第三方物流与外包(英语)

Third Party Logistics & Outsourcing What is Logistics? Logistics has been defined as the art of managing the supply chain and the science of managing and controlling the movement of goods and other resources from the point of origin to the point of requirement or consumption. It may also involve the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing/stock-yards, packaging and transportation. Logistics is the geographic repositioning of materials/resources/products to the required location at the lowest overall cost possible without detriment to service quality. The origins of logistics can be traced back ancient Greece where logos is the Greek word meaning ratio, calculation, reason and Greek military with the name Logistikas were responsible for ensuring supplies were distributed correctly. The Oxford English Dictionary defines LOGISTICS as “The branch of military science having to do with procuring, maintaining and transporting material, personnel and facilities” I‟m sure you‟ll agree that the above definition captures the term accurately. How is Logistics Managed? Logistics management is that part of a supply chain which plans, implements, co-ordinates and controls effective & efficient forward (and reverse) flows of goods, products, services and other related information between points required by the customer and managed by professionals such as logisticians. In recent years there has been a huge increase in software development to assist logisticians automate logistics and work flows and given the complexities of customer requirements most systems are customised solutions. Outsourcing and Third Party Logistics Providers What is a 3PL? A third party logistics provider (abbreviated 3PL) is an organisation that provides outsourced or “third party” logistics services to other organisations for part or all of their supply chain functions. 3PL‟s generally specialize in transport services and warehousing and occasionally other related services such as re-work and work up solutions customized and scaled to customers needs based on a number of factors including: Geographic location Market‟s served Market condition Customer demands Service Delivery Equipment Required Types of 3PL providers 3PL providers can be categorised: Standard 3PL: This type of 3PL would perform very basic activities such as warehousing, transportation Service Developer: This type of 3PL will offer enhanced value added services (over and above those that the standard 3PL provider offers) including IT, track and trace, cross-docking, packaging specifics/re-work, security and a more focussed approach to scope for efficiencies and managing economies of scale. Customer Adapter: This type of 3PL provider tends to come in at the request of the customer to take over the complete control of the company‟s logistics activities. Customer Developer: This type of 3PL provider tends to be at the highest level and in most cases will integrate itself with the customer and assume all logistics and process activities. Non Asset-based Logistics Providers This type of 3PL tends to be brought in by the customer to run that customers own assets such as warehousing, transport, vehicles and will also perform most duties including booking, routing, man-management, safety and auditing. For a given contract the 3PL may only possess, management staff, IT and freight expertise. This type of 3PL will tend to work on a contract management fee which to earn they must meet pre-determined targets for operational efficiencies, negotiations with sub-contractors, improvements in customer service and be complimentary to its customers pre-existing assets. This type of operation is favoured by large multi-site retailers/FMCG organisations where they will engage a DHL or a Wincanton to manage a number of sites for a contract term. 4PL: This is a refinement on the idea of a 3PL and they are an integrator that assembles resources and capabilities of its own organisation and other organisations to design, build and run bespoke supply chain solutions. It could be argued that a 4PL is the same as a non-asset based 3PL Who should consider use of a 3PL? Retailers, producers and such like are always under extreme pressure to reduce costs and retailers see warehousing and transport as just that : a cost!! There is a definite and continuing trend towards outsourcing of services to 3PL providers. Various pieces of research have shown that cost savings can be made by outsourcing and by as much as 8 – 12% savings. How is this cost saving possible? By outsourcing it is assumed that the customers chosen provider has the best fit for their requirements by bringing increased efficiency in the supply chain. The 3PL should be able to pass on cost saving to the customer through benefits of scale as it is likely that the 3PL‟s primary functions are in the fields of warehousing, transportation, cross-docking etc and therefore have the necessary resources and skills for the task. The 3PL will consider all modes of transport including rail – which we hear more about in a later presentation – marine, air and of course road as they see best fitting requirements. Not only will the 3PL consider these modes but will consider combinations of all modes as they see best fitting the performance and cost criteria. The main opportunity for cost saving is the overhead for providing the service is assumed to be already in place – within the 3PL‟s organisation - to service other customers and therefore the cost associated is spread across multiple customers and locations. Other Benefits? The 3PL should also bring improvements to the supply chain leading to greater customer satisfaction and enable the customer to concentrate their focus on running and improving their business without the need to worry about the supply chain. Logistics is merely one step in the supply chain „Plan – source – produce – deliver (logistics) – return‟ but as it is the link between producer and customer it is by far the most important link and has the greatest opportunity for improving customer satisfaction and therefore potential growth that getting the right 3PL is important. Possible long term strategic partnership/fully integrated logistics as is commonplace in the Automotive and Electronics Industries. Is there a place for 3PL’s in the Forest Products Sector There are many examples existing 3PL involvement particularly in the paper, board and flooring markets so the answer must be yes there is a place for 3PL‟s but what about logs, residues and other products? Is there a place for 3PL’s in your sector? Hopefully what I have spoken about gives you an idea of what 3PL‟s can provide by way of operational efficiencies, potential cost-saving, improved supply chain & customer satisfaction but the questions you may want to ask of your own supply chain are?: Is there indeed a need for a 3PL in my supply chain? Would extension of 3PL services be feasible operationally and would it fit in with your existing service provision without too much customisation whether in part or the whole of my supply chain? Assuming it is an operational fit can I remove costs by transferring all or part of my supply chain to a 3PL? Do I know my real supply chain costs? Am I prepared to give up control in exchange for possible improvements to my supply chain and customer‟s satisfaction? Or am I happy continuing with current arrangements because we‟ve always done it that way. „If it ain‟t broke don‟t change it‟? Can a 3PL bring advantages working with some of my existing supply chain providers and involving them in a customised solution? Summary There is no one answer to whether 3PL involvement will work for your individual company as each individual company will have different needs and require different solutions which comes back to point made earlier about customisation of services. If certain elements are only looked at in isolation then the ideal fit will never be found but through dialogue with a 3PL and others in the supply chain it may be that better solutions can be found and potentially come with all the service, performance, customer and cost benefits associated mentioned previously. Food for Thought? David Murray Rail Contracts Manager: John G Russell (Transport Ltd) 0141 810 8200