What is the current situation of China's fourth-party logistics enterprises?

The present situation and prospect of developing the fourth-party logistics in China [Abstract] Third-party logistics can complete logistics services through a third party other than the supply and demand sides of logistics business, so that enterprises can focus on their core business. However, in the third-party logistics, enterprise fragmentation is serious, and the service field and service scope are narrow. Simple addition of service functions is difficult to achieve the best. To solve this contradiction, we must vigorously develop the fourth party logistics. However, the fourth party logistics in China is very irregular at this stage. This paper puts forward its own views on the development status and prospect of the fourth party logistics in China. [Keywords:] fourth-party logistics status and prospects for research and improvement. Since the beginning of this century, with the intensification of market competition and the refinement of social division of labor, some manufacturers have begun to outsource some businesses that they are not good at, such as transportation and warehousing, to "third parties" in order to concentrate more on their main business. These businesses all belong to a concept: "logistics". Compared with the past, logistics outsourcing has obvious advantages and its concept is constantly expanding, and people have a deeper understanding of the importance of modern logistics. Logistics management has been paid more and more attention. The original form of logistics is transportation. As far as the concept of logistics is concerned, the logistics services provided by goods suppliers are called first-party logistics, and the logistics services provided by goods demanders are called second-party logistics. The business model of logistics services provided by logistics enterprises other than Party A and Party B is called 3PL. Third-party logistics is a serialized, personalized and information-based logistics agency service based on the contracts and alliances of professional logistics enterprises, which provides all or part of the logistics services required by users in a certain period of time. The concept of Fourth Party Logistics (4PL) was first put forward by Accenture Management Consulting Company in the United States. It registered a trademark for this term. Their definition of 4PL is that "the fourth party logistics (4PL) supplier is the integrator of the supply chain, integrating and managing the different resources, capabilities and technologies owned by the company and complementary service providers, and providing a complete set of supply chain solutions". The main function of 4PL is to monitor the supply chain of manufacturing enterprises or distribution enterprises. Act as the only "contact" between customers and their logistics and information providers. Introduction of the Fourth Party Logistics II. Introduction of the Fourth Party Logistics 1. Related Concepts of the Fourth Party Logistics Accenture, a famous American management consulting organization, first put forward the concept of the fourth party logistics: the fourth party logistics provider is the integrator of the supply chain. It integrates and manages the resources, capabilities and technologies owned by companies and complementary service providers, and provides a complete set of supply chain solutions. The fourth party logistics mainly monitors the supply chain of manufacturing enterprises or distribution enterprises, integrates social resources on the basis of solving enterprise logistics, and solves the problems of fully enjoying logistics information and making full use of social logistics resources. The fourth party logistics has two characteristics. The first is to provide a complete set of supply chain solutions to effectively meet the demand. The second is to increase the value by influencing the whole supply chain, which can bring benefits to the customers of the whole supply chain. 2. Necessity of developing the fourth party logistics 2. 1 Provide the best integration of technology, warehousing and transportation services-the best integration of services. 4PL can find the "best" suppliers in every field without restriction, and integrate these different logistics services. So as to form the best solution. The key to the success of 4PL is to provide customers with the service and technology of "the best solution in the industry". However, 3PL provides services to customers alone or through subcontractors closely related to itself, and it is unlikely to provide the best integration of technology, warehousing and transportation services. The original intention of foreign 4PL comes from 3PL, which is a provider focusing on warehousing and transportation. Develop suppliers that provide more integrated solutions. In addition to warehousing and transportation services, 4PL suppliers also provide supply chain management and solutions, management change capabilities and value-added services. The development of 4PL solution balances the capabilities of third-party logistics providers, technical service providers and business process managers, and provides comprehensive supply chain solutions through a centralized contact point. 2.2 low-cost operation, to achieve the largest range of resource integration 3. Members of the Fourth Party Logistics 3. 1 Excellent third-party logistics service providers are usually enterprises with certain service facilities, service expertise and experience, providing all-round and diversified services such as procurement, warehousing, transportation, loading and unloading and distribution. It can also be an enterprise engaged in a certain aspect of logistics services. It is the main undertaker of the fourth party logistics in the operation of logistics entities. 3.2 Logistics Management Consulting Company This is a consulting organization engaged in logistics management services. For enterprises that need logistics services, it has no specific logistics facilities, but it has high-quality logistics management talents and rich management experience to understand and master logistics information. Mainly engaged in logistics audit and logistics planning. Logistics consultant, system implementation and logistics training are good at helping enterprises to make scientific planning and management, and improve their income and competitiveness. It plays the role of a think tank in the fourth party logistics. 3.3 The customers who participate in the fourth party logistics can be one or more, in the same industry or in different industries. According to its scale and strength, it can be divided into big customers and general customers. The so-called "big customer" plays two roles in the fourth party logistics organization: it is both a member of the fourth party logistics organization and a customer of the fourth party logistics organization. They maintain a long-term and stable business relationship with the fourth-party logistics organization. In addition to joint financing, they usually manage the whole logistics and procurement, including assets. Logistics managers and operators are transferred to the fourth party logistics organization. In return for capital contribution, the fourth party logistics organization is responsible for managing and operating the whole supply chain management function of major customers. 3.4 Other value-added service providers are mainly IT information service providers and professional marketing, packaging, processing and distribution service providers. Among the members of the above-mentioned organizations, third-party logistics service providers, logistics consulting institutions and major customers constitute the core layer of the fourth-party logistics organization, forming an integrated functional organization model. The fourth party logistics is mainly composed of joint ventures (capital, technical knowledge, infrastructure, machinery and equipment, etc.). ) and long-term contracting, etc. 4. Fourth Party Logistics 4. 1 The current development model and strategy provide strategic planning for logistics management. One of the important tasks of the fourth party logistics is to plan and design well. Optimize logistics management for users. From the supplier's point of view, as an inevitable countermeasure to deal with competition, actively seek to establish a stable channel relationship with manufacturers and form a deeper strategic alliance with manufacturers in technical management or service, which is a powerful driving force of modern logistics. The existence of strategic alliance is also one of the most remarkable characteristics of modern logistics. 4.2 Integrate various technologies and give full play to the advantages of information technology. To provide practical operation scheme for logistics enterprises and promote the technological progress of logistics, we should focus on the integration and integration of information management technology, network technology and e-commerce technology, and strengthen the foundation of logistics informatization. Intensify research and development, and make substantial progress in the commercialization of logistics information, standardization of logistics information collection, computerization and computerization of logistics information processing, networking and real-time transmission of logistics information, and digitalization of information storage. Ensure the high efficiency of modern logistics. At present, there are various expressions of the fourth party logistics (4PL) at home and abroad, and there is no very clear and unified definition. According to the definition put forward and registered by Accenture Consulting in the United States in 1998, it means "the integrator of supply chain, which deploys and manages the complementary resources, capabilities and technologies of the company itself and service providers to provide a comprehensive supply chain solution." Third, the development status of China's fourth-party logistics. With the "logistics fever" in China in recent years, the fourth party logistics is becoming a new industry hotspot. According to statistics, in 2005, the total expenditure of global logistics expenses reached 8 trillion US dollars. Among them, the logistics market share is 68 1 100 million USD, accounting for 7% of the total global logistics expenditure. From 2002 to 2005, the average annual growth rate of the global logistics market was 13%. At the same time, according to the survey of 4 5 0 large and medium-sized enterprises in China by China Storage Association, 7 5% of enterprises will choose new modern logistics enterprises. And outsourcing all its integrated logistics business to these logistics enterprises, so the market demand of the fourth party logistics in China is very considerable. However, there are still many problems in China's local logistics. 1. Logistics and industrial development are not harmonious. At present, the industrial structure of China is unreasonable. According to the data analysis of the third national industrial census, in China, for the whole supply chain of enterprises, the time spent in the manufacturing process accounts for about 10% of the whole process, and most of the time is spent in warehousing, transportation and other links, resulting in low efficiency and high capital utilization rate of enterprises. The sum of costs and expenses of transportation, warehousing, agency and wholesale industry accounts for 15.47% of the gross national product. If we consider the cost of other related circulation links and the logistics loss in the circulation process, the proportion of logistics expenditure in GDP in that year exceeded 20%, while that in the United States was only 10.5% in 196. For a long time, the operating environment of China's logistics industry is harsh, and local protectionism and multi-head management prevail. Especially driven by high profits, fake and shoddy products flood the market. At the same time, due to the widespread cash transactions in the market, tax evasion has become a common business behavior of logistics enterprises. The development of the industry lacks transparency and there are a lot of gray areas. And because the market is relatively closed and independent, the competition of logistics enterprises is mainly concentrated in the market competition within the industry. 2. The systems, policies and regulations related to logistics development are not perfect. The development of modern logistics in China is still in the primary stage, and the relevant systems and regulations need to be improved. The reform of property right transfer system, employment system, social security system, market access and exit system is far from meeting the needs of enterprise development. While improving its own logistics efficiency, enterprises must redistribute logistics resources inside and outside the enterprise, and the defects of systems and regulations hinder the redistribution of logistics resources. When logistics enterprises carry out cross-regional logistics services, they are often troubled by local protectionism, so enterprises choose more efficient external logistics services. When dealing with the original storage and transportation facilities and personnel, the resistance is huge, which will inevitably affect the improvement of enterprise logistics efficiency. 3. The demand and suppliers of the fourth party logistics are still immature. Generally speaking, large-scale international trade contracts are the premise of generating the demand for fourth-party logistics, because all manufacturers, sellers and even transporters cannot completely control all factors in the international supply chain. This is where the fourth party logistics comes into play. However, the reality in China is that, in the environment where the domestic logistics market is not high and the logistics industry is still immature, most enterprises still maintain the business model of "big and complete, small and complete" and pay little attention to the efficiency of logistics. Most of the logistics needs are completed by enterprises themselves, and the third-party logistics is still in the early stage of development. According to statistics, 4 8% of the third-party logistics enterprises in China are transformed from traditional warehousing and transportation enterprises, and most of them still provide some basic logistics services such as warehousing and transportation. Therefore, the current market demand for fourth-party logistics is obviously insufficient. Fourth, China's fourth-party logistics development prospects and countermeasures 1. To do a good job in logistics infrastructure construction, it is suggested that the government strengthen overall planning and increase capital investment in logistics facilities. Do a good job in the layout of outlets and create the necessary material conditions for the growth of the fourth party logistics. An important aspect of doing a good job in logistics infrastructure construction is to plan and build land for logistics facilities in large and medium-sized cities, ports and major highway hubs to form relatively concentrated logistics bases. In these logistics bases, multiple logistics enterprises can be concentrated to form scale advantages and further optimize logistics infrastructure construction. Therefore, in terms of logistics production policy, it is suggested that the government should focus on logistics infrastructure and have good logistics facilities and technical conditions to lay a solid material foundation for the fourth party logistics service. 2. IT-led strategic logistics operation informationization "integrates logistics resources across spaces", which makes information replace inventory and delays logistics, especially fourth-party logistics. Informatization is the foundation of its development. Therefore, IT technology providers play an important role in the development of the fourth party logistics. According to the national conditions of China, the IT industry has begun to take shape, and has made a breakthrough in supporting technologies related to logistics. Compared with the third-party logistics enterprises that have not yet achieved partial integration, they are more qualified to be the leaders in the development of fourth-party logistics. Through their respective advantages in technology, capital and talents, coordinate all forces to carry out industrial integration. Moreover, for China I T enterprises in the expansion period, it is a good opportunity to adjust their competitive strategies, cultivate their core competitiveness and maintain and expand their market share. 3. Supply chain integration strategy Because the fourth party logistics provides a complete set of supply chain solutions, it integrates the capabilities of management consulting and third-party logistics service providers. The design, implementation and operation of a unified technical solution to maximize customer value can only be realized through the joint efforts of Qixin consulting company, technology company and logistics company, which involves a supply chain integration problem. In China, management consulting companies and third-party logistics companies are still in their infancy, and this important task will fall on technology companies. That is, IT companies. The fourth party logistics undertakes the operational responsibilities of multiple supply chain functions and processes, including manufacturing, purchasing, inventory management, supply chain information technology, demand forecasting, network management, customer service management and administrative management. Technology and management are the two cornerstones of fourth party logistics, especially supply chain integration. In view of the relatively backward development of China's management consulting industry, the initial implementation of supply chain integration strategy should be led by IT enterprises, which coincides with the information-oriented strategy, but China's management consulting companies should take logistics management as the top priority in their future development. 4. Increase the development of third-party logistics enterprises. Create more conditions for the development of the fourth party logistics. The fourth party logistics integrates the whole social resources on the basis of the third party logistics. Only by vigorously developing third-party logistics enterprises can we create conditions for the development of fourth-party logistics, vigorously develop third-party logistics, cultivate large-scale logistics groups with international competitiveness, and improve the efficiency of logistics industry while increasing capital investment. Key measures to promote the overall development of logistics industry in China. 5. Realize the standardization and standardization of logistics services. The re-integration of logistics industry is a revolutionary change, and standardization and standardization are the lubricants to realize this change. Standardization can improve enterprise internal management, reduce costs and improve service quality. The fourth party logistics must find suitable interfaces among logistics enterprises in order to realize the integration of logistics industry. Standardized norms and standards provide this interface, which reduces the overall cost and makes the logistics industry embark on the standardized development path. At the same time, integrate stock resources, standardize logistics terminal service and implement whole-process logistics service. 6. Accelerate the training and introduction of logistics talents. Only on the basis of the continuous improvement of the quality of logistics personnel can we enhance our competitiveness, learn and apply advanced technologies and methods, and develop China's logistics industry. To build modern fourth-party logistics with China characteristics, we should take various forms to cultivate compound talents with modern knowledge for the development of modern logistics. While introducing and cultivating logistics talents, we pay more attention to training and training talents in practice, and form a large number of logistics managers and professional technicians who are familiar with logistics business and have interdisciplinary comprehensive ability. The development of the fourth party logistics must rely on the development and perfection of the third party logistics. The development of the third-party logistics is the foundation, and the fourth-party logistics can be said to be the supplement and extension of the functions of the third-party logistics, and it is the further improvement of the logistics model in China under e-commerce. They should develop together and jointly undertake the logistics function in China e-commerce era, so as to adapt to the rapid economic development in China.