First, Second, Third Party Logistics
An individual at Wikipedia asked the following question recently and I thought this would be a good opportunity to clear things up for those who are unfamiliar with the landscape of the 3PL industry:
2nd Party: The Company buying the product that is being stored or shipped
3rd Party Logistics Provider (3PL): The company that provides warehousing and transportation outsourcing.
4th Party Logistics Provider (4PL): The majority of people would agree that 4PL is little more than logistics consultant speak, but nevertheless here is the official definition courtesy of Accenture:
"A 4PL is an integrator that assembles the resources, capabilities, and technology of its own organization and other organizations to design, build and run comprehensive supply chain solutions."
"If an organization is a Third Party Logistics provider, who is the First and Second party?"1st Party: The Supplier
2nd Party: The Company buying the product that is being stored or shipped
3rd Party Logistics Provider (3PL): The company that provides warehousing and transportation outsourcing.
4th Party Logistics Provider (4PL): The majority of people would agree that 4PL is little more than logistics consultant speak, but nevertheless here is the official definition courtesy of Accenture:
"A 4PL is an integrator that assembles the resources, capabilities, and technology of its own organization and other organizations to design, build and run comprehensive supply chain solutions."
