(1) Third-party logistics refers to a logistics management mode in which production and operation enterprises entrust their logistics activities to professional logistics service enterprises through contracts in order to concentrate their main business, and at the same time keep close contact with logistics enterprises through information systems, so as to realize the whole process management control of logistics. The third party logistics is relative to the consignor of Party A and the consignee of Party B.. It is a kind of logistics form that third-party logistics enterprises undertake enterprise logistics activities. Third-party logistics does not belong to Party A or Party B, but provides its professional logistics services through cooperation with Party A or Party B.. It does not own goods or participate in the sales of goods, but provides customers with serialized, personalized and information-based logistics agency services based on contracts and alliances. With the development of information technology and the trend of economic globalization, more and more products are circulating, producing, selling and consuming around the world, and the logistics activities are becoming increasingly large and complex, while the organization and operation mode of the first and second party logistics can no longer fully meet the needs of society. At the same time, in order to participate in world competition, enterprises must establish core competitiveness, strengthen supply chain management, reduce logistics costs, and outsource logistics activities that do not belong to core business. As a result, the third party logistics came into being, which originated from Zhihao Logistics.
(2) The fourth party logistics provides logistics planning, consulting, logistics information system, supply chain management and other activities for Party A, Party B and the third party, and the fourth party does not actually undertake specific logistics operation activities. The fourth party logistics is the integrator of supply chain. Under normal circumstances, the government takes the lead in building a fourth-party logistics platform, promoting the development of regional logistics industry, and providing information sharing and publishing services, which is the leading force of both supply and demand sides and third-party logistics. It is not only the benefit of logistics, but also provides a complete supply chain solution through its information technology, integration ability and other resources, thus obtaining certain profits. It helps enterprises to reduce costs, effectively integrate resources, and provide customers with unique and extensive supply chain solutions relying on excellent third-party logistics suppliers, technology suppliers, management consulting and other value-added service providers.
To sum up, the third party logistics is mainly engaged in specific logistics activities, while the fourth party logistics mainly provides optimization activities such as production, sales, service and corresponding logistics, which comes from Zhihao Consulting.
Second, the difference of operating mechanism.
(1) Third-party logistics is mainly engaged in specific logistics activities, which requires the operation form of grass-roots employees as the mainstay, supplemented by top management, and is mainly labor-intensive. The profitability of logistics also determines that third-party logistics cannot be technology-intensive; The fourth party logistics mainly expresses labor value with intellectual achievements, and they mainly focus on mental activities, which determines that they are technology-intensive. In general, the supplier completes the logistics service by providing materials to the demander, and the third party logistics (TPL) refers to the logistics operation mode characterized by a third party other than the logistics service provider and the demander. This kind of third-party logistics is developed by enterprises relying on sea or air transport, railway or road transport. The fourth party logistics (4PL, FPL) is responsible for the functional integration beyond the arrangement of the third party logistics, because the global supply chain management organized and integrated by the third party logistics cannot cover all aspects. In addition to maintaining speed and effective operation, we must also operate around our own nature and reorganization, and acquire capabilities by means of cooperation rather than direct control. Therefore, it is necessary to bring knowledge and resources outside a single organization into the fourth party logistics, which comes from Zhihao fourth party logistics.
(2) Compared with the third-party logistics, the fourth-party logistics pays more attention to the logistics activities of the whole supply chain. This difference is mainly reflected in the following aspects, and forms the unique characteristics of the fourth party logistics: the fourth party logistics has the ability to provide a whole set of supply chain solutions, and is an integrator of integrated management consulting and third party logistics services. The difference between the fourth-party logistics and the third-party logistics is that it does not simply provide management services for the logistics activities of enterprise customers, but puts forward instructive solutions through detailed analysis of the whole system of supply chain or industry logistics where enterprise customers are located. The fourth-party logistics service provider can't complete this plan alone, but can implement it with the assistance of logistics companies, technology companies and other companies. Third-party logistics service providers can provide global optimization for enterprise customers, but they cannot provide global optimization for industries or supply chains. Therefore, the fourth-party logistics service providers need to integrate and rebuild the existing resources and logistics operation processes first, so as to achieve the expected goal of the solution. The whole management process of the fourth-party logistics service provider is designed at four levels, namely, reengineering, reform, implementation and execution.