Supply Chain Management Review interviews Chris Caplice, Executive Director of MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.
When supply chain managers examine the global third-party logistics (3PL) marketplace this year, many industry analysts suggest that they take a “granular” view.
“Regional distinctions are key,” says Chris Caplice, Executive Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT CTL). “Some regions, such as Brazil, require tremendous local knowledge in terms of taxes and other rapidly changing characteristics. I do not see the emergence of a single dominant player here since the local conditions across the globe are very different - and are constantly changing.”
At the same time, Caplice believes that the biggest challenge for global 3PLs will be harnessing the growing expectations and additional services required by shippers.
“For example, being able to capture and report the sustainability footprint (whether it is carbon or something else) created by a 3PL on behalf of a shipper is becoming more important,” he says. “Yet, it is still unclear exactly how to do this - the standards are in their infancy and are evolving.”