The supply chain of Womenomics Most of us have heard of the APEC Summit, held in Honolulu recently, if for no other reason than President Obama’s controversial decision to stop the custom of APEC leaders dressing in traditional gear. There was however less coverage of a slightly more significant event at the Summit called the San Francisco Declaration, which was passed by Hilary Clinton who humbly noted that it “might just make the history books”. This Declaration was designed to help promote women in the workplace but unlike its precursors, the San Francisco Declaration wasn’t motivated by altruistic design but by new economic data which suggests that women in the workplace have had more of an impact on economic growth than previously thought. The idea that women can be key contributors is still a hard concept to promote in most sectors. Unfortunately this is particularly true in the supply chain and logistics industry, which is still largely male dominated. There is a lack of reliable data in the market place but recent surveys would suggest that globally the numbers of women participating in supply chain and logistics are as low as 20% - 30%. According to the industry group “Women in Supply Chain, UK” Women account for just 22% of the logistics workforce in England, compared with 46% in other sectors, and women hold fewer than 10% of the managerial roles in Logistics. However there is evidence that things are changing. The number of women taking up tertiary study in supply chain and logistics is higher than ever, with universities globally running a wide range of initiatives to increase diversity. At the same time, there has been an increased awareness that supply chain and logistics qualifications are no longer a male domain. The result being that there is a growing pool of talented women coming through at university level.

1. CEO EXECUTIVE SERIES! 19 DECEMBER 2011
The Supply Chain of
Womenomics
With new economic data clearly identifying the impact of
women in the work-force, it is only a matter of time
before women break the final barrier in Supply Chain,
writes Cassandra Lee.
Upcoming Events
Supply Chain & Logistics Asia
Summit 2012
The 6th World Cargo Symposium
continues its focus on moving the
industry from talk to action. Attracting
over 1,000 key decision makers from
the air cargo supply chain, the 2012
event will feature sessions on
S e c u r i t y, e - C a r g o , I n n o v a t i o n ,
Operations and Commercial aspects .
Held in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia
March 13-15, 2012.
(click here to find out more)
Logistics Executive
Global News
“Relationship building is something women definitely Logistics Executive Singapore
bring to the workplace, however they only succeed if they Team receives full CEI Licenses
use this ski! selectively as part of their repertoire. They With new regulations governing
sti! need to be able to make the hard decisions ” Employment Agency activity being
phased in by the Singapore
Most of us have heard of the APEC Summit, held in Government by February 2012,
Honolulu recently, if for no other reason than President Obama’s Logistics Executive was to be one of
controversial decision to stop the custom of APEC leaders dressing the first Executive Search firms to
in traditional gear. There was however less coverage of a slightly successful complete all of the new
more significant event at the Summit called the San Francisco staff training required and to have its
Declaration, which was passed by Hilary Clinton who humbly staff licensed. Logistics Executive’s
noted that it “might just make the history books”. This comprehensive Employment License
Declaration was designed to help promote women in the will allow the company to widen the
range of services offered to its clients.
workplace but unlike its precursors, the San Francisco Declaration
wasn’t motivated by altruistic design but by new economic data Logistics Executive Website
which suggests that women in the workplace have had more of an Enhancement Complete
impact on economic growth than previously thought. Logistics Executive’s web portal just
The idea that women can be key contributors is still a hard keeps getting better and more
concept to promote in most sectors. Unfortunately this is informative. Thanks to the innovative
particularly true in the supply chain and logistics industry, which is team at MMI (Me, Myself & I),
still largely male dominated. There is a lack of reliable data in the Logistics Executive website now
market place but recent surveys would suggest that globally the features a range of news and
numbers of women participating in supply chain and logistics are insights, including the latest research,
as low as 20% - 30%. According to the industry group “Women in employment market reports and
Supply Chain, UK” Women account for just 22% of the logistics feature articles.
workforce in England, compared with 46% in other sectors, and See: www.LogisticsExecutive.com
women hold fewer than 10% of the managerial roles in Logistics.
© 2011 - 2012 LRS Group Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved! PAGE 1

2. CEO EXECUTIVE SERIES! 19 DECEMBER 2011
However there is evidence T h e E co n o m i s t , o n e o f t h e discrimination from other women
that things are changing. The w o r l d ’s l e a d i n g b u s i n e s s known as the “Queen Bee
number of women taking up magazine’s recently pointed out, Syndrome”. According to Debbie
tertiary study in supply chain and the increase in employment of Reich, National Terminals and
logistics is higher than ever, with women in developed economies Rail Manager at Cement Australia
universities globally running a during the past decade has added “the Queen Bee is a direct
wide range of initiatives to more to global growth than China product of the incredibly
increase diversity. At the same has. competitive work environment
time, there has been an increased Unfortunately once they have and the many extra barriers that
awareness that supply chain and entered the workforce the women have to face to be
logistics qualifications are no integration of women has not recognized”. In Debbie’s very
successful career she says she
found that frequently male
colleagues make better mentors
than women for this reason.
Stefanie however adds that
things are changing “It’s quietly
encouraging that more of my
clients are starting to recognize
the untapped potential in these
women”. By this she is referring
to in increase in initiatives being
i n t r o d u ce d to a t t r a c t m o r e
women into the supply chain and
logistics industry. These include
flexibility in work-life balance
programs (working from home
and with flexible work hours), on-
site child-care services and career-
pathing and mentoring for
women to fast track their careers.
For example, Wal-Mart recently
announced that they would invest
$100 million to help women to
develop their jobs skills, including
women who work for Wal-Mart
suppliers.
This shift has been prompted
Above: Labour-force participation rate in 2010 sti! shows more needs to be down by a range of new developments,
to close the gap. Source: The Economist, November 2011 r a n g i n g f r o m n e w m a r ke t
research to changes in industry.
longer a male domain. The result been as successful. Most women In terms of research, there
being that there is a growing pool have succeeded beyond the lower was a recent study by McKinsey
of talented women coming and middle management tiers of indicating that women went from
through at university level. most companies. Stefanie Moran, holding 37% of all jobs to nearly
The participation of women Country Manager of Logistic 48% in developed countries in
in industr y at unskilled and Executive Australia is all too the last 40 years. The
certificate level has also risen. familiar with this problem “I have productivity gains attributable to
All across Asia women have and interviewed many innovative and this modest increase in women’s
co n t i n u e to d o m i n a te l i g h t commercially talented women overall share of the labor market
manufacturing sectors (such as who just aren’t cutting through to accounts for approximately one-
electronics assembly) that have the top layer”. quarter of the current US GDP.
proved crucial to the region’s This has been attributed to a That works out to more than 3.5
e co n o m i c t a ke o f f. It i s n o range of barriers such as the Trillion US dollars and more than
coincident that there has been a having a male dominated half the GDP’s of both China and
dramatic increase in economic workforce and the perceived Japan.
performance at a similar rate to juggling act that women are seen There is also a new age of
the rate of women entering the to struggle with once they have a market turbulence ushered in by
workforce in Asia. After all, as f a m i l y. There is even the GFC and increasingly
© 2011 - 2012 LRS Group Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved! PAGE 2

3. CEO EXECUTIVE SERIES! 19 DECEMBER 2011
i n f l u e n ce d b y g l o b a l i z a t i o n . and to address the gender
Consequently, the role of the imbalance issue. Logistics Executive
Supply Chain professional has Women are encouraged to www.logisticsexecutive.com
increased in complexity. The share their stories with the hope
offshoot of this is a more favorable of developing other women and Australia
environment for women to gain offering further insight into Sydney
management level roles. means by which to advance their Phone: +61 2 8262 9800
To explain, Supply Chain and careers through the corporate Melbourne
Logistics Leaders have had their maze. Corporate events, courses Phone: +61 3 9863 9488
skills recognized and subsequently and networking opportunities are
their roles ele vated a s more to be hosted via the group and its Asia
Shanghai
demands are placed on them. news has been well received
They have been challenged to amongst the more than 22,000 Phone: +86 21 6427 6697
increase their soft skills to meet Supply Chain Asia members and
Singapore
new management needs in areas subscribers. Phone: +65 6818 9745
such as interpersonal skills and In recent years there have Hong Kong
people management, qualities, been a wellspring of similar Phone +852 3125 7654
which have been inherently groups, too many to mention. All
India
attributed to women. According have been set up with a similar
Phone +91 22 4090 7053
to Debbie Reich “relationship philosophies and objectives. For
building is something women example, an Au s t r a l i a n Middle East
definitely bring to the workplace, government supported initiative, United Arab Emirates - Dubai
however they only succeed if they Women Moving Forward (WMF), Phone: +971 4 361 6275
use this skill selectively as part of is a formalised mentoring
their repertoire. They still need to program run by the Chartered New Zealand
b e a b l e t o m a ke t h e h a r d In s t i t u t e o f L o g i s t i c s a n d Wellington
decisions“. Debbie went on to add Tr a n s p o r t Au s t r a l i a . T h i s Phone: +64 4 496 6730
“women are also more adaptive in program, which is specifically
times of rapid change as they a i m e d a t t h e Tr a n s p o r t a n d
generally multitask more broadly Logistics (T&L) industry, is open For a copy of the 2011
than men and with so many to any woman in any role, in any -2012 Logistics Executive
different streams and complexities region, in any T&L company
in Supply Chain, requiring wanting to provide high value, low Global Employment
constant revision and evolution, cost, self-paced mentoring Report email:
this agility increasingly dictates programs to develop and retain darrylj@logisticsexecutive.com
commercial survival”. women in the sector. To date more
or
Aside from government and than 200 companies have taken
corporate involvement, it is the advantage of this program with kimw@logisticsexecutive.com
ground root initiatives that have demand growing.
proven the most exciting as they In t h e U K , Wo m e n i n Cassandra Lee
have been created on a voluntary Logistics UK was formed in 2008 S u p p l y C h a i n Pr a c t i c e
basis by forward thinking men and as a non profit group made up of Manager - South East Asia
women within the supply chain over 2,000 women and men from
and logistics community. the logistics sector, set up to Logistics Executive Group
Capitalizing on more than 15
In Singapore, for example, support the careers of women in
years of experience in the Supply
Supply Chain Asia, one of the the logistics field. The interest in Chain sector, Cassandra brings
regions leading industr y these and other groups significant depth of expertise
associations is behind the newly demonstrates that there is a adding value to her clients and
created the Women in Supply sustainable shift towards the candidates as she executes local,
Chain Group, formed to facilitate investment in women worldwide. regional and global searches.
this paradigm shift. The Group, Whilst slow in coming, Having held leadership roles in
which will operate via LinkedIn incrementally these changes will mature markets, Cassandra has
and in conjunction with Supply add up to a major paradigm shift. developed a niche in tailoring
Chain Asia, offers an open forum The outcome will be greater solutions for firms which require
of support and mentoring to participation of women in Supply leaders with the depth of
women in the sector, with the aim Chain and Logistics and will expertise, the cultural
comprehension and respect to
of improving the career life of address the war on talent by
execute strategic goals in
women already working in logistics nurturing the very talented people developing regions and market
(and therefore retain their talents) right under our noses. segments.
© 2011 - 2012 LRS Group Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved! PAGE 3

4. CEO EXECUTIVE SERIES! 19 DECEMBER 2011
SELECTING
YOUR 3PL
PROVIDER
Selecting the right Logistics partner can be
make the different between profit and loss,
having satisfied customers or scrambling to re-
tain business, there are some simple steps that The consequences of selecting an unsuitable
can make a! the world of difference, writes 3PL provider are significant. The potential impact
Mark Mi!ar. on your business’ supply chain ecosystem could
adversely impact customer service, profitability and
Outsourcing More to Less stakeholder value. The process to repair an
Recent studies confirm that companies are now incorrect selection is lengthy, painful and costly.
outsourcing more of their logistics activities - and Fully recovering from an unsuitable selection –
they are outsourcing to a fewer number of service from tr ying to fix the situation through to
providers. migrating to a new 3PL provider - could take up to
The 15th Annual Third-Party Logistics Study two years.
found that 65% of shippers are increasing their use Engaging an external resource on a contract
of 3PL services and basis can benefit the process of evaluation and
The 2010 Global 3PL & Logistics Outsourcing selection by combining project leadership –
Strategy survey by Eye-for-Transport reported that alleviating the burden on in-house resources from
are consolidating their vendor base of 3PL – the
’s the additional workload – together with industry
proportion of shippers using between one and experience and expertise, to provide an
three service providers has more than doubled independent and knowledgeable perspective to the
year-on-year to 58%, whereas in 2009 almost 60% project.
of shippers were using four or more 3PL ’s Process for selecting your 3PL provider
Therefore, the selection of your Third Party To manage the RFQ (Request for Quotation)
Logistics (3PL) provider is becoming increasingly process for selecting your 3PL provider, it is best to
important to empower effective and efficient appoint a multi disciplined project team – typically
supply chain ecosystems that are essential for between six and ten participants - and adopt a
competitive advantage. structured model for engaging and leading the
With the increasing reliance on a fewer project team through the selection process.
number of 3PL providers to execute even more of My recommended 9-Step 3PL Selection
your supply chain, selecting your 3PL provider Process is as follows:
becomes increasingly critical, and so it is essential 1. Define RFQ Requirements
to have both a clear selection process and
1.1. Detailed scoping of logistics model within
appropriate evaluation criteria.
your supply chain
Challenges in selecting a 3PL provider 1.2.C o m p i l e detailed requirements
The selection process will typically take 3-4 specifications, metrics & templates
months and involves considerable effort managing
2. Issue RFQ to invited 3PL Vendors
the RFQ (Request For Quotation) project. With
the majority of 3PL service providers offering a 2.1.Pre qualify Vendors, execute Confidentiality
comprehensive range of capabilities, it can be quite Agreements
challenging to differentiate between them. 2.2.Manage bid process with 3PL’s, including
dealing with queries
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5. CEO EXECUTIVE SERIES! 19 DECEMBER 2011
2.3.C o m p i l e q u e r i e s a n d In co m p i l i n g y o u r
responses, collate and evaluation criteria,
issue updates include both quantitative
3. Receive Proposals from and qualitative factors,
3PL Vendors together with
3.1. Review proposals, map to consideration of future
requirements and criteria potential requirements.
Consider the following
3.2.Collate team views and
seven main categories for
feedback, compile
your evaluation criteria to
comments and questions
support your selection Above: Technology selection is critical to ensure
4. Vendor Presentations process. the right ROI
4.1. 3 P L to p r e s e n t t h e i r 3PL Provider – size Below: Can the Vendor offer the right warehous-
company, solution and ing facility in the right location?
and scale of their
benefits operations, people and
4.2.Management discussions - finances, what is their
process, people, pricing standing in the industry?
5. Site Visits Ma r ke t r e p u t a t i o n ,
5.1. Visit 3PL logistics facility
’s competitive positioning
– view operations, and financial viability;
processes, people are they the appropriate
5.2.Re v i e w c a p a b i l i t i e s , size for your company?
capacity, competencies Amount of their senior
6. Short List (as required) m a n a g e m e n t
involvement in the bid
6.1.Continue with further opportunities for economies of
process? Are they committed to
exploration and evaluation scale? Are they flexible in their
your company and your business?
6.2.Pr o b e d e e p e r i n t o pricing approach?
Will you be important enough to
capabilities, pricing their business? Consider their Technology – how robust
models & assumptions corporate DNA – vision, values, are their information technology
7. References approach to c o r p o r a t e platform and systems, and their
7.1.Consultations with Client responsibility. Are they a good ability to integrate with your IT
references provided by o r g a n i s a t i o n a l f i t f o r y o u r systems? How do you rate their
3PL company? IT capability and competence?
What prior experience do they
7.2.O b t a i n i n d e p e n d e n t Logistics Solution – do
have of similar system
p e r s p e c t i v e – m a r ke t they have the operational
integrations?
reputation, ex-clients capabilities? Does the proposed
solution meet your business Future Proof – are they and
8. Executive Engagement
needs? Consider operational their solution able to grow with
8.1. 3PL present to senior
management aspects such as their warehouse, you as your business grows? Is
equipment, space, expertise? t h e i r s o l u t i o n s c a l a b l e a n d
8.2.E x p l o r e a n d a s s e s s
Similar solutions for similar flexible? Can they meet your
organisational fit
customers? From the geographic future potential needs? How
9. Evaluation & Selection perspective, does their logistics q u i c k l y c a n t h e y r a m p u p
9.1.Compare and Contrast – n e t w o r k p r o v i d e a d e q u a t e operations?
c o m p a n y, solution, logistics services for the origins Value Add - do they have the
economics and destinations within your e x p e r i e n ce , k n o w l e d g e a n d
9.2.Map shortlisted venders supply chain? expertise to help you improve
to evaluation criteria Economics – how do they y o u r c o m p a n y ’s l o g i s t i c s
Evaluation Criteria for r a n k f r o m t h e f i n a n c i a l activities? How do you perceive
s e l e c t i n g yo u r 3 P L p e r s p e c t i v e - a r e t h e y the provider in terms of industry
provider competitive on price? Are there leadership?
© 2011 - 2012 LRS Group Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved! PAGE 5

6. CEO EXECUTIVE SERIES! 19 DECEMBER 2011
Services Delivery – your importance. These soft factors anecdotal consensus at a recent
confidence levels in their ability are what will determine the long logistics conference was that
to ‘deliver on the promise’ – term sustainability and success of changing your 3PL provider will
execute on their proposed your chosen service provider and take 9 to 12 months and will cost
solution to deliver the their logistics solution. Careful between 15 to 25% of your annual
operational requirements and co n s i d e r a t i o n o f a l l o f t h e logistics spend!
business benefits – consistently, evaluation criteria is essential to In the context of delivering
reliably and cost effectively. ensure a successful outcome. services, prior experience is a
What are the experiences of Conclusion very powerful means to evaluate
o t h e r c u s to m e r s – t h r o u g h It is critical to adopt good alternative providers – think
anecdotal evidence and client process and use proven about restaurants, schools or hair
references? evaluation criteria to choose your dressers. Successful ser vice
When selecting a 3PL 3PL provider. The selection delivery manifests itself through
provider it is very tempting to process is an intensive, time- the three P’s of Services - the
focus on evaluating items 2 and 3 consuming project that requires Physical results, the Processes
– these ‘hard’ dimensions are specific expertise and additional and the People. In the context of
tangible and relatively resources - o v er a n d a b o v e references in service businesses, I
straightfor ward to compare normal business activities – for l i ke t o u s e m y s i m p l e t w o
across multiple vendors. the duration of the project. question litmus test of customer
However, the soft factors – the The consequences of making satisfaction: Would you buy
intangibles in items 5, 6 and 7 – a mistake are significant. The a g a i n ? a n d Wo u l d yo u
are of equal if not more, recommend?
MARK MILLAR 马 !
email: markm@logisticsexecutive.com
Mark Millar leverages over 20 years of global business experience to provide
independent Consulting, Education and Advisory services that create value for clients
by improving the performance of their logistics and supply chain activities in China and
the Asia Pacific region.
Acknowledged as an industry thought leader, clients have engaged Mark as Speaker,
Moderator, Master of Ceremonies or Conference Chairman at more than 200 functions
in 17 countries. His articles are regularly published by trade magazines in five languages.
Mark serves on the advisory board of several leading organisations and his industry
contributions have been recognised with a number of accolades, including being named
in the “Who's Who of Power Players in Supply Chain Management in China", the
“Pro’s-to-Know Thought Leaders in Supply Chain” and as “One of the most Progressive
People in World Logistics”.
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