Lise Bourjot, senior implementations manager of Celestica, explains why smaller companies can benefit from the use of an outsourced logistics provider -- all the while ensuring continued operational effectiveness.

In the wake of the Great Recession and the still lethargic economic recovery, the importance of sound governance practices across the supply chain is more crucial than ever in building and maintaining effective, collaborative 3PL-shipper relationships. Positive news in the authoritative 18th Annual 2014 Third-Party Logistics Study: collaboration between shippers & 3PLs is up. The majority surveyed say their relationships have grown more collaborative over the past three years, "with shippers even more likely than 3PLs to say they are much more collaborative." - Kate Vitasek, faculty, University of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education and Founder, Supply Chain Visions

Many companies unintentionally have created departmental silos within their organizations. Information and products go back and forth between the different functional areas, but the customer is often missing from the process. When lean supply chain strategies, which focus on eliminating waste, are implemented, once again the customer is often times left out. Instead of focusing on the client, the company focuses internally to improve processes. Research shows that undertaking a lean supply chain journey that extends outside the four walls of the organization significantly improves the customer experience, company productivity and the bottom line. - Eric Lail, VP, Continuous Improvement and Client Services, Transportation Insight

Analyst Insight: Final delivery - it's the last phase of the delivery process that places goods into the consumer's hands. What will final delivery look like in the future? There are multiple competing business models to fulfill the final delivery need, ranging from the engagement of independent contractors, to wholly owned internal operations and systems based on crowdsourcing. In the end, the maximum value provided to the end customer will determine who is most successful - not just who delivers the product. -- Lisa Kennedy, Project Manager, Tompkins International

Analyst Insight: Direct delivery of orders to the customer's doorstep is a hot topic for transportation and logistics executives"”from giants like Amazon to mom-and-pop specialty retailers. In particular, there is a lot of buzz around the direct-to-consumer cold chain. Free delivery and free returns, combined with the complexity and cost of cold chain distribution center (DC) and delivery assets, make for a chief marketing officer's dream and a chief financial officer's nightmare. How can you get this capability just right? - Don Anderson, Principal, Tompkins International