Examining the factors contributing to third-party logistics companies’ growth in Sweden

Abstract: The evolution of third-party logistics has sparked much academic interest over the years, with researchers looking at how the industry has grown and the factors that have contributed to it. The primary goal of this thesis is to examine the factors that have driven third-party logistics companies’ growth in Sweden for eighteen years (2002–2020). Growth in this thesis is considered as the growth of net sales. A total of 924 observations of ninety-five active third-party logistics companies operating in the Swedish market are analyzed in this thesis. An Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) linear regression analysis is carried out to examine the growth factors of third-party logistics companies in Sweden, taking into consideration the direct effect of the variables, number of employees, liabilities, operating profit, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT), accessibility, technology, reverse logistics, service offer, customer relationship management (CRM), marketing, and distribution systems on the growth of net sales. Results from the OLS model shows that the size of the company, profitability, and the company's level of competence, has a significant positive influence on third-party logistics (3PL) company's growth.