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This research is based upon a 2013 survey of the CEOs of 15 of the largest third-party logistics companies serving the North American marketplace. The survey is the 20th iteration of this annual study, and it addresses such topics as the major dynamics operating in that marketplace and the opportunities and problems facing 3PLs in that region. It also addresses such issues as the movement toward near-shoring, 3PL actions with respect to environmental sustainability issues, 3PL services to the healthcare industry, and the industry's chronic problems related to finding and retaining talented managers. The CEOs also provide one- and three-year forecasts of company and regional 3PL industry revenue growth, while identifying the major changes they believe will occur in the regional 3PL industry during the next year. The implications of the data to 3PLs and their customers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the findings of the 2009 survey involving 20 chief executive officers (CEOs) of third-party logistic (3PL) industry in North America. The survey focused on several issues including marketplace dynamics of the industry and its involvement in green and environmental sustainability. It shows that consolidations in the industry have led to some brand confusion in the marketplace.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to document the extent to which large third-party logistics (3PL) companies have committed themselves to environmental sustainability goals. It also aims to examine the sustainability initiatives undertaken by those companies and the impact of those initiatives on the 3PL and their customers. Finally, the research seeks to examine the impact of the global recession of 2008-2009 not only on the commitment of the 3PL to their sustainability goals but also on how the recession impacted 3PL customer interest in such goals. Design/methodology/approach - The data upon which this paper is based was generated in two annual surveys of the chief executive officers of 40 large 3PL companies operating in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. These surveys were conducted in 2008 and 2009 and were part of a long-term series of annual surveys that began in 1994. Findings - The findings indicate that nearly all of the companies involved in the surveys have made substantial commitments to environmental sustainability goals during the past several years and that they have launched a broad range of related projects that have had quite positive impacts on those companies. Despite the recession, none of the 3PL scaled back their commitment to those goals; in fact, many launched new sustainability projects during that period. 3PL customers have also shown increasing interest in the environmental sustainability capabilities of the 3PL. Originality/value - The paper effort represents the first large-scale effort to document the commitment of large 3PL to environmental sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the authors discuss the result of a survey conducted on twenty chief executive officers (CEOs) in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry in North America in 2007. They reveal that the average annual revenues declared by respondents ranged from 225 million dollars to 8.5 billion dollars. They also indicate that only 25 percent of the surveyed CEOs admit that their respective companies had exceeded revenue growth projections.

Logistics managers in Europe's leading manufacturing and commercial organisations were surveyed regarding their use of third-party logistics (TPL) services. Their responses provide insights into the depth and scope of logistics outsourcing in Europe. Areas specifically addressed in the European survey include; services being used, related implementation problems, the benefits that have emerged and the impact of third-party services on costs, customer satisfaction and employees. The results indicate that logistics outsourcing, at least for basic services, has become well established in Europe. Emphasis on logistics cost reduction, service improvement and flexibility of response are at the centre of most logistics outsourcing decisions. On the downside there is a mixed response on employee morale associated with outsourcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a survey on the comparison of the use of third-party logistics services by large American manufacturers. The survey consisting of a cover letter, questionnaire, and postage-paid return envelope was mailed to the chief logistics executive of each of the 500 largest manufacturers in the U.S. as identified by the journal "Fortune." The executives were selected from the Official Directory of Industrial and Commercial Traffic Executives as published by the K-Ill Directory Corp. In some instances, the data provided in the Directory were updated with information available in the Council of Logistics Management's membership directory. Of the 500 questionnaires distributed, 92 completed questionnaires were returned by those surveyed and 18 were returned as undeliverable. The effective response rate was 22%. Fifty-five of the 92 respondents indicated that their companies use third-party logistics services, and in subsequent sections of this paper they are referred to as "users." This represents a major increase in the usage rates reported in 1991 and 1994, which were 37% and 38% respectively.