Survey: Air cargo shippers avoid “one-stop-shop” for logistics

Survey: Air cargo shippers avoid “one-stop-shop” for logistics

Survey: Air cargo shippers avoid “one-stop-shop” for logistics

Most large air cargo shippers would rather do business with several third-party logistics providers than be tied to a single service firm, according to a survey released this week by Unisys Corp.
   The survey found that 70 percent of large shippers interviewed preferred a diversified portfolio of logistics service providers in order to stimulate competition and achieve lower transportation costs.
   “Big providers have become bigger but, in spite of the billions spent on acquisitions, respondents to this survey were not positive about this trend,” said the Unisys Global Shippers’ Survey 2006. “There was a strong belief that no one provider, no matter what size, can provide a truly global service in just one mode, let alone service all modes everywhere.”
   The survey also found that large air cargo shippers enjoyed considerable service benefits from niche 3PLs. “By focusing on core competencies, the shippers felt niche players could deliver a better service, communicate faster, understand their needs, be more flexible and form a better business relationship,” the Unisys survey said. (For more details about this shipper perspective, read September American Shipper, pages 56-59.)
   Unisys, with help from consulting firm Triangle Management Services, interviewed logistics executives from 52 multinational companies, such as Honeywell, Philips, IBM, Pfizer, DaimlerChrysler, Caterpillar and Microsoft, for the survey. These companies on average spend about $150 million on intercontinental multimodal transportation.
   Other findings from the survey included shipper concerns over rising fuel costs, air transport capacity in Asia, and implementation of security regulations.
   “There was considerable nervousness among the shipping community that the cost of oil will increase,” the Unisys survey concluded. “This raises the possibility that increased fuel costs passed onto the shipper could divert more air freight to the sea.”