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During the past two years the global third-party logistics (3PL) industry has been heavily impacted by the global recession. Volumes have fallen dramatically, customers have failed, and pricing pressures have [...]

A study analyzes survey data to investigate the extent to which large third-party logistics (3PL) companies are committed to environmental sustainability goals, and to examine their impact on the companies and their customers. Results indicate that 3PL companies are substantially committed to implementing their environmental sustainability goals, which has a positive impact on the companies and their customers.

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.

The article reports the findings of a survey of the chief logistics executives of the 500 largest manufacturers in the United States concerning their use of third-party logistics services. One of the most widely discussed contemporary topics in the field of business logistics is the evolution of third-party logistics. Third-party logistics involves the use of external companies to perform logistics functions that have traditionally been performed within an organization. The functions performed by the third party can encompass the entire logistics process or selected activities within that process. The number of companies offering such services has expanded rapidly during the past several years. Those companies have tended to enter the industry through public warehousing, transportation services, or corporate spin-offs. While many third-party providers are small, a number of major players have entered the industry, including Federal Express, Roadway Express, CSX Transportation Inc., and United Parcel Service. The concept of third-party logistics has led to considerable debate within the logistics community. Those advocating the use of third-party services contend that manufacturers should concentrate on their core business, while allowing others to manage the logistics function.