The rosy views were expressed in the 23rd Annual Survey of Third Party Logistics Provider CEOs in North America and Europe, which was released at the recent meeting of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, held in Orlando, Fla.

They were asked to forecast revenue growth for their companies and the regional 3PL industry for one- and three-year time frames. The average one-year company projection of North American CEOs was 7.8 percent with the three-year projection averaging 8.6 percent. Their regional industry projections were 3.6 percent and 5.5 percent for the one- and three-year periods, respectively.

The finding s were presented by Robert Lieb, Supply Chain Management Professor at Northeastern University's D’Amore-McKim School of Business.

The survey, which involved CEOs of 22 of the largest global third-party logistics companies, addressed a broad variety of topics, including 3PL industry dynamics, the growth of their e-commerce business, the impact of recent consolidations on the industry, the importance of technology in the industry, and Amazon’s continued movement into 3PL-like activities.

North American E-Commerce Marketplace
The e-commerce marketplace in North America continues to grow and evolve. It has become an increasingly important revenue source for 3PLs. On average, it comprises approximately 14 percent of the revenue base of the 14 companies involved in the North American survey, and their e-commerce revenues grew by an average of 18.46 percent in the past year. According to the CEOs, there were a number of significant changes in that marketplace in the past year. These changes included: steadily increasing customer demands for shorter delivery cycles; delivery trips becoming shorter as retailers were pressured to market position inventory; the growth of e-commerce of heavier goods outpaced the growth of package goods; returns became a bigger problem/3PL opportunity; and massive investments by Amazon and Walmart exerted real pressure on other retailers to change their strategies to compete.

Lieb noted, “While the growth of e-commerce presents real opportunities for North American 3PLs, they are also faced with challenges to deliver the required speed and visibility technology while being pressured by the larger e-commerce companies to continuously reduce rates.”

For full survey results, including West Coast and European results and additional 3PL industry trends and insights, please read the full synopsis here.

Source: D’Amore-McKim Business School