Cencora solution

Fourth-party logistics

Cencora’s fourth-party logistics (4PL) solutions provide strategic, end-to-end supply chain management to help pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations improve visibility, coordination, compliance, and operational performance.
What is the difference between 3PL and 4PL?
Available for
  • Pharma
Available in
  • US
  • Europe
Related capabilities
  • Logistics and warehousing
Simple end-to-end solutions for complex project management

Simple end-to-end solutions for complex project management

Simple end-to-end solutions for complex project management
As pharmaceutical and healthcare supply chains become increasingly complex, organizations need greater visibility, control, and coordination across their logistics networks. Cencora’s fourth-party logistics (4PL) service provides a single strategic point of management for your entire supply chain ecosystem, delivering fully integrated, end-to-end solutions across animal health, medical devices, consumer health, contract development and management organizations (CDMOs), hospitals, and pharmacy chains.

Combining consulting, supply chain engineering, strategy development, optimization, and ongoing operational oversight, we help ensure critical products are delivered efficiently, compliantly, and in optimal condition.
Simple end-to-end solutions for complex project management

What is the difference between 3PL and 4PL?

A third-party logistics (3PL) provider typically delivers operational logistics services such as transportation, warehousing, distribution, or fulfilment. A fourth-party logistics (4PL) provider takes a broader strategic role, overseeing and coordinating the entire supply chain ecosystem on your behalf.

Cencora provides both 3PL and 4PL services, subject to and tailored to the geography, complexity, and requirements of your product and business. 

Consulting and supply chain engineering that strengthens performance

Consulting and supply chain engineering that strengthens performance

Consulting and supply chain engineering that strengthens performance
Our consulting and supply chain engineering services help you design, assess, and improve logistics networks that are built for efficiency, visibility, and control. From evaluating current-state operations to shaping future-state models, we work with you to identify opportunities to reduce complexity, improve coordination, and support reliable product flow across your supply chain. With strategic guidance, process design, and operational insight, we help create solutions that align with your business goals, regulatory requirements, and product-specific needs.
Consulting and supply chain engineering that strengthens performance

Expert project management based on years of experience

As an experienced pharma logistics partner, we understand our customers’ specific requirements and challenges and provide processes and services that meet your specialist needs.
Implementation, onboarding process

Implementation / onboarding process

Our implementation and onboarding processes ensure that introducing new processes and systems is as smooth and seamless as possible. We provide tailored project plans and an in-depth project manual, and support you through regular project meetings specific to your needs.
IT services

IT services

Our IT solutions enable seamless communication and data integration across the supply chain.

Process evaluation / optimization

Our project management teams work with you to review and optimize your existing pharma logistics processes. We can help you to put in place sustainable, efficient and effective pharmaceutical logistics solutions.
Pharma logistics and supply chain management

Pharma logistics and supply chain management

We have decades of experience handling sensitive shipments, and provide specialty logistics, tailored transport solutions and warehousing and storage, along with order fulfilment services, to meet your product’s needs.
Quality control and risk management

Quality control and risk management

Quality assurance is a vital part of pharma logistics. Our qualified personnel monitor the entire supply chain, ensuring control and compliance with quality standards throughout, in order to minimize potential risks and ensure the safety and integrity of your products.
Compliance with regulatory requirements

Compliance with regulatory requirements

We support compliance with all pharma logistics regulatory requirements. We comply with all relevant regulations, guidelines and standards regarding storage, transport, and documentation, wherever in the world your products need to be.
Optimization of warehousing and inventory management

Optimization of warehousing and inventory management

Effective and efficient warehousing and inventory management processes support you and your customers. We create tailored solutions to support efficient inventory control and warehouse optimization, which mean lower storage costs, fewer bottlenecks, and better product availability.

Related resources

Article

Your 3PL partner has never been more critical
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Article

Your global supply chain, streamlined for success
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Podcast

The cell and gene therapy cryogenic cold chain — an interview with Krystal Haynes
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Start the conversation

Whether you are looking to improve visibility, optimize performance, reduce complexity, or strengthen compliance across your logistics network, our 3PL and 4PL experts are here to help.

Get in touch with our team to discuss your supply chain challenges and discover how our end-to-end solutions can support your business.

Connect with our logistics and warehousing team

Our team of logistics and warehousing experts is here to assist you. Whether you have questions or need more detailed information, don't hesitate to get in touch. We're dedicated to providing the support you need.

Fill out the form to learn more about the following:

  • Third-party logistics
  • Fourth-party logistics
  • Specialty logistics
  • Transport solutions
  • Warehousing and storage solutions
  • Order fulfillment services
  • Packaging and labeling
  • Supply chain strategy

Or, if you need general support or additional contact information, visit our Contact us page.