Logistics A-Z

ASN (Advanced Shipping Notice): A notification sent by a supplier to a customer in advance of a shipment, providing details about the upcoming delivery.

AWB (Air Waybill): A document that serves as a contract between the shipper and the airline, detailing the transportation of goods by air.

B/L (Bill of Lading): A legal document issued by a carrier to acknowledge the receipt of goods and to serve as evidence of the contract of carriage.

Carrier: A company or individual that transports goods or passengers from one place to another.

Cross-Docking: A logistics process where incoming goods are unloaded from an incoming vehicle and immediately loaded onto an outbound vehicle with little to no storage time in between.

Deadhead: Refers to an empty return trip of a transportation vehicle, without carrying any cargo.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange): The electronic exchange of standardized business documents, such as purchase orders and invoices, between trading partners.

ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival): The approximate time at which a shipment is expected to arrive at its destination.

Incoterms: International commercial terms that define the responsibilities of buyers and sellers in international trade, including terms such as FOB (Free on Board), CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight), EXW (Ex Works), and more.

JIT (Just-in-Time): A logistics strategy that aims to minimize inventory storage by delivering goods exactly when they are needed in the production process.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator): A measurable value that demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of logistics operations.

Lead Time: The time required for an order to be processed, produced, and delivered to the customer.

Manifest: A document that lists the details of cargo on board a vessel or an aircraft, including information about the consignor, consignee, and the nature of the goods.

Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC): A transportation intermediary that consolidates and dispatches shipments via ocean carriers but does not own the vessels.

Order Fulfillment: The process of receiving, processing, and delivering customer orders.

Port of Entry: A designated port where imported goods are legally permitted to enter a country.

Quality Control: The processes and procedures implemented to ensure that products or services meet specified quality standards.

Reverse Logistics: The process of managing the return of goods from the customer to the seller or manufacturer, including activities such as product recalls, repairs, or recycling.

Supply Chain: The network of organizations, activities, information, and resources involved in the production, distribution, and delivery of goods or services.

Third-Party Logistics (3PL): A company that provides outsourced logistics services, including transportation, warehousing, and inventory management.

ULD (Unit Load Device): A container or pallet used for the transportation of cargo in the aviation industry.

Value-Added Services: Additional services beyond basic transportation, such as packaging, labeling, assembly, or customization.

Warehouse Management System (WMS): Software that helps manage and control the operations of a warehouse, including inventory tracking, order fulfillment, and optimization.

Cross-Dock: A facility where goods are received, sorted, and immediately transferred to outbound transportation vehicles without long-term storage.

Yard Management: The process of efficiently managing the movement and storage of vehicles or containers in a storage yard or terminal.

Zone Skipping: A logistics strategy where shipments bypass intermediate distribution centers and are directly transported from the origin to the destination zone, reducing costs and transit time.