Recommendations to Improve Integration Process of 3PL Partners
Soni, Vidhi (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025053118825
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025053118825
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this study has been to improve 3PL integration process through streamlining internal logistics team and external partners' collaborations. Communication gaps impacted negatively on clarity and efficiency of the process and hence, emerge as key weakness throughout the research. For a more integrated and operational-friendly environment, these gaps must be addressed.
This study employs the qualitative action research method in order to address the case company’s problem through four stages: current state analysis, literature review and conceptual framework development, initial proposal formation, and validation. During analysis, the identified strengths and weaknesses indicated that communication gaps were the root cause of all problems. Information was gained from relevant literature on communication, logistics and 3PL partners relationships to build the framework for the proposed improvement. Initial proposals were then co-designed with logistics and 3PL teams, and were further shaped through feedback from additional stakeholders. The final recommendations evolved around the need for clear communication, digital technologies tools, and enhanced data flow via KPIs, audit, and access controls.
The findings resulted in an action plan that outlined a series of actions that might be taken to enhance communication within organizations, improve collaboration, simplify the integration process, and thus increase efficiency and robustness of the logistics system.
This study employs the qualitative action research method in order to address the case company’s problem through four stages: current state analysis, literature review and conceptual framework development, initial proposal formation, and validation. During analysis, the identified strengths and weaknesses indicated that communication gaps were the root cause of all problems. Information was gained from relevant literature on communication, logistics and 3PL partners relationships to build the framework for the proposed improvement. Initial proposals were then co-designed with logistics and 3PL teams, and were further shaped through feedback from additional stakeholders. The final recommendations evolved around the need for clear communication, digital technologies tools, and enhanced data flow via KPIs, audit, and access controls.
The findings resulted in an action plan that outlined a series of actions that might be taken to enhance communication within organizations, improve collaboration, simplify the integration process, and thus increase efficiency and robustness of the logistics system.