3PL Customers Expect IT, Global Capabilities

img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>Third-party logistics companies may be facing higher expectations from clients who want more sophisticated capabilities, especially when it comes to information technology and global reach, according to a pair of unrelated studies.

“More users are asking 3PLs to assume the role of lead logistics manager,” the authors of Georgia Institute of Technology’s seventh annual survey of 3PL services reported. But, they said, a gap exists “between what the customers receive and what they expect to receive.”

The study was conducted by C. John Langley, a professor of supply chain management at Georgia Tech, with support from Ryder System, which has a logistics division, and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, an IT management consulting firm.

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