The competitiveness of logistics providers invested by liner companies vs global 3rd party logistics providers

• Main Author: Ong, Lorna Siang Nan
• Other Authors: Chiu Sai Hoi, Benson
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Maritime studies
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/148924
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Shipping logistics involves planning, implementing, and managing the flow of goods and information in the supply chain. In view of increasing competition, liner companies play on either outsourcing strategy or vertical integration strategy. The objective of this paper is to investigate the competitiveness of the business models of logistics providers invested by liner companies in comparison with global third-party logistics providers in the operational efficiency and technological aspects. The aim is also to identify the key success factors that customers value more highly and study the scoring of the two groups of logistics providers, and in the end, rank the two groups of logistics providers in terms of their competitive positions. To bring off the objectives of this research, a representative weighted competitive strength assessment was adopted, modified, and carried out through the medium of surveys. Respecting the operational efficiency aspect, the findings suggest that global third-party logistics providers, in general, outdo logistics providers invested by liner companies. Concerning the technological aspect, the findings convey that global third-party logistics providers (i.e., DHL Supply Chain and Global Forwarding, Kuehne + Nagel, and DB Schenker) outshine logistics providers invested by liner companies; contradictorily, logistics providers invested by liner companies outperform global third-party logistics providers (i.e., DHL Supply Chain and Global Forwarding, Kuehne + Nagel, DB Schenker, CWT, Gebrüder Weiss, Sealand Shipping, and J&T Express), specifically a narrow margin of victory. One thing to note is that the low average importance weight on automation of processes is inconsistent with the findings from existing research whereby automation of processes is one of the strengths of third-party logistics providers in meeting changing customers’ needs. As to the operational efficiency aspect, the present work recommends liner companies to review the process management of their logistics arms as well as the key performance indicators of their logistics arms in perfect order fulfillment. As for the technological aspect, the present article recommends liner companies to draw on blockchain in order to pull off a high average strength rating on data security. Attempts to consolidate the piecemeal studies on the key success factors in the operational efficiency and technological aspects in the current article serve as a reference for forthcoming papers. Future work on the average importance weight of automation of processes is recommended.