The study was initiated 18 years ago by Dr. C. John Langley of Penn State. It was intended to highlight third-party logistics (3PL) providers as they transitioned from being vendors of discrete services to logistics partners with a broad range of integrated offerings. The study now encompasses four streams of research: surveys, desk research, focus interviews and one-day shipper workshops, the last of which are planned this year for Chicago, Amsterdam and Shanghai. Results of this year's study will be released during the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Denver, Colo. from October 20-23, 2013. Penske Logistics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Truck Leasing.
