Logistics Management 20

The 3PL bubble Good news for logistics service providers: research by Capgemini Consulting shows that the use of 3PL services is increasing worldwide. A clear growth is particularly visible in the BRIC countries. Shippers value the expertise in the field of regulations and the optimization of their goods flows. In short: they find the treasure that is called 'added value' with logistics service providers. However, there is also less good news for the 3PLers from our region. Admittedly, we were also shocked when Walter Goossens, Head of Industrial Leasing at Jones Lang Lasalle, casually told us that there is a clear trend towards logistics insourcing among shippers. "To increase efficiency," Goossens added. After raising our eyebrows for a moment - isn't a 3PL hired to increase efficiency? - we wanted to know more about it. In the end, a logistics service provider should be the best choice both operationally and financially. And that was not always the case, when a number of Belgian companies made their final calculations. Hello, Capgemini? “It is vital that 3PLs and shippers work closely together and that 3PLs remain innovative by offering real added value to shippers and helping to reverse this trend,” is what it says there. To say that the whole 3PL story is a big bubble would be taking us more than a bridge too far. There is no doubt that the logistics service provider has a leading role to play in optimizing the flow of goods. But if you want to reap applause at the end of the performance, you have to do more than just know your lines.