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 3PL Study summarizes users' experience with 3PL providers worldwide and offers a vision on key future developments.

While some trends identified in previous years' studies continued, such as the outsourcing of traditional services like transportation and warehousing, the 2007 Study focuses, in particular, on three key themes, with some surprising results.

• Collaboration: Discussions with logistics executives reveal a gap between the desire to work collaboratively with 3PLs and how to go about it

• Emerging markets: While India and China remain the top outsourcing destinations for 3PL customers, proximity is increasingly influencing choice, particularly with regard to Eastern Europe

• Technology: Users express a higher level of satisfaction with the IT skills of 3PLs compared to last year, yet a gap persists with regard to performance expectations

More than 1,500 senior supply chain executives from 61 countries participated in the web-based survey that, together with in-depth discussions with participants in workshops on three continents, forms the basis for the Study.

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