An Analysis Of The Fourth Party Logistics And Study On Its Model

As the economy developed, Logistics has become a big industry; the service of supply chain is coming into a new stage with the development of information technology and emergence of outsourcing. The fourth party logistics (4PL) that was based on the third party logistics (3PL) will increasingly play more and more important functions. It supports a whole supply-chain solution for the customers through integrating different resources of the suppliers, which contains technology and abilities. Discussion about 4PL has been always under dispute while present logistics system has only a simple description, so it is important for us to have a systemic research about this field.This paper, in the first place, introduces the development of 4PL both here and abroad based on the conception of 4PL, then raises the question of 4PL at present and formulates the necessity and possibility in the 4PL modeling.Then, it particularly analyzes some key issues about 4PL as following: Comparing the relationship between 4PL and other logistics providers,virtual enterprise,agencies and government departments;Formulating theory discussion about 4PL based on authorized procuration and transaction cost;Analyzing the organized kinds and entry condition about 4PL ;Bringing forwards strategy implement and sustained competing power of 4PL and 4PL development in China. And we still give some suggestion about 4PL development according to it. Considering model establishment about 4PL is an important task for integrated supply chain management while there are fewer researches about it in academe now, so this paper posed some conception of 4PL and discussed a programming model from top to bottom, which concluded programming in the strategic level, selecting suppliers in the tactical level and evaluation of its performance in the operating level. We hope to put supply-chain programming and strategy plan into 4PL and finally form a systemic frame with 4PL.The framework is not invariable and consulting companies can choose different models in the practical project.Finally, this paper has a brief discussion about organize adaptation of 4PL and its model, concluding customer adaptation,international adaptation and service partition in the organization, which also consists the 4PL's future and some advice.The conclusions of this paper are: the challenges of 4PL is how to gather a right team dealing with different solutions and managing variety relationships; the success in risk investment of 4PL has to know clearly what service can be provided when facing different problems and competitive advantage based on customers; the core competing power of 4PL should be integration supply-chain oriented and create more value for customers; the entry in 4PL has some qualification, in the meanwhile, enterprises should not outsource their core business, and they can get double win only when the profit can cover the outsourcing cost; the organize kinds of 4PL is not invariable, they have wide units; the modeling of 4PL may consider supply-chain programming and integrate the whole systemic framework.