Experienced logistics cures growing pains.

BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto

A recent Georgia Tech study showed that 72 percent of companies surveyed in Latin America and the Caribbean used third-party logistics providers, and that 77 percent rated their relationship with 3PLs as very successful.

Those numbers compared with 90 percent on both counts for North American companies surveyed, but logistics providers say South America remains a good market for 3PLs -- if they can navigate political and economic instability, port and transportation infrastructure challenges, and regulatory and tax issues.

The 3PL industry in South America is growing at a rate of 2 to 4 percent a year, in line with the growth in general of the South American economies, according to Jared Pickering, vice president of business development and strategy for DHL Express International Americas.

"Assessing the strength and condition of the 3PL industry in South America is difficult because it depends on the country," he said. "It's a region of opportunity and an area of …