Eight out of every 10 companies in the United States use a third-party logistics provider (3PL) for at least one area of their supply chain, and not surprisingly, the economic recession has hit 3PLs hard as their manufacturing customers have had less freight to move. In its latest annual survey of 3PLs, Northeastern University identified the following "top 10" trends on the minds of 3PL CEOs as they look forward to 2010:
- Slow recovery of 3PL business, particularly in Europe.
- Many adversarial customers will become ex-customers.
- Stronger relationships will emerge with many key customers.
- More emphasis on "quality" customers and solid verticals.
- Less aggressive posture on mergers and acquisitions.
- Slower pace of geographic expansion.
- More emphasis placed by large 3PLs on alliances with other 3PLs, carriers and middlemen.
- Failures among small/medium size 3PLs in all regions.
- Chronic management shortages will be lessened due to provider and user layoffs.
- Sustainability issues will receive greater attention, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
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About the Author
Dave Blanchard
Senior Director of Content
Focus: Supply Chain
Call: (941) 208-4370
Follow on Twitter @SupplyChainDave
During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. He also serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its second edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.