312 Principles of Supply Chain Management
• The customer adapter (4 in Figure 9.6) is a TPL rm that takes over a customer’s
existing activities and improves the efciency in the handling, such as a ware-
house operation.
• The customer developer (2 in Figure 9.6) is the most advanced form and involves a
high integration with the customer often by taking over its whole logistics opera-
tions. The customer developer would be similar to what is now known as a 4PL.
These classications represent a hierarchy of services, beginning with the standard TPL
provider and progressing ultimately to the customer developer. This does not mean that all
3PLs aspire to the highest level or that 4PLs want to invest in transportation or warehous-
ing systems. I ...