The Study objectives are to:

• Measure the development and growth of the 3PL industry across major industry segments and several diverse regions of the world
• Summarise the current use of 3PL services
• Identify customer needs and how well 3PL providers are responding to those needs
• Understand how customers select and manage 3PL providers
• Examine why customers outsource, or elect not to outsource, to 3PL providers
• Investigate leading trends to provide a strategic assessment of the future of the 3PL industry

The 2006 Study features a number of improvements compared to previous years:

• A special focus on the use of 3PLs in emerging markets, particularly China
• Increased number of respondents and additional focus on Automotive, High Tech & Electronics, Life Sciences and Chemicals
• Contributions from three different customer workshops on three continents

The main input for the study is an online survey that is sent to executives within selected companies. A second, more in depth source is the output of the three workshops organized by the 3PL team. The workshops, which were conducted in Chicago on May 25, Paris on June 2, and in Shanghai on June 23, 2006, provided a unique environment, allowing senior executives from multiple companies over several industries to collaborate, share experiences and provide individual perspectives on logistics outsourcing.

The 11th Annual 3PL Study results were globally presented in October 2006 at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals conference (CSCMP) in the US and in Singapore at the SCM Logistics World 2006.

For more information or to download the study, please visit www.3plstudy.com.

Alternatively, you can contact DHL Global Customer Solutions. Please email gcscommunications@dhl.com and indicate if you would like:

• to request more information about the study
• to receive periodic updates about white papers, web casts, events and research
• to be invited to participate in future surveys and workshops