The 2025 Third-Party Logistics Study, spearheaded by
Dr. C. John Langley of Penn State University and
developed in collaboration with NTT DATA and Penske Logistics, was unveiled at
the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)
EDGE. In its 29th year, the study delves into the evolving
dynamics of the supply chain under the theme "Navigating Change,"
reflecting the current challenges within the industry.
The research highlights three pivotal areas: Change
management in shipper (companies that manufacture goods or provide services)
and 3PL (Third-Party Logistics providers) relationships; artificial
intelligence; and the importance of the direct-to-consumer experience.
The research provides a deeper dive into the current state
of the 3PL market, and contemporary issues like nearshoring and trends in
commercial real estate and supply chain labor are also contained within.
Some key learnings from the 2025 3PL Study include:
- Change management is
essential to keeping pace in the marketplace: Shippers (61%) and
3PLs (73%) both agree that supply chain change management is vital. Demand
for change management is driven by customer experience, economic factors
and technological advancements. Among survey respondents, 58% of shippers
and 76% of 3PLs are currently employing a change management framework.
- Artificial intelligence
is a supply chain competitive advantage: Both shippers and 3PLs are in agreement that AI
can be pivotal in automating data analysis, identifying patterns, solving
problems and automating repetitive tasks. Results uncovered that 33% of
shippers are seeking implementations related to supply planning and demand
forecasting, while 19% of 3PLs reported planning implementation in this
area. Also, 27% of shippers expressed an interest in transportation and
route optimization technologies, while 22% of 3PLs noted they are planning
to install these capabilities.
- The continued e-commerce
effect is shaping the direct-to-consumer experience: 48% of shippers
and 53% of 3PLs reported that customers routinely expect deliveries in
less than two days, and 27% of shippers and 26% of 3PLs noted that there
are three-day or less delivery expectations. Shippers (44%) and 3PLs (38%)
are willing to absorb a small percentage of the costs related to shipping
speeds. Both shippers and 3PLs view delivery speed and further delivery
visibility as strong areas of differentiation.
The study surveyed 3PL providers and users of 3PL
services to understand the current state of 3PLs and how 3PL relationships
are evolving with their customers. The research continues to capture and
measure this evolving industry and document the transformation of the
third-party logistics sector as new challenges and opportunities emerge. The
2025 study and past versions are available for download at www.3PLStudy.com.
"While users and providers of 3PL services continue to
report successful relationships, they find themselves having to deal with an
increasingly wide range of challenges," said Dr. C. John Langley,
Professor, Supply Chain & Information Systems, Penn State University.
"While examples include economic concerns, geopolitical unrest, and
changing markets for supply chain services, they also are taking advantage of
change management processes to benefit from new and improved capabilities such
as AI and direct-to-customer proficiencies."
"This year's study once again achieves success with
providing readers with a nuanced understanding of the key issues facing our
supply chains today," said Ramu Pannala, Vice President of Supply
Chain Technology, Penske Logistics. "Technology will drive the
industry forward in many exciting ways."
"This reinforces what we see in the market regarding
businesses trying to manage through the volatility of day-to-day operations,
relying on new capabilities like AI, and deeper partner relationships,"
said Shanton Wilcox, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Consulting, NTT
DATA. "All of these efforts and investments rely on change
management to increase the likelihood of success."