Logistics has been an important part of every economy and every business entity. The worldwide trend in globalization has led to many companies outsourcing their logistics function to Third-Party Logistics (3PL) companies, so as to focus on their core competencies. This paper attempts to broadly identify and categorize the challenges faced by 3PL companies and discover potential gaps for future research. Some of the challenges will be related with the experience and information collected from interviews with two 3PL companies. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Due to the fast changing environment of China’s logistics market and high participative level of foreign logistics enterprises, Chinese logistics players mostly suffer from their low service ability of Third Party Logistics. Big gaps certainly exist between domestic ones and foreign giants.   The thesis aims to compare the TMS of a local logistics company and a large multinational company. Investigating how TMS is applied in China’s logistics market and making comparison of TMS between a multinational company and a Chinese local company is the main contribution of the paper.     After conducting cases study and interview on a foreign multinational logistics enterprise United Parcel Service and a Chinese local small logistics Jiangsu Universal Logistics Company, this paper has a relatively high reliability and validity. Relevant knowledge of TMS, mode and carriers, and 3PL is selected to present in the theoretical framework.   In the thesis body, we compared two chosen companies from three logistical levels: strategic, tactical, and operational. In detail, we found a vast of differences lying in nine parts that we selected from the TMS reference functional model and domains. Considering the characteristics and future challenges of China logistics market, we strongly recommend JULC to adapt TMS. However, it is unfeasible for JULC to apply the entire TMS. Therefore, we provide the solutions in three perspectives. First and foremost, apply part of TMS in the relevant field, in terms of network design and capacity management. An equally important solution is adapting cost-saving solution in certain administrative field, namely: planning, vehicle, execution, finance. Last but not least, in order to provide the company more opportunities, a few general approaches will be presented.   After a closer examine of the consequences when the integrated solutions got applied, we surely drew the conclusion that 3PL performance of domestics companies will get enhanced in the near future.

Fine art logistics concept is revealed by Innovative third party logistics services. However, fine art logistics concept is quite new topic of current logistics literature and existing resources, acquired knowledge are limited. Furthermore, innovative logistics services, which are provided by third party logistics service providers and their relation with niche market strategy, are not well researched. This study is prepared for making contribution to current logistics literature about fine art logistics and to investigate relation between niche market strategy and innovative third party logistics services. The method used is a qualitative case study at Benice Logistics, a fine art logistics service provider firm, located in Turkey. This study concludes and suggests how, third party logistics service providers should be more innovative for settle new business trend, and how they can create new opportunities and new specialization areas with their innovative services.

This paper examines the process of employing four kinds of information systems in fourth-party logistics. The paper mainly tries to answer research questions: what is fourth-party logistics and information systems; what are benefits and barriers for using four kinds of information systems (RFID, WMS, EDI, Electronic marketplace) with the help of fourth-party logistics; what are unique benefits and barriers for fourth-party logistics to employ the four kinds of information systems and how to overcome the difficulties. To answer the research question, qualitative case study approach was employed and two case companies were chosen. Information in literature review was collected from secondary data for example scientific paper. Information in findings was collected from interviews of people in charge of the project and internal reports.   Definitions of fourth-party logistics and information system were reviewed in literature review. The differences between fourth-party logistics and third-party logistics were presented as well. In addition, categorization of various kinds of advanced information systems was also listed.   Benefits and barriers organized from literature and case studies were gathered and compared in discussion. Two significant benefits were identified: opportunities to do businesses with leading companies and improved efficiency. Two main barriers are confusion of the concept of fourth-party logistics and terminology of information system and financial justification. There are different opinions between the two case companies, literature review and empirical data, and between different literature. The paper concluded that there are many benefits and barriers for employing the four kinds of information systems in fourth-party logistics, and the future development of it is promising.

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[pt] A crescente necessidade de otimização de recursos e o maior nível de exigência dos clientes em termos de qualidade de serviço, custo e prazo tem influenciado na reconfiguração dos mercados globais. A fim de se manterem competitivas, as empresas têm sido obrigadas a investir principalmente em sua cadeia de suprimentos com intuito de garantir a sobrevivência no mercado cada vez mais competitivo. A terceirização é uma grande aliada à logística, mais especificamente o 3PL (Third Party Logistics), que tem sido apontado por diversos autores quando se fala em reduzir em custos, melhorar a qualidade de atendimento, aperfeiçoar controles, integrar os processos e implantar novas tecnologias sem impedir o foco da empresa no seu Core Business. O objetivo desta dissertação é realizar um estudo de caso na Petrobras a fim de identificar porque os Gestores optaram por migrar sua estrutura de terceirização de um 2PL para um 3PL. Os resultados demonstram 34 por cento de redução de custos, confirmando a proposição que a adoção do sistema de 3PL conduz a redução de custos logísticos; investimentos nas estruturas de governança implicam em redução de custo de transação e que controles, metas e indicadores contratuais possuem relação com o desempenho, além de contribuírem para gestão da cadeia de suprimentos. / [en] The growing need for resource optimization and the higher level of customer use in terms of quality of service, cost and time have an influence on the reconfiguration of global markets. To remain competitive, the companies have been forced to invest mainly in their supply chain in order to ensure survival in the increasingly competitive market. Outsourcing is a great ally to logistics, more specific to 3PL (Third Party Logistics), which was pointed out by several authors when talking about reducing costs, improving service quality, improving controls, integrating processes and implementing new technologies without prevent the company s focus on its Core Business. The objective of this dissertation is to conduct a case study at Petrobras in order to identify why the Managers chose to migrate their outsourcing structure from a 2PL to a 3PL. The results showed a 34 percent cost reduction, confirming a proposal to adopt the 3PL system that reduced logistical costs; investments in governance structures involved in reducing transaction and control costs, goals and indicators that are related to performance, in addition to the contribution to chain management.

O estudo aborda as características de relacionamento entre empresas montadoras e operadores logísticos no Brasil, tendo em vista o caráter estratégico da prestação de serviços de logística integrada na indústria automobilística, setor que vem apresentando uma transformação muito grande em suas práticas e organização. O foco de análise é a logística de suprimento em montadoras de automóveis, não se abordando a distribuição de veículos prontos. O processo de globalização tem exigido a reestruturação das empresas para sua sobrevivência e desenvolvimento, a busca de vantagem competitiva, pela incorporação a seus produtos, da cadeia de valor dos clientes, e, no relacionamento interempresarial, novas formas de administração de suas cadeias de suprimentos. Os serviços de logística se mostram mais abrangentes, na estratégia e processo produtivos, numa nova caracterização da atuação de operadores logísticos. Na sua terceirização, tendência firme que se constatou, teoricamente, poderiam se apresentar alianças estratégicas entre empresas. As características de relacionamento nessa direção são abordadas nesta tese. O estudo foi conduzido com base em fontes secundárias e pela realização de entrevistas junto a montadoras e operadores logísticos. Metodologicamente, adotou-se o estudo de multicasos na identificação de arranjos institucionais da operação da logística por operadores especializados. Foi identificado um ambiente em transição, em que a terceirização é um fato, com operadores logísticos, assumindo, cada vez mais, parcelas importantes das atividades dos contratantes. No entanto, o relacionamento está longe de caracterizar verdadeiras alianças estratégicas, apresentando-se uma interação dinâmica e, muitas vezes contraditória, entre as empresas. A consciência mútua das interdependências, aceitação e entendimento de interesses individuais, a serem conciliados em alianças estratégicas, com o objetivo comum de melhor condição competitiva e compartilhamento justo de riscos, custos e recompensas, podem ser fundamentais na implantação de novas formas de produção na indústria e na adoção de operadores logísticos únicos. / This study analyses the relationship among automotive industries and third party logistics (3PL) providers in Brazil, regarding the strategic aspect of the integrated logistics service in that industry, which is showing a remarkable changing in its organization and production practices. This analysis focuses the inbound logistic in car assembling plants. The globalization process requires firms restructure to enable survival and development, the search for competitive advantages, reflecting in their products their clients value chain and, in the relationship among firms, innovative ways of supply chain management. Logistics services assume a broader scope in the production process and in the company strategy, reflecting their providing by 3PL firms in a new way. In this outsourcing, theoretically, strategic alliances among firms could take place. The relationships characteristics towards this direction are analyzed in this thesis. The study used secondary sources and interviews were conducted with automotive and logistic services providers executives. For identifying institutional arrangements in logistics services providing industry, the basic methodology adopted was multicase studies. This work identifies a transition environment with outsourcing as a fact and logistics providers increasingly assuming relevant portions of the automotive industry activities. Nevertheless, their relationships are far from actual strategic alliances, occurring a dynamic and, many times, contradictory interaction among the firms. Consciousness of mutual interdependence, agreement and understanding of individual interests to be conciliated for the achievement of the common objective of better competitive condition and fair risks, costs and rewards sharing are needed. This could be a sound basis for the new production ways and define solids fundamentals for the new trend of full logistic provider implementations, already seen in the industry.

O estudo aborda as características de relacionamento entre empresas montadoras e operadores logísticos no Brasil, tendo em vista o caráter estratégico da prestação de serviços de logística integrada na indústria automobilística, setor que vem apresentando uma transformação muito grande em suas práticas e organização. O foco de análise é a logística de suprimento em montadoras de automóveis, não se abordando a distribuição de veículos prontos. O processo de globalização tem exigido a reestruturação das empresas para sua sobrevivência e desenvolvimento, a busca de vantagem competitiva, pela incorporação a seus produtos, da cadeia de valor dos clientes, e, no relacionamento interempresarial, novas formas de administração de suas cadeias de suprimentos. Os serviços de logística se mostram mais abrangentes, na estratégia e processo produtivos, numa nova caracterização da atuação de operadores logísticos. Na sua terceirização, tendência firme que se constatou, teoricamente, poderiam se apresentar alianças estratégicas entre empresas. As características de relacionamento nessa direção são abordadas nesta tese. O estudo foi conduzido com base em fontes secundárias e pela realização de entrevistas junto a montadoras e operadores logísticos. Metodologicamente, adotou-se o estudo de multicasos na identificação de arranjos institucionais da operação da logística por operadores especializados. Foi identificado um ambiente em transição, em que a terceirização é um fato, com operadores logísticos, assumindo, cada vez mais, parcelas importantes das atividades dos contratantes. No entanto, o relacionamento está longe de caracterizar verdadeiras alianças estratégicas, apresentando-se uma interação dinâmica e, muitas vezes contraditória, entre as empresas. A consciência mútua das interdependências, aceitação e entendimento de interesses individuais, a serem conciliados em alianças estratégicas, com o objetivo comum de melhor condição competitiva e compartilhamento justo de riscos, custos e recompensas, podem ser fundamentais na implantação de novas formas de produção na indústria e na adoção de operadores logísticos únicos. / This study analyses the relationship among automotive industries and third party logistics (3PL) providers in Brazil, regarding the strategic aspect of the integrated logistics service in that industry, which is showing a remarkable changing in its organization and production practices. This analysis focuses the inbound logistic in car assembling plants. The globalization process requires firms restructure to enable survival and development, the search for competitive advantages, reflecting in their products their clients value chain and, in the relationship among firms, innovative ways of supply chain management. Logistics services assume a broader scope in the production process and in the company strategy, reflecting their providing by 3PL firms in a new way. In this outsourcing, theoretically, strategic alliances among firms could take place. The relationships characteristics towards this direction are analyzed in this thesis. The study used secondary sources and interviews were conducted with automotive and logistic services providers executives. For identifying institutional arrangements in logistics services providing industry, the basic methodology adopted was multicase studies. This work identifies a transition environment with outsourcing as a fact and logistics providers increasingly assuming relevant portions of the automotive industry activities. Nevertheless, their relationships are far from actual strategic alliances, occurring a dynamic and, many times, contradictory interaction among the firms. Consciousness of mutual interdependence, agreement and understanding of individual interests to be conciliated for the achievement of the common objective of better competitive condition and fair risks, costs and rewards sharing are needed. This could be a sound basis for the new production ways and define solids fundamentals for the new trend of full logistic provider implementations, already seen in the industry.

In this thesis 5 Swedish companies that use logistics service providers (LSPs: carriers, intermediaries and third party logistics providers) are interviewed to establish how Swedish LSPs fare in terms on coordination. More specifically, the research is focused on answering 3 questions: (1) what are users’ perceptions about their LSPs’ coordination, (2) what coordination behaviors are the LSPs most and least successful in, and (3) what factors are affecting LSPs’ coordination.

Purpose: Corporations today see a greater responsibility towards society regarding the environmental impact of their actions, using available transportation options that are more eco-friendly can reduce this impact significantly. Martinsen and Björklund (2012) identifies a set of gaps between supply and demand of green logistics services. This paper aims to address what it is that affects the demand for these alternative solutions and what could be done to increase the usage of them, thereby decreasing this gap. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative study with six Logistics Service Providers (LSP) and 24 companies that purchase transportation services, all operating in Sweden. Data is collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with people responsible for the purchasing of transports as well as key account managers within the service providing companies. Findings: Just as the LSP’s interviewed in this paper thought, the main focus of the transport buying companies are the costs. Therefore paying extra only to benefit the environment and not the economy of the company is not something a lot of companies are prepared to do at this time. However there are solutions such as intermodality which are highly demanded, these are often both cost effective and more environmentally friendly, the problem as many companies see it, is that the rail network needs to expand to be able to cover bigger areas and increase the capacity. Research limitations/implications: The research paper focuses on companies operating on the Swedish market, for that reason findings cannot be generalized to other countries and sectors. Practical implications: Findings can be used by LSP’s and political decision making parties to get a better understanding of the demand for this type of services and what is perceived as important by the customers. Originality/value: There is a lack of earlier studies that mainly focus on the demand of more environmentally friendly transport services. Therefore a study of this kind is important to create an understanding and thereby improve the overall situation on the market in terms of environmental sustainability.