Key Findings
Shippers and 3PL respondents agree that key factors responsible for the success of their relationships include: openness, transparency and good communication; the ability to create personal relationships on an operational level; the flexibility of 3PLs to accommodate customers’ needs; and the ability to achieve cost and service objectives. Shipper respondents devote an average 47% (in North America) to 66% (in Europe) of their total logistics expenditures to outsourcing, and all geographies anticipate increases in these percentages in the next five years.
As revealed in past studies, shipper respondents most frequently outsource logistics activities that are more transactional, operational and repetitive, and less frequently those that are more strategic, customer-facing and IT intensive. However, shipper respondents suggest that in the future they may be more receptive to outsourcing strategic services that may be available from 3PLs. The economic downturn is serving as impetus for shippers to reconsider the roles their 3PLs play in helping them make decisions about their supply chain networks.
As this study has reported since 2002, a discernable gap persists between the importance shipper respondents attach to 3PLs’ IT-based services and their satisfaction with those services. Other problems shippers cite with 3PL services include a lack of continuous, ongoing improvements and achievements in service offerings and unrealized service level commitments (both 46%).
This year’s study is divided into five major sections:
- Current State of the 3PL Market
- Economic Volatility
- IT Capability Gap
- Supply Chain Orchestration
- Strategic Assessment
By clicking on the corresponding links, you’ll be able to read a few excerpts from each section of the study. But to get the whole story, you should download the full report.
