The use of third-party logistics services by large American manufacturers: The 2003 survey

This article reports the findings of a survey of large American manufacturers concerning their use of third-party logistics services. Data generated in the survey show that the use of such services by this group of companies continues to grow and that the service providers continue to deliver logistics cost and service improvements to their customers, both domestically and internationally. Many of the users of third-party logistics services now share their service provider with their large vendors and customers, and this has contributed to supply chain integration. Few existing 3PL relationships were harmed by the recession as many providers and users collaborated to address related issues.