IN THE NEWS: Strategic Partnerships Not So Important to Shippers These Days

The Loadstar
October 20, 2025
Ian Putzger

FROM THE ARTICLE: Are ties between forwarders and cargo owners weakening? The 2026 Third-Party Logistics Study unveiled by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals reveals a divergence of the two sides on their relationships.

About 88% of shippers surveyed described their engagement with 3PLs as "strategic," only 55% of their logistics spend goes to stragetic partnerships, the remaining 45% is classified as transactional spend.
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ITS Logistics is keeping its strong focus on building stronger customer relationships. "We've seen this progress despite the headwinds," said Chief Commercial Officer Josh Allen.

ITS has built a system around the customer journey to deeper ties, with defined chapers, definitions, and a road map, which begins with an initial assessment in how far an individual customer is focused on objectives that open the door to progress beyond tactical engagement.

In the process, relationships evolve from single-barrelled engagements to multi-threaded contracts at various levels, from operational and field to procruement and senior leadership levels, he said.

Not withstanding the current headwinds, the fundamental reason for cargo owners to seek closer ties with logistics providers has not changed—to leverage supply chain as a completitve lement for their buiness, he explained. This is where he sees opportunities for forwarders.

"To compete in today's marketplace, you have to elevate relationships, your offering and your capability, and when you solve real problems or when you create real value for the customers, that's when you get opportunities to do the things they really care about, versus some of the entry point opportunities," he said.

Read the full article.