The Third-Party Logistics Industry in Europe: Provider Perspectives on the Industry's Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study reports the findings of a survey of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of 16 large third-party logistics companies in Europe. It provides data concerning the evolution, status and future prospects of the industry. The CEO responses give insight into such matters as company size, service offerings, geographical coverage, marketing strategies and revenues. The CEOs are fairly conservative with respect to the growth prospects of their companies and the industry. According to the CEOs, the most important dynamics operating in the marketplace are growing customer interest in outsourcing a broader array of logistics services, downward pressure on prices and increased customer desire for one-stop shopping. They believe the most important problems faced by the industry are systems development costs, and matching promises with performance. They also believe that continued internationalisation provides the industry's greatest opportunity.