- 4PL providers, also known as fourth party logistics providers, outsource logistics operations to subcontractors rather than owning assets themselves. They design and manage comprehensive supply chain solutions. - Outsourcing logistics to 4PL providers is becoming more popular among large Indian firms as it allows them to focus on their core competencies rather than logistics and reduce costs. Many global firms like IBM and Dell outsource to 4PL providers in India. - 4PL providers facilitate single point management of a company's entire logistics needs and use their expertise to design optimal and cost-effective solutions. This provides benefits like reduced transportation costs, improved service levels, and efficiency gains for client companies.

1. 4PL logistics providers — Scaling up supply-chain efficiency
About 75 per cent of the Fortune 100 companies and about 45 per cent of Fortune 500
companies have now gone in for 4PLs.
The term "4PL" was actually coined by the consulting group Accenture. In fact, they also hold
the trademark to the name 4PL.
Accenture defines a 4PL in the following manner:
"A 4PL is an integrator that assembles the resources, capabilities, and technology of its own
organization and other organizations to design, build and run comprehensive supply chain
solutions."
The transport sector in India: Manufacturers do not seem to pay much attention to their
transportation needs, relying on the conventional way of calling up truck operators and getting
the best rate. Thus, the firms end up paying a lot of money on transportation simply because of
poor planning on distribution.
However, things are changing with the entry of foreign companies that, usually, have strong
logistics support. This and the increasing realisation of the importance of timely delivery of
materials and products are slowly changing the way companies are looking at logistics.
In this context outsourcing of logistics makes a lot of sense for Indian firms not many of which
have a professionally run logistics division, feel logistics experts. This will free companies from
the worry of getting materials on time or distributing their products within and outside the
country.
According to global consultancy firms, outsourcing of logistics became popular in the
Netherlands in the 1990s, mainly inspired by the work of Prof Michael Porter, of the Harvard
Business School, on core competencies and creating competitive advantage.
Though India is still an emerging market in manufacturing, the presence of multinational
logistics firms, including SembCorp, Exel and BAX, and a couple of Indian firms such as GATI
and TVS Logistics is slowly changing the way products and materials are distributed.
In the last five-six years, some of these firms introduced 3PL (third party logistics providers) in
India and have now gone a step further by introducing 4PL (fourth party logistics providers). The
latter, the most sought after by firms abroad, are slowly becoming popular among large Indian
firms, say logistics experts.
In 4PL, logistics is controlled by a service provider that does not own the assets to carry out
logistics activities but outsources to subcontractors, the 3PL.
Leading Indian firms in various sectors no doubt have huge outlays on logistics. Sectors such as
cement, FMCG, electronics, consumer durables, and automobiles spend over Rs 2,000 crore each
every year, says Mr V. Sanjeevi, Director of the Chennai-based e-Logistics Private Limited, a
consulting firm on logistics, which is a 4PL.

2. Other major industries with a sizeable logistics cost include pharmaceuticals (Rs 700 crore), food
processing (Rs 200 crore) and paints (Rs 250 crore).
While the 3PL concept has around been in India for some time, MNC and large companies are
now going a step further and want to outsource their entire logistics to a 4PL. "To cut the
logistics cost, Indian companies in many sectors would be forced to go for a 4PL," say experts.
Globally, about 75 per cent of the Fortune 100 companies and about 45 per cent of Fortune 500
firms have now gone in for 4PLs.
This trend is fast catching up in India too, says Mr Sanjeevi.
In India, IBM, Dell, Nike and Philips have handed over their logistics operations to 4PLs. Much
of the 4PL service includes execution of activities directly or through 3PL service providers. e-
Logistics has been involved with a few leading multinational companies on the strategy to be
adopted for Indian operations, Mr Sanjeevi said.
According to him, the 4PL service seeker looks for logistics solutions from 3PL service
providers which, in turn, could engage other service providers.
The logistics activities and solutions cover order compilation and despatch planning, physical
transportation, in-transit monitoring, confirmation of deliveries, payment to transporters etc.
For the clients, engaging a 4PL means getting effective transport along with an entire distribution
system, high reliability, transparency, quality, efficiency and design new distribution scenarios,
says Mr Sanjeevi.
Though the management fee looks like an additional cost, the client receives more tangible and
intangible benefits in the form of reduced transport rates, of at least 10 per cent. Further, the
clients need not have in-house logistics expertise.
Says Mr S. Ramkumar, Vice-President, Marketing, SembCorp Logistics (India) Private Limited,
3PLs adopt a scientific approach to logistics, to optimise cost and improve service levels and
response. They also help clients achieve efficient inventory turnover and working capital
management.
On the other hand, 4PLs facilitate single-point reference for all logistics needs, possess
knowledge of logistics to obtain most efficient and effective solutions, have manpower resources
of higher quality to supervise vendors and ensure continuous process improvements and, above,
all an IT base to network customer systems.
According to Mr Ramkumar, 3PLs provide firms with forwarding and contract logistics by
taking care of the management of complex service chains.
However, a 4PL manages a comprehensive supply chain solution for a client, which is crucial for
companies looking to reducing cost. Incidentally, many IT firms abroad solely rely on 4PL IT

3. systems that cover inventory management and billing accounts receivable as well as sales
accounts.
A 4PL, he says, may be an established business partner elsewhere in the world or in a previous
business of the company and, hence, is seen as being more reliable and credible, especially if a
company is entering new markets, he says.
According to Mr Ramkumar, a 4PL takes advantage of local cost efficiencies at each location
while at the same time administering it overall. Also, since their scope covers the entire country,
there is economy of scale.