Bioworld Merchandising would like to focus more on its core competency, product design. To do so they have recently considered outsourcing some logistics tasks to a third-party logistics provider (3PL).
1/Based on what you know about their business needs, what type of 3PL firm do you feel might be of the greatest potential value?
2/What steps would you suggest Bioworld should be considered as they begin to analyze the feasibility of forming a relationship with individual 3PL providers?
3/Once the selection process is complete, what kind of relationship do you feel would be most appropriate: vendor, partner, strategic alliance, or some other option? Why?
4/How will Bioworld’s product mix and the product lifecycle create a unique challenge for a 3PL?