The North American Third-Party Logistics Industry in 2007: The Provider CEO Perspective

This article is a commentary reporting on the results of a 2007 survey of the CEOs of 21 of the largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers in North America. Collectively, these companies generated revenues of more than $30 billion in 2006. This is the fourth such regional survey of the industry. The other regions that are surveyed elsewhere are Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Each region has separate survey questionnaires. The methodology for administering the survey is described. The 2007 questionnaire focused on a variety of marketplace issues, along with the expanded involvement of private equity companies, new regional recruiting, training, and retention programs, recent branding efforts, efforts to deal with price compression and intense competition for management talent. Specific topics in the survey are listed, along with summaries of findings. Some of the topics include: revenues and profitability, operations in Mexico, geographic shifts of customers' manufacturing activities, mergers and acquisitions, and RFID technology. A table shows CEOs' perception of the three most important North American 3PL industry dynamics for 2007. Another shows the most important problems facing 3PL providers in North America. The companies, as a group, are quite bullish about the next three-year period for both their companies and the North American 3PL industry. A high priority should be development of contingent strategies for a possible slow-growth mode of operations.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1588960
• Authors:
  • Lieb, Robert
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 39-53
• Serial:
  • Transportation Journal
  • Volume: 47
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: American Society of Transportation and Logistics
  • ISSN: 0041-1612
  • Serial URL: https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/transportation-journal

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Executives; Market surveys; Marketing; Radio frequency identification; Third party logistics providers; Training
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Freight Transportation; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01105467
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 2008 3:24PM