This paper focuses on the third-party logistics (3PL) industry in Brazil which, facing a highly competitive scenario, offers its clients a broad range of services and information technologies in pursuit of higher levels of efficiency. Its main objective is to determine the variables that significantly impact on the 3PL scale efficiency by means of a two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Data (2001-2008) from the annual survey developed by Revista Tecnologística were used in an unbalanced panel data model. The inputs and outputs required for this analysis were identified as well as the contextual variables that may impact on the 3PL scale efficiency. The results corroborate the evidence in the literature on the role of coordination processes in the logistics performance.
DEA; 3PL; Scale efficiency; Data panel
