Glossary of Fulfillment Terms

There are hundreds of terms used in warehousing and a lot of these are specific to the industry. We've compiled this glossary as a resource to make life easier for everyone!

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A

ABC Classification

ABC Inventory Control

Abnormal Demand

Absorption Costing

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)

Acceptable Sampling Plan

Acceptance Number

Acceptance Sampling

Accessorial Charges

Accounts Payable (A/P)

Accounts Receivable (A/R)

Accredited Standards Committee (ASC)

Accumulation Bin

Acknowledgement

Acquisition Cost

Activity Analysis

Activity Profiling

Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB)

Activity-Based Costing (ABC)

Activity-Based Costing Model

Activity-Based Costing System

Activity-Based Management (ABM)

Activity-Based Planning (ABP)

Actual Cost of Sales (ACOS)

Actual Cost System

Ad Daily Budget

Ad Status: Archived

Ad Status: Paused

Ad Status: Running

Additional Labeling

Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS)

Advance Material Request

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS)

Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN)

Affiliate Marketing

After-Sale Service

Aggregate Forecast

Aggregate Planning

Air Cargo Agent

Air Cargo Containers

Air Waybill (AWB)

Alibaba Assessed Supplier

Alibaba Gold Supplier

Alibaba Trade Assurance

Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN)

Amazon's Best Sellers Ranking (BSR)

American Society of Transportation & Logistics

American Trucking Associations

Any-Quantity (AQ) rate

Application Programming Interface (API)

Assemble to Order

Association of American Railroads

Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGVS)

Automated Storage/Retrieval System (AS/RS)

Automatic Targeted Ads

Available to Promise (ATP)

Average Monthly Sales

Average Reviews

Average Sales Rank

B

Barcode Scanner

Basing-Point Pricing

Batch Terminal Communications

Benefit-Cost Ratio

Bill of Activities

Bill of Lading (BOL)

Bill of Lading Number

Bill of Material Accuracy

Bill of Materials

Bill of Resources

Blanket Purchase Order

Blanket Release

Blind Receiving

Bonded Warehouse

Break Bulk Cargo

Break Bulk Vessel

Break-Even Point

Brick & Mortar Store

Bubble Wrapping

Build to Inventory

Bullwhip Effect

Business Application

Business Logistics

Business Performance Measurement (BPM)

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

Business Process Reengineering (BPR)

Business-to-business (B2B)

C

CamelCamelCamel.com (CCC)

Capacity Management

Capacity Requirements Planning

Carrier Certificate and Release Order

Carrier Liability

Carrier Service

Carton Flow Rack

Cash Conversion Cycle

Cash-to-Cash Cycle Time

Category Management

Centralized Inventory Control

Certificate of Compliance

Certificate of Insurance

Certificate of Origin

Certificated Carrier

Certified Supplier

Change Management

Channel Conflict

Channel Partners

Channels of Distribution

Chargeable Weight

Classification yard

Click-Through-Rate (CTR)

Coastal Carriers

Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR)

Collect Freight

Commercial Invoice

Commercial zone

Committed Capability

Commodity Code (HS Code)

Commodity Procurement Strategy

Competitive Benchmarking

Competitive Bid

Complete and On-Time Delivery (COTD)

Complete Manufacture to Ship Time

Composite forecast

Conference Carrier

Configure/Package to Order

Consignment inventory

Consolidation Point

Consolidator's Bill of Lading

Container Chassis

Container Freight Station (CFS)

Container Freight Station Charge

Container Freight Station to Container Freight Station (CFS/CFS)

Container on Flat Car (COFC)

Containerization

Continuous Flow Distribution (CFD)

Continuous Improvement (CI)

Continuous Replenishment

Contract Carrier

Contract of Affreightment

Contract warehouse

Controlled Access

Cooperative Associations

Coordinated Transportation

Core Competency

Corporate strategy

Cost Allocation

Cost Driver Analysis

Cost Management

Cost of capital

Cost of goods sold

Cost of Lost Sales

Cost-Per-Click (CPC)

Cost-Per-Mil/Thousand/Impression (CPM/CPI)

Cost, Insurance, Freight

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)

Courier Service

Critical Differentiators

Critical Success Factor (CSF)

Cube Utilization

Cumulative Lead Time

Currency Adjustment Factor (CAF)

Current-demand inventory

Customer Acquisition

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer Retention

Customer Segmentation

Customer-Supplier Partnership

Customer/Order Fulfillment Process

Customs Clearance

Customs House Broker

Customs Invoice

Cycle Inventory

Cycle service level

D

Data Dictionary

Data Synchronization

Deadweight Tons (DWT)

Declaration of Dangerous Goods

Declared Value for Carriage

Dedicated Contract Carriage

Defective goods inventory (DGI)

Delivery Appointment

Delivery Confirmation

Delivery Option

Delivery Service

Delivery-Duty-Paid (DDP)

Delivery-Duty-Unpaid (DDU)

Demand Chain Management

Demand override

Demand Planning Systems

Demand Supply Balancing

Demand variability

Direct Product Profitability (DPP)

Direct Production Material

Direct Retail Locations

Direct shipping

Direct Store Delivery (DSD)

Discrete Manufacturing

Discrete picking

Dispatch Confirmation

Distributed Inventory

Distribution Center (DC)

Distribution Channel

Distribution Channel Management

Distribution inventory

Distribution Planning

Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP)

Distribution Resource Planning (DRP II)

Distribution Warehouse

Dock-to-stock cycle measurement

Domestic Trunk Line Carrier

Double-Pallet Jack

Driving Time Regulations

Dual rate system

Duties Pre-Paid (DDP)

Duty Free Zone (DFZ)

E

Early Reviewer Program

Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)

Economic Value Added (EVA)

Economy of Scale

EDI Interchange

EDI Transmission

Effective dates

Effective lead time

Electronic Commerce (EC)

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Electronic Data Interchange Association

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

Emergency Stock

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

End-of-Life Inventory

Engineer-to-order

Engineering Change

Enhanced Brand Content (EBC)

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

EPC (Electronic Product Code)

Equipment Positioning

European Article Number (EAN)

Evaluated Receipts Settlement (ERS)

Expiration Date

Export Declaration

Exporter Identification Number (EIN)

Extended Enterprise

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

External Factory

F

Federal Maritime Commission

Final Assembly Schedule (FAS)

Finished Goods Inventory (FG or FGI)

Firm Planned Order

First In First Out (FIFO)

Fixed Order Quantity

Fixed reorder point

FOB Destination

Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ)

Forward picking

Fourth Party Logistics (4PL)

Fragile Wrapping

Free Along Side (FAS)

Free Alongside Ship

Free on Board (FOB)

Free Shipping Promo

Freight Consolidation

Freight Forwarder

Fulfilled-by-Amazon (FBA)

Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)

Fulfillment Center (FC)

Fulfillment Fee

Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU)

Fulfillment Services Provider

Fulfillment Software

Full Containerload (FCL)

Full Truckload (FTL)

Full-Service Leasing

Full-time Connection

Functional Acknowledgement (FA)

Functional Group

G

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

General Order (GO)

General-Merchandise Warehouse

Government Bill of Lading (GB/L)

Grandfather Clause

Great Lakes Carriers

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)

H

Hazardous Material

Headline Search Ad

Hedge inventory

Highway Trust Fund

Highway Use Taxes

House Air Waybill (HAWB)

Hundredweight (CWT)

I

Import/Export License

Importation Point

In-Transit Inventory

In-transit quantity

Inbound logistics

Incorporated (INC)

Independent demand methods

Infinite capacity scheduling

Inland Bill of Lading

Inspection Certificate

Insurance Certificate

Integrated Carrier

Integrated Logistics

Intercoastal carriers

Intercorporate hauling

Intermittent-Flow, Fixed-Path Equipment

Intermodal Container Transfer Facility

Intermodal Transportation

International Import Certificate

International Maritime Bureau (IMB)

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

International Standards Organization (ISO)

Interstate Commerce

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

Intrastate Commerce

Inventory Accuracy

Inventory Carrying Cost

Inventory Management System (IMS)

Inventory Master File

Inventory Planning Systems

Inventory Turns

ISO 14000 Series Standards

Issuing Carrier

J

Just In Time (JIT)

Just in Time II (JIT II)

Just-in-Time Logistics (or Quick Response)

K

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

L

Last In First Out (LIFO)

Lead Logistics Provider (LLP)

Lead time demand

Less-Than-Carload (LCL)

Less-Than-Containerload (LCL)

Less-Than-Truckload (LTL)

Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Carriers

Letter of Credit (LOC)

License Plate Number (LPN)

Life Cycle Cost

Lightning Deals

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Loading Allowance

Local Area Network (LAN)

Location master file

Locational Determinant

Logistics Center

Logistics Channel

Logistics Costs

Logistics Data Interchange (LDI)

M

Machine Downtimes

Maintenance, Repair, and Operating Supplies (MRO)

Make-or-Buy Decision

Management information system (MIS)

Management of All Logistics

Manually Targeted Ads

Manufacture Cycle Time

Manufacturer's Representative

Manufacturing Calendar

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Manufacturing Lead Time

Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP-II)

Market Dominance

Market-Positioned Warehouse

Marketing Funnel

Marks and Numbers

Mass Customization

Master Air Waybill (MAWB)

Master schedule

Material Acquisition Costs

Materials Handling

Materials Management

Materials Planning

Maximum Order Quantity

Mean absolute deviation

Mean squared error

Measurement Ton

Merge In Transit

Micro-Land Bridge

Mileage Allowance

Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)

Multi-level bill of materials

N

National Carrier

National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC)

Net Profit (AKA Profit Margin)

New Product Introduction (NPI)

No Location (No Loc)

Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC)

Non-Certificated carrier

Non-Negotiable BOL

Non-stock inventory

O

Obsolete Inventory

Ocean Bill of Lading

On-Line receiving

On-time delivery

Online Arbitrage (OA)

Operating Ratio

Order Entry and Scheduling

Order Management

Order Management Costs

Order Processing

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

Outbound Logistics

Over, Short, and damaged (OS&D)

P

Pallet Wrapping Machine

Parcel Manifest System

Parcel Shipment

Part Standardization

Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

Peer to Peer (P2P)

Percentage Off Promo

Performance and Event Management Systems

Performance Measurement Program

Performance Measures

Performance Notifications

Periodic review methods

Perpetual Inventory

Physical Inventory

Physical Supply

Pick Ticket/ Pick Instruction

Picking by Aisle

Picking by Source

Planned order receipt

Planned order release

Plant Finished Goods

Poka Yoke (mistake proof)

Port of Discharge

Port of Loading

Portable Data Collection Terminal (PDT)

Prepaid Freight

Price discounts

Primary Manufacturing Strategy

Primary-Business Test

Private Carrier

Private Trucking Fleets

Private Warehousing

Pro Forma Invoice

Pro Merchant Seller Account

Process Benchmarking

Process Improvement

Process Manufacturing

Procure-to-order

Procure-to-stock

Procurement cycle

Product Characteristics

Product Description

Product life cycle

Product Listing Grader

Production Capacity

Production Line

Production order

Production Planning and Scheduling

Production-Related Material

Profitability Analysis

Proof of Delivery (POD)

Proportional Rate

Public Warehouse

Public Warehouse receipt

Public Warehousing

Pull Ordering System

Purchase Order (PO)

Purchase Price Discount

Push Distribution

Q

Quality Assurance/ QA

Quality Control

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

Quantity discount

Quick Response (QR)

R

Radio Frequency (RF)

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

Radio Frequency Terminal

Random-Location Storage

Raw Materials (RM)

Refrigerated Carriers

Release-to-Start Manufacturing

Replenishment rate

Request for Information (RFI)

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Request for Quote (RFQ)

Reserve storage

Resources requirements planning

Retail Arbitrage (RO)

Return Goods Handling

Return Material Authorization or Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA)

Return on Assets (ROA)

Return On Investment (ROI)

Return on Sales

Return Order Management Costs

Return Product Authorization (RPA)

Return to Vendor (RTV)

Returns Inventory Costs

Returns Processing Cost

Returns to Scale

Reverse Engineering

Reverse Logistics

Routing Accuracy

S

Safety Lead Time

Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP)

Sawtooth Diagram

Scientific inventory control

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Seasonality index

Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)

Self Correcting

Semi-processed materials

Service Parts Revenue

SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime)

Shared Services

Shingo's Seven Wastes

Shipper-Carriers

Shipping Manifest

Shop Floor Production Control Systems

Shopping Cart Integration

Short-term schedules

Simultaneous picking

Small Group Improvement Activity

Split-case picking

SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code)

Standard business practices

Standard Components

Standard Cost Accounting System

Statement of Work (SOW)

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU)

Stocking unit of measure

Storage Location

Strategic Alliance

Sub-Optimization

Subscription Box

Supplier Certification

Supplier-Owned Inventory

Supply Chain Design

Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM)

Supply Chain Integration (SCI)

Supply Chain Inventory Visibility

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Supply Chain Network Design Systems

Supply Chain Strategic Planning

Supply Chain-Related Finance and Planning Cost Element

Supply Chain-Related IT Costs

Supply Planning

Supply Warehouse

Surrogate [item] Driver

Sustaining Activity

Synchronization

T

Takeaway conveyor

Target stock level

Task interleaving

Theory of Constraints (TOC)

Third Party Logistics (3PL)

Third Party Warehousing

Tier 1, 2 supplier

Total Annual Sales

Total Average Inventory

Total Cost Analysis

Total Cost Curve

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Total Cumulative Manufacture Cycle Time

Total Make Cycle Time

Total Product Revenue

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Total Quality Management

Total Supply Chain Management Cost (five elements)

Total Supply Chain Response Time

Trading Partner

Trading Partner Agreement

Traffic Management

Transaction Set

Transaction Set ID

Transportation inventory

Transportation Management System

Transportation Mode

Transportation Planning

Transportation Planning Systems

Trend Forecasting Models

Truck Stop Electrification (TSE)

Truckload Carriers (TL)

U

Unattended Delivery

Unbundled Payment/Remittance

Unfinished goods

Uniform Code Council (UCC)

Uniform Product Code (UPC)

Uniform Warehouse Receipts Act

Unique Parcel Identifier (UPI)

Unit Load Device (ULD)

Unit of Measure (UOM)

United Nations Standard Product and Service Code (UN/SPSC)

United States Railway Association

Unplanned Order

Unverified Reviews

UPC (Universal Product Code)

Upside Production Flexibility

V

Valid total cost curve

Valuation Charges

Value Adding/Non-Value Adding

Value Chain Analysis

Value Proposition

Value-Added Network (VAN)

Value-Added Productivity Per Employee

Value-of-Service Pricing

Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI)

Verified Reviews

Vertical Hub/Vertical Portal

Vertical Integration

Vessel Manifest

Virtual Assistant (VA)

Voice Activated

W

Warehouse Management System (WMS)

Waterway Use Tax

Weight Confirmation

Weight-Losing Raw Material

Wide-Area Network (WAN)

Work in Process (WIP)

Y

Z

Zone of Rate Freedom

Zone of Reasonableness