Case Study
3PL Technology Strategy
Metafora evaluates technology for the 3PL division to meet the business’s needs and the organization’s technical architecture as the business scales.
Executive Summary
Industry: 3PL
Services: Truckload and Enterprise customers with single-source freight contracts
Revenue: $500M+
Employees:
The client engaged Metafora to evaluate technology for the 3PL division to meet the needs of the business and technical architecture of the organization. Metafora identified business & technical criteria for the enterprise technology needs and recommended a blended strategy of 3rd-party and proprietary technology to support various needs as the business scales.
Challenge
Goal: Evaluate technology for the 3PL division to prepare the organization to scale growth.
Issue:
- Technology had been developed internally with outdated technology frameworks and processes
- Competitors in the space had accelerated ahead of the business and used technology as a driver of growth
Solution
- Metafora recommended vetted, viable vendors for the business that would be viable options to grow their technology capabilities leading to a $20M+ investment in technology over 5 years
- Metafora advised the business on the next steps in its technology strategy and actions to take to respond to competitors
- The client moved forward with a recommendation on technology strategy involving COTS and proprietary technology to address the needs of the enterprise
Technology in Play
Platforms
- TMS
Providers
- Turvo
- Trimble
- Blue Yonder
- Metafora
Approach
Assess Process & Functionality
Assess day-to-day process and required functionality for each of the business units in scope through seat-level interviews
Assess Enterprise Architecture
Assess the enterprise architecture to understand complexities and requirements for the evaluation of vendors
Develop technology strategy
Develop technology strategy, including current and future functional business needs, technical architecture to support scale, and appropriate mix of commercial off-the-shelf 3rd-party software and in-house proprietary
Provide TMS Recommendations
Provide a recommendation of TMS providers that will meet the required functionality and infrastructure standards
