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1、 外文翻译 The Rise of the 4PLMaterialSource:World Trade Author: Dutton, GailIt takes more than strategy to implement supply chain optimization. Lead logistics providers-logistics providers who manage other logistics providers-are the general contractors of the logistics world.You dont always need a 4PL,
2、but when logstics become overly complex or too expensive or a non-core competency to shed., the 4PL function can bring depth and unique expertise to process. And, as companies struggle to find a new fiscal equilibrium in the downturn, theres a good value proposition for consolidating the management
3、of that process in the hands of a 4PL.In todays constrained economy, as senior management increasingly eyes supply chain operations as a key enterprise driver, shippers are turning to 4PLs to find more creative ways to accomplish their goals.Optimizing the supply chain is a common first step, but th
4、eir continued value lies in managing relationships and infrastructure,standardizing metrics for reporting and analysis, and pushing innovation through best practices. “4PLs take a purely collaborative approach.” explains Eric Bond, president of the 3PL Mach l Global Services. There are millions of g
5、reat ideas wasting away in consultants PowerPoint presentations because the company was too busy to do further analysis or didnt have the funds to implement them.4PLs, however, have the capabilities to identify the most effective of those ideas and implement them.Diebold Incorporated needed such exp
6、ertise when it took its ATMs, vaults, security systems and other banking products international a few years ago, “We expanded very quickly into more than 60 countries very successfully, but without a lot of supply chain optimization,”recalls Chris Kushaul, director of global logistics.One notable co
7、mponent that wasnt scaled to the expansion was logistics.Initially, Diebold worked through 3PLs. But the number of relationships they could manage with a small three-person logistics department was under-standably limited. Eventually, Diebold contracted with Meno Logistics to act as their lead logis
8、tics provider.This arrangement enabled Diebold to leverage Menlos system, skill set and speed to manage a larger number of 3PLs. As another benefit, Kushaul says the 4PL had more resources and contacts that let him choose from among many freight forwarders and negotiate a better price than was possi
9、ble with his more limited contacts.Dieboids experience is increasingly common. “The complexity of the supply chain is so significant that a single 3PL cant do it all,” underscores Joe Gallick,senior vice president of sales, Penske Logistics, especially as shippers deal with multiple supply chains an
10、d management systems throughout the world.One challenge in managing multiple relationships is aligning different metrics and reporting formats. Each typically has a different way to manage the supply chain, and a different way in which to report, observes Richard Jordan,vice president,Performance Im
11、provement Group, AlixPartners. A 4PL would normalize that data, Jordan explains, making it possible to quickly compare data across the supply chain and across the company. For instance. Callick says, Penske knits together the 3PLs into a total, integrated solution. It considers both inbound and outb
12、ound aspects of supply chain logistics to leverage synergisms and, thereby, deploy assets as efficiently as possible.Another key benefit,Bond points out, is the analytic capability 4PLs typically offer, which allows managing the supply chain on a more data intensive basis. For example, the question
13、of whether deliveries arrive safely and on time is expanded to also determine whether distribution points have the right inventory and right inventory levels,Jordon elaborates.Optimizing the supply chain is no longer a question of getting a great rate between points A and B, notes Carl Fowler, senio
14、r director of 4PL solutions instead, “The question is why goods are shipped between points A and B.”Digging deeper to ask such questions creates an environment in which the supply chain becomes a competitive advantage.Take watches, for example. The raw materials for Citizen, Seiko and Timex are ahou
15、t the same, and the costs of manufacturing them are about the same, Fowler suggests, Therefore, they must compete on the strength of their supply chains-the ability to get raw materials and finished goods to the right place at the right time,he says, which necessitates looking at the issue from an e
16、nterprise perspective.Because a 4PL manages the entire network, it is well positioned to develop meaningful metrics in a common format using terms and definitions that are standardized across the enterprise and its supply chain. With such a system, shippers can see the hig picture as well as the det
17、ails of individual lanes, routes and facilities.Working with a top 4PL,also exposes shippers to best practices and encourages innovation through the supply chain. When a shipper works with a 3PL, the shipper determines what is needed, “But what if you dont know what needs to be done?” Fowler asks. T
18、hats when a 4PL can be especially beneficial.Because 4PLs work with a wide variety of companies in the U.S. and beyond, they are well positioned to see a wide variety of approaches to issues and to assimilate the most effective into best practices that may be applied to their own customers.When Menl
19、o is first brought in, We follow the money trail, Fowler says. Where is die spending? Most companies really dont know. They cant present a consolidated report that details spending or the reasons for it.So, he says, We unravel the mess.As an example of how 4PLs can drive efficiency,Fowler uses a fre
20、ight forwarding example, freight forwarders deal with chartered weights and actual weights,so the goal is to minimize the difference between those weights and thereby get better unit prices, he explains,A good 4PL takes the analysis beyond transportation,however,to involve packaging engineers and pr
21、oduct engineers, too. It often takes the collaborative environment of a 4PL to pull these groups together to optimize the aspects that affect the supply chain.Changing the structure of the network is an approach 4PLs typically take,Charlie Covert,vice president of global solutions implementation at
22、UPS, advocates optimizing the supply chain network, including warehouse and distributions center locations, staging and transportation nodes. “These are primarily one-time savings, but are important,” he insists. He also recommends taking a critical look at transportation modes and shipment times.Fl
23、uctuating economics may require changes to modes of shipment. “What combination of modes is appropriate from a tactical approach?”The decision to collaborate with a 4PL is what Fowler calls the “make versus huy”decision, On a basic level,anything that can be done by a 4PL can be done internally, acc
24、ording to C.John Langley,profess of supply chain management at Georgia Institute of technology.The question, though, is whether it can be done as well or as efficiently. “Is it more effective to improve supply chain utilization internally by finding and recruiting logistics experts in what several h
25、ave said is a supply starved field, create a vision and buy the tools and systems to drive value, or to outsource? Fowler asks. In most cases its the latter.4PLs bring the traditional benefit of outsourcing,Georgia Techs Langley says. Those include management and logistics expertise, return on inves
26、tment, economies of scale and the ability to adapt rapidly to change in the supply chain.Those attributes were at the heart of a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) move a few years ago to hire a 4PL to manage some $6 billion in DOD business. When some small and medium companies filed a lawsuit to bloc
27、k the move, Langley was retained by the government as a supply chain expert.The smaller firms fear was that a large company would take a significant amount of their business, he says, but the government found the advantages of working with a 4PL too great to miss.Benefits accrue to the 3PLs that wor
28、k with 4PLs too,Langley points out. Working with a large company can help sniall and medium-sized companies increase their volume of business, by exposing it to additional clients and other divisions,says Mach l Global Services Bond.The partnerships that are formed through 4PL collaboration mean tha
29、t we get the opportunity to do what we do well, Bond explains. A 4PL would have multiple partnerships, so I dont have to be an all-in-one solution. No company is great everywhere! he stresses.Its not enough to hire a 4PL and wait for stellar results. Instead, Kushaul says, Its important to set up th
30、e 4PL for success. Among other things, that means ensuring that 3PL knows its a requirement to work with the designated 4PL. Going around the 4PL to me isnt an option, he emphasizes.There are also a few downsides, Kushaul points out. “As you outsource, a bit of control is lost. Therefore, its import
31、ant to work closely with the 4PL to ensure you have the right level of detail and the right fit. The cultural fit is extremely important,too,”he adds. “The executive level sees and understands the benefit of a 4PL, but its not necessarily clear at the grassroots. Theres certain nervousness about the
32、 direction that has to be addressed,”Kushaul says. “We didnt change the people, he emphasizes,but we changed their work to ensure that Diebold requirements were well-met.“Only a fraction of supply chain managers have the understanding and commitment to use 4PLs,” Langley says.“Theres still a signifi
33、cant knowledge gap on the part of customers about the value a 4PL can provide.”4PLs are at about the same place 3PLs were 15 years ago. “The market is still trying to determine how to use them,” Langley says. WT.译文第四方物流的兴起 资料来源：世界贸易 作者：达顿，盖尔第四方物流的兴起带来了更多的方法去实施供应链优化。第四方物流领导物流服务商，并管理其他物流供应商，是物流世界的总承包商
34、。也许你并不时常需要用到第四方物流，但是当物流环节变得过于复杂或物流成本太昂贵或物流没有了核心竞争能力时，那么可以用第四方物流的优势所带来的好处去解决。比如第四方物流可以利用自身所带来的价值去解决一个公司低迷的财政状况。在当今的市场经济中，企业的高级管理层正在努力搜寻新的供应链运作方式，并利用第四方物流带来的价值去实现他们的目标。第四方物流发展的第一步在于优化供应链，但其之后的价值体现在管理关系、基础设施、规范标准的报告和分析中，并通过已有的经验推动创新。“第四方物流带来了一种新的协作方式”，“马赫第三方物流”的全球服务主席埃里克邦德解释说。因为公司没能对供应链进行长远的分析或者由于没有足够的
35、资金投入，所以现在成千上万的咨询师们的伟大思想在他们的演讲中已经日渐消逝了。然而第四方物流有能力找出这些问题的解决方法并加以实施。在几年前，当迪堡公司在应用自动取款机、金库、安全系统和其他银行产品时，他们就需要这方面的专业知识。 “我们非常成功迅速地扩张了60多个国家，但是并没有对供应链进行优化。”全球物流总监查理斯回顾说。一个好的供应链优化过程，不是物流规模的扩大。起初，迪堡公司做的是第三方物流的业务，但是由于人数上的制约，最终，迪堡公司作为米诺公司的物流服务商与米诺公司签约。这样的安排使迪堡公司利用米诺公司的系统、技能和高效率，管理着大量的第三方物流企业。查理斯说，第四方物流拥有丰富的资源
36、和客户，可以让他从许多货运代理中选择和商量一个合理的价格，相比他之前可能接触到的要更多。迪堡的成功经验是越来越普遍了。“供应链的地位越来越重要，以至于单一的第三方物流公司难以做到对供应链的优化。”Penske物流公司的资深副总裁Joe Gallick强调。作为供应商，面对复杂多变的供应链系统，第三方物流的能力是远远不够的。在管理多方关系中面临的一个挑战是调整不同度量标准和报告格式。AlixPartners性能改善小组副总裁理查德乔丹指出，“通常情况下用不同的方式来管理供应链和用不同的方式来报告，而通过第四方物流，这些数据就可以被规范统一起来。”乔丹解释说，第四方物流使得供应链上的数据和整个公司
37、的数据连接在一起。Callick说，“Penske物流公司将第三方物流整合在一起，形成集成的解决方案。”他认为在供应链物流的入站和出站方面利用协同合作，从而尽可能有效地整合资源。Bond指出另一个关键的好处是第四方物流通常提供数据密集型基础上的供应链管理。例如，货物是否安全到达、货物交付时间的问题是决定经销商是否有权更改库存，乔登阐述。卡尔福勒（第四方物流解决方案高级主管）说，“优化供应链不再是在点A和点B之间获取一个最大率的问题，需要解决的问题是为什么货物发运点是从A和B开始的。”我们应该深入分析这些问题的源头，创造一个能使供应链成为竞争优势的环境。以手表为例，公民、 精工和天美时等制造商所
38、使用的的原料是有相同的，并且制造费用也大致同样。福勒建议，“因此，他们必须提高自己的供应链竞争实力-能够在正确的时间到达正确的地点去采集原材料和生产成品。”他还强调供应链的优化需要从企业自身的角度去看问题。因为第四方物流管理整个物流供应链网络，所以可以很好地去定位发展一个指标。这指标要求采用统一的格式、术语和定义，从而使整个企业和供应链标准化。有了这样一个第四方物流系统，托运人就可以看到图片以及“鸽子航道”、线路和设施等整个供应链管理的详细信息。通过采用第四方物流，货主就会被告知最佳的物流方案，并鼓励他们通过供应链创新这种方式去处理货运。而当托运人采用第三方物流时，需要自己确定什么样的运送方式
39、是他们自己所需要的，但他们往往不知道自己需要的是什么样的运送方案。这个时候，第四方物流就体现出了特别的意义。在美国以及没过发生过物流运输过程出现意外的其他地方，第四方物流公司和各种各样的公司合作，他们知道解决这类问题各种各样的方法，并把最佳方案使用到他们客户的运输过程中。当第一次与米诺合作时，“我们根据资金的使用情况，分析钱都花在了哪些不该花的地方，最终找到了原因。”福勒说，原因是第三方物流企业不能提出一个综合报告，详细说明开支情况或开支原因。福勒使用货运的例子来说明第四方物流如何能提高效率。货运代理看中的是实际重量，所以我们的目标是尽量减少重量之间的差异，从而获得更好的单位价格。他解释说一个
40、良好的第四方物流需要运输以外的分析，它往往表现为第四方物流的协作环境。比如当物流运作过程中涉及到包装工程师和产品工程师时，第四方物流就可以推动这些团体联手影响供应链方面的优化。第四方物流通常采用更改物流供应链网络结构方法。Charlie Covert全球解决方案执行副总裁在UPS中提倡优化供应链网络，包括仓库、分布的中心位置、交通节点。“这种做法主要是为了节省时间，是一个很重要的方法”，他也推荐供应链网络优化的关键是着眼于运输方式和运输时间，比如经济波动可能需要改变运输方式的装运期。开展与第四方物流协作的决定就像福勒说的驾车的决定。“基于这样的基本水平，任何事情都可能由第四方物流来完成。”据自
41、称在佐治亚理工学院供应链管理工作的C.John Langley说。虽然，这个问题的关键在于它是否能同样有效地完成工作。在供应链人才缺乏领域招募一些物流供应链的专家来提高供应链的应用，建立一个远景和购买的工具和系统，以创造价值和实现服务的外包。“第四方物流传统外包的好处包括了管理和物流专业知识，投资回报率，规模效益，并能够迅速适应变化的供应链。”佐治亚理工学院的兰利说。这些好处是在几年前美国国防部提出聘请第四方物流公司来管理约600亿美元的国防部业务。当一些中小型公司发起抗议，以阻止这一行动，兰利的建议被政府作为供应链专家的建议保留下来。小公司担心的是大公司将带走他们很大一部分业务，但是兰利说，
42、“政府已经失去了与第四方物流合作的优势”。兰利指出，第三方物流产生的效益同样作用于第四方物流。“与大公司合作可以帮助中小型公司增加业务量。很多客户和其他部门的信息都被公开，实现信息共享。”马赫全球服务的邦德说。邦德还强调，“合伙关系是通过第四方物流的合作形成的，意味着我们有机会做得更好，在第四方物流将会有多个合作伙伴，所以我不必成为集全功能于一身的公司，因为没有一家公司伟大到无所不能！”雇佣第四方物流公司和等待灿烂的结果是不够的。相反，Kushaul说：“重要的是要建立成功的第四方物流。”除此之外，还要确保第三方物流知道它与指定的第四方物流的工作要求。但是有一些负面影响，Kushaul指出：“当你将业务外包，就会失去一些控制权，因此与第四方物流的紧密合作是非常重要的，这样可以确保你参与其中和知道一些详细信息。”他补充说：“行政部门看到并理解了第四方物流的好处，但它不一定在公司的基层得以很好的或是，有一些方向性的问题还是必须解决的。”Kushaul说：“我们没有改变他们的人，但是我们改变了他们的工作，以确保Diebold公司的要求是充分满足的。”“只有一小部分的供应链管理公司理解和承诺已使用第四方物流”，兰利说，“现在仍然有一个很大的空白，就是在客户方面关于第四方物流可能提供的价值。”第四方物流是与十五年前的第三方物流产生在同个地方。“市场仍在试图确定如何使用他们” 。
