistics is expected to arrive in the center of Seoul. Seoul has successfully demonstrated drone delivery as well as logistics operations using fully automated robots at the 'Future Advanced Logistics Complex Gas Station,' which was introduced for the first time in Korea.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been operating the GS Caltex Naegok Gas Station in Seocho-gu as a 'Smart MFC (Micro Fulfillment Center)' with state-of-the-art logistics automation facilities, including an autostore, since November last year. 

The number of deliveries using the autostore for six months at the logistics complex gas station has exceeded expectations, with a total of 4,374 deliveries and an average of 875 deliveries per month. In particular, the delivery performance in 2023 was 219 deliveries per month, but in 2024, it increased by 4.7 times to an average of 1,039 deliveries per month. In addition, the number of cargo entries was 5,115 per month in 2023, but in 2024, it increased by 1.5 times to an average of 7,876 per month.

At the logistics complex gas station, the logistics process such as receiving, sorting, and shipping goods is operated fully automatically through logistics robots, which not only makes delivery in the city more convenient and faster, but also maximizes space utilization, unlike logistics facilities where it was essential to secure space for the movement of people and forklifts. The autostore, which is located on a 105.62§³ (32.01 pyeong) site inside a gas station, has six robots that move more than 1,700 bins in and out, and can handle a daily volume of 3,600 bins. In addition, since the goods are stored in advance at the gas station and shipped out immediately upon ordering, the delivery time is shortened so that consumers can receive their orders faster, and to this end, the company plans to gradually secure stable volumes by identifying the daily logistics needs of local residents and large shippers.

On May 22, the company also demonstrated logistics drone delivery. The drone delivery demonstration was conducted sequentially for a total of five times, with GS Caltex in Naegok-dong as the logistics base and Cheonggyesan Waterfront Park as the delivery destination.

Drones are one of the next-generation high-tech delivery vehicles that are attracting attention along with robots as a solution to the problem of traffic congestion in the overcrowded metropolitan area and the resulting slowdown in the delivery system. Until now, drone delivery demonstrations have mostly been conducted for books and mountainous areas, but Seoul has been making commercialization efforts by conducting drone flight tests using the upper space of gas stations to settle daily logistics. If the demonstration of drone delivery in Seoul succeeds, it is expected to contribute significantly to the development of logistics technology using drones, as there are few demonstration cases in urban centers.

¡°Through this demonstration, we hope to confirm the possibility of using drones as a core technology for next-generation advanced logistics and take advantage of the opportunity to leapfrog Seoul's logistics technology to a higher level,¡± said Yoon Jong-jang, head of Seoul's urban transportation department.