To ring in the beginning of 2010, we have again expanded Logistics List into 4 new states in our continued mission to expand the depth of our leading 3PL directory serving the warehousing, transportation, and distribution industries.

In our continued expansion into additional regions, we are happy to announce the addition of new extensions to Logistic List’s regional offerings covering logistics companies in Florida (focusing on 3PL providers in the FL marketing including Jacksonville, Orlanda, Miami, and Tampa) as well as a long overdue section for New York 3PL companies for logistics providers serving the greater New York area.

Also for you folks that are into social media we also would like to announce our arrival on twitter. Feel free to follow us @logisticslist. If there is a state that you think we should add next to our logistics directory please let us know.

This year’s annual 3pl study sponsored by Oracle, Capgemini, Georgia Institute of Technology and Panalpina was just recently released.

Since its inception 14 years ago, the Annual Third Party Logistics study has documented the growth and evolution of the 3PL industry.

The 2009 3PL study includes four streams of research:

• a web-based survey
• workshops with shippers
• leveraging the Capgemini Accelerated Solutions Environment
• focus interviews with industry executives.

To request a copy of the full study click here

We are pleased to announce the launch of two new regional directories at Logistics List covering Logistics Companies in Texas and 3PL Providers in Ohio. Our mission is to continue building out our directory to serve all of the major markets for warehousing and transportation services. While a good number of the logistics companies listed have a national presence it continues to be valuable to our visitors to be able to drill down and get a list of leading 3PL’s in each individual market.

If there is a state that you are looking for that we don’t presently cover look out in the coming months as we begin to add new states to our directory. [Read more…]

One of the best ways to keep abreast of the latest news and trends in the 3PL industry is to take advantage of the internet and the many different delivery methods available to you. No matter how you are in involved in the logistics industry you should be taking the time to keep yourself up to date with the latest 3PL news, trends and competitive activity. By investing less than 15-20 minutes a day in reading the right resources you can become more knowledgeable and effective at what you do.

5 Ways to Get Your 3PL News Fix

Email– Good old reliable email. It’s still the best way to reach most of us, and it is a great way to keep up to date with the latest 3PL industry news. Sign up for key industry email newsletters like Supply Chain Digest and newsletters from your favorite 3PL trade publications whether its Inbound Logistics or Traffic World. Of course don’t blindly sign up for newsletters (no reason for unwarranted spam), but do check out what your colleagues and other leaders in the industry read. [Read more…]

This week at the CSCMP conference in Denver the annual and always interesting 3PL Study was released. It was not surprising to see logistics providers evenly split between interest in pursuing green supply chain initiatives and those who are pessimistic about it fitting into their business with all the hype going around.

Also not surprising (given the study is sponsored by logistics software, and IT consulting firms) was that only 35% of users of 3PL Services said they were happy with their provider’s IT capabilities. I do think this is something important to keep in mind, but not a signal to 3PL’s to go out and embark on foolish IT expenditures. [Read more…]

Its a very positive sign to see that logistics providers are charging forward profitably as we move into a slow economic environment with companies like CH Robinson and Expeditors International leading the pack.

While 3PL’s that don’t actually own their own transportation assets are faring the best, the industry as a whole is in as much demand as ever.

With the high cost of fuel and the environmentally conscious initiatives sweeping the country organizations are looking for innovative and efficient means of managing their supply chains to minimize costs and their impact on the environment. Because of this outsourcing parts or all of their supply chain is becoming a more important tool in their arsenal.

Unfortunately the typical supply chain for a medium-large organization has never been more complex, but luckily logistics providers continue to be available to minimize that burden.

Download a Free Guide on Running a Green Supply Chain: Greening Your Organization and It’s Supply-Distribution Chains

Theres a new trend in town with Logistics Providers and it’s green.

I’m all for protecting the environment, and I’m even more for finding new ways to reduce transportation costs, but I’m not sure I can buy into the whole “green concept” just yet.

In particular regarding the purchase carbon credits (continuing to pollute the environment just as much but purchasing “carbon credits” to offset the damage your business does). [Read more…]

Every year that goes by more & more third party logistics providers begin to upgrade their inventory management/logistics software packages which if implemented properly will be nothing but a positive thing for the industry.

Because of the dot com crash of the 2000’s and the general conservative nature of the 3PL industry a lot of providers have been very skeptical of new technologies, and while they have acknowledged their existence and took note, few providers actually upgraded their existing offerings and took the plunge with the multi-million dollar expenditures required.

Enter SaaS (software as a service). By leveraging web based software, 3PLs are finally able implement scalable solutions that fit within their business models, rather than the sometimes cost prohibitive software solutions of the past. Better yet, it has never been easier to test out and experiment with different software solutions before getting fully immersed with a particular provider.

Logistics Software solutions have never been more flexible to the needs of supply chains, and 3PLs in the mid-market are in a position to leverage these technologies for the benefit of their clients.

Now the next question is will RFID ever take off as it has been proposed.

For every successful logistics partnership, there are the outsourced relationships that for many reasons just don’t work out. Maybe the logistics provider didn’t plan properly to take on a client’s business, maybe the company had unrealistic expectations. Either way here are some of the problems that can doom some 3PL Provider relationships to fail.

• Lack of Standard Operating Procedures
• Poor Communication during Client Implementation
• High 3PL personnel turnover
• Service Level Commitments Consistently Not Met
• Poor IT Capabilities
• Over Reliance on Technology
• Unpredictable inventory trends
• No Cultural Alignment found between 3PL and Client
• Focus on Lowering Costs over Exceptional Customer Service
• 3PL losing focus after a big acquisition or merger