Provia survey lays out biggest challenges for 3PLs

Provia survey lays out biggest challenges for 3PLs    Supply chain software firm Provia Tuesday said the results of a survey conducted at its most recent 3PL Leadership Council meeting revealed that the top issues affecting third-party logistics providers today are 'decreased profit margins, reduced lead time to set up new customers, and the upfront effort and cost to implement solutions.'
   According to the survey, which was completed by Provia's 3PL customers, more than 60 percent of respondents believe that decreased profit margins and the reduced lead time to set up new customers are limiting their continued success, while half believe the upfront effort and cost to implement solutions are what's preventing them from achieving better results.
   In addition, an increasing emphasis on requirements, such as RFID and FDA mandates, further add to the challenges 3PLs face, Provia said.
   'Wal-Mart is putting cost pressure on all of our customers, either directly or indirectly,' said Jim Reits, vice president and chief financial officer of Hanson Logistics, in a release from Provia. 'As a 3PL to companies that supply Wal-Mart and others with mandates, we have to keep up with these rising demands in order for us to continue doing business with our customers who supply them.'
   Provia is a North American subsidiary of Viastore Systems.