(Yicai Global) Sept. 13 -- Courier aggregatorCainiao Network Technology under Alibaba Group Holding willinvest in Shenzhen YiLiu Technology, anInternet of Things company in the logistics sector, Alibaba announced today. The cooperation will applyYiLiu's IOT technology to Alibaba'sentire logistics chain.

Cainiaoand YiLiu, both based in Shenzhen,will useIOT, artificial intelligence and Big Data to serve millions of Chinese trucks, help cargo owners and truck owners optimizesmartroutes, cargo loadinganddriving safety dispatch, and move toward digitizingthe former's entire supply chain.Further details of the investment are unknown.

Over 13 million trucks operate in China. The large numberof vehicles, the small scale of companies, loose organization and other structural issues have long accumulated in the freight industry andare intensifying. General transport capacity is ratherexcessive,while the burden onoperators is quite heavy, and truck drivers runyear roundin poor working and living conditions, said Zhou Wei, chief engineer of China'stransport ministry.

Founded by Alibaba and others in 2013, Cainiao proposed thefull activation ofthe logistics IOT strategy, use of technology to connect the real and virtual worldsof logistics, and realize digitization and intelligence inall elements of logistics,such as personnel, vehicles, goods, warehouses and stores,at the Global Smart Logistics Summit in Hangzhou on May 31.

Formed in 2009, YiLiu Technology is a logistics-oriented IOT companythatfocuseson the digitization and smartificationof vehicles and goods.

Editor: Ben Armour