Allocation – Demand or sales order is designated against the inventory of a specific item
Batch Picking – Order picking method where orders are grouped into small batches and the picker will pick all orders in that batch at once
Case – unit of measurement where a group of eaches/individual pieces are packaged together
Case Picking – the act of picking a case for an order
Containerization – using standardized types of containers for the storage and transport of materials within a facility. Containers can range from totes, crates, boxes, etc.
Cross-docking – Goods are taken from an inbound trailer and placed immediately on an outbound trailer without ever being stored in the warehouse
Each – individual piece (usually the smallest unit of measurement)
List Picking – Order picking method where the picker will pick from multiple orders on a list
Pick face – area of storage accessible to the picker
SKU – Stock Keeping Unit, a unique identifier for every sellable unit
Slotting – optimizing storage location in a warehouse to maximize efficiency (based on item velocity, pick face dimensions, and cubic velocity)
Transportation Management System – software package that manages shipment manifesting, rate shopping, fleet management, routing, trailer management, yard management, carrier management, and freight cost management.
Wave Picking – Order picking method where all zones are picked at the same time and the items are later sorted and consolidated into individual orders/shipments
Warehouse Management System – software package that manages receiving, putaway, and shipping in a warehouse
Zone Picking – Order picking method where pickers are assigned to only pick from a specified “zone” of the warehouse. Picks for an order are passed to the next zone usually by conveyor.