Third‐party logistics in Europe – five years later

Discusses the results of a survey among shippers in several European countries involved in outsourcing their transport, warehousing and other logistics activities. The survey, which is a joint initiative of the universities of Cranfield, Eindhoven, Linköping and Rotterdam (Erasmus) and of ManDat GmbH, is a sequel to a similar survey carried out five years ago and has led to a renewed insight into the characteristics of logistics partnerships, the key success factors for making partnerships work, the concerns that shippers have about outsourcing and the benefits they expect to receive from it. The survey has led to two major observations: first, that the scope and level of sophistication of the partnerships has increased over the last five years, be it very gradually, and second, that the perception of outsourcing by shippers has not changed over the last five years.