Analyst Insight: Your target customers have completed their research and are ready to purchase your product. Then comes the final step in the purchasing process - selecting the delivery method (logistics channel) that best fits their immediate needs. In today's world, whether customers realize it or not, they are driving companies to become more flexible in their logistics capabilities. - Thompson Brockman, Partner, Tompkins International

Analyst Insight: Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) will no longer be able to squeeze the wages and benefits of their warehouse workers for cost savings. In the past, 3PLs came in with a lower hourly rate and a lower benefit package, with a mix of contract and full-time employees. The savings from this strategy, along with design improvements, workflow and systems, enabled the 3PL to present a value proposition with a lower cost for operation. - Valerie Bonebrake, SVP, Business Solutions, Tompkins

Hermes Transport Logistics, a provider of international logistics services to the retail fashion industry, has opened a branch office in Shanghai.

Doug Waggoner, CEO of Echo Logistics, talks about Echo's rapid growth and shares insights on growth strategies that transcend changing economic conditions.