New Regional 3PL Directories

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.

Also if you are looking for warehousing, transportation, or logistics quotes in any city or region please complete our logistics information request form to receive up to 5 competitive quotes from respected providers in the industry. Click Here

Logistics Service Providers & Lead Logistics Providers

In this increasingly volatile business environment, logistics providers continue to look for ways to define themselves and deliver best-in-class services. But a lot of times these attempts at differentiation lead to confusing jargon and acronyms that continue to be built upon year after year.

A few years ago I wrote a post to help distinguish the difference between 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th party logistics. The other day I read a great article in DC Velocity that claimed there was a consultant out there that was trying to define "5th party logistics".

The latest jargon that is now gaining adoption is that of the Logistics Service Provider and Lead Logistics Provider

Logistics Service Provider - An LSP is really what most people would see as a traditional 3PL provider offering a combination of warehousing and transportation services or one or the other. As global and multi national providers enter the game, things have certainly changed, but the Logistics Service Provider at its core is fundamentally the same.

Lead Logistics Provider - An LLP is the new term that consultants now more frequently use instead of 4PL. At the most basic level a Lead Logistics Provider is nothing more than a Non-Asset Based 3PL, but there is certainly an emerging field of logistics providers that oversee and manage a portfolio of warehousing and transportation providers from a higher level.

At the end of the day you can call 3PL providers whatever you want but its still about storing and shipping things.

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3PL News - Where & How to Get It

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.

RSS Feeds - RSS is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways of filtering noise and effectively reading business information. Sign up for free services like Google Reader or Bloglines and subscribe to news feeds for a number of key sources like Logistics Management, prominent 3PL news bloggers like 3plwire.com and news aggregators like 3PLnews.com. And not to self promote but you can also subscribe to the logisticslist.com rss feed to get our latest posts sent directly to you.

Logistics Blogs - While almost all logistics bloggers have RSS feeds, sometimes people just like to bookmark their favorite ones and visit them once a week or month or so. There are definitely some great blogs out there like Eric Joiner's FreightDawg and the infrequently updated but incredibly authoritative BlogonLog.

Social Networks - Most of you already know about LinkedIn (and if you don't then I highly recommend you create an account). From a career & business development standpoint, LinkedIn is a highly effective way to do deeper research into companies you may want to work with and provides insight into their experience and how long their employees have been with the company, tenure etc..

Another great 3PL oriented social network that you may not have heard of is Supply Chain Daily which allows you to vote on the best articles in the logistics industries, aggregate 3PL news, and build a network of logistics influencers to share articles and industry news with.

Logistics Magazines - If all this technology stuff doesn't do it for you, then I suggest you go back to where it all started and subscribe to leading logistics trade magazines still available in print form. Its also worth mentioning that most of the best print trade publications typically also have accompanying websites.

3PL Study 2008

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.

Never lose site of the fact that technology investments should be used to accelerate your business and make you better and more effective at what you do, rather than a poorly planned expense executed out of fear or as a reaction to the competition.

• Do be aware of the hidden costs of supply chain software
• Do make IT investments that will increase value for your customers
• Do ensure that increased value for your customers also means increased efficiencies rather than thinner margins.
  

Sample RFP Template for Logistics Software

There is no question that making an informed decision when selecting a WMS or TMS system for your organization whether you are a 3PL provider, manage your supply chain in-house or are talking with a 3PL about the capabilities of their TMS is critical to your succcess.

I remember someone once told me the old adage regarding the purchasing of enterprise systems, "No one ever got fired for choosing IBM." and it really struck me. Now yes IBM does have extensive solutions for the supply chain, but I'm not here to plug IBM.

Adages like that really speak to how selection of software can in some instances be a make or break career move. Not every organization can afford IBM, and with innovations in technology that usually isn't the answer as there are much more highly specialized logistics software firms that are nimbler and can develop custom software solutions to meet your needs. But what I'm trying to say is using due diligence when selecting a logistics software vendor for a warehouse management system is not optional.

In the past I have been critical of companies that issue exhaustive RFP's or yearly benchmarking exercises, most notably my post Selecting a Logistics Provider Without an RFP.

But at the same time, you really do need to make sure that the selection of your software vendor is hailed as a huge step forward throughout your organization and not a colossal failure.

If you are going to issue an RFP, make sure to have a clear understanding of your organization's needs and reach out to your colleagues to see if they might have a sample RFP they may have used in the past.

There are also some great Free Logistics Software RFP Templates out there if you're looking for something at least to get things started.

HighJump recently released a new template for WMS RFPs that can be downloaded for free here.

3PL Providers Thriving Despite Economy Woes

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

5 Recommended Logistics Conferences for 3PLs

While there is no question that attending conferences and trade shows is expensive and can sometimes be a time hog for top executives, the relationships that are built at these events is priceless. Logistics Conferences are a great opportunity to get in tune with new trends in the market, generate new business relationships, and give you updated insight and intelligence on the competition.

Similarly for companies looking to outsource their warehousing or transportation services, logistics conferences provide an opportunity to meet potential 3PL partners in person and get a feel for who the key players are and the strengths and weaknesses of the leading logistics providers.

Here are 5 of our highly recommended logistics conferences

CSCSMP
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals hosts one of the biggest logistics conferences featuring over 200 Educational sessions at its Annual Global Conference

WERC
The Warehousing Education and Research Council's Annual Conference is a valuable trade show and convention focused on the latest happenings in the warehousing industry.

EyeForTransport
Online publication EyeforTransport holds a popular conference bringing the CEO's and presidents of the country's top 3PL providers together for its annual 3PL Summit.

IWLA
The International Warehouse Logistics Association trade organization has launched their Convention & Expo which is a great opportunity for 3PL providers to get abreast of the newest logistics technologies and trends in the industry. Also from the IWLA is their Sales & Marketing Conference which is a unique opportunity for 3PL providers to meet with each other and discuss emerging sales and marketing trends and learn best practices for building long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with their clients.