Warehouse management glossary
The terms warehouse teams and WMS software use every day, each with a plain definition, a worked example and how Waresify handles it.
- Advance ship notice (ASN)
- An advance ship notice (ASN) is a message a supplier sends before delivery, listing what is on the truck, how it is packed and which labels to expect.
- Base unit of measure
- A base unit of measure is the unit a WMS counts an item in, such as each or kilogram, with every other unit for that item converted to it.
- Browser terminal
- A browser terminal is a desktop web screen where warehouse workers run scan tasks by typing codes or using a USB barcode scanner, with no mobile device needed.
- Catch weight
- Catch weight describes items counted in units but sold by their actual weight, so the real weight of each unit must be recorded.
- Cross-docking
- Cross-docking moves received goods straight from the inbound dock to outbound for an open order, skipping storage.
- Cycle count
- A cycle count is a count of a subset of locations or items on a rolling schedule, keeping records accurate without closing the warehouse for a full count.
- Dock door
- A dock door is a loading bay door where trucks back up to load or unload goods, usually scheduled so arrivals do not queue.
- FEFO
- FEFO, first expired first out, is a picking rule that sends the stock with the earliest expiry date out first.
- FIFO
- FIFO, first in first out, is a picking rule that ships the oldest received stock first.
- Hazmat segregation
- Hazmat segregation is keeping dangerous goods of incompatible hazard classes apart in storage and transport, so a leak or fire cannot start a reaction between them.
- Keyboard wedge scanner
- A keyboard wedge scanner is a barcode scanner that enters the decoded barcode into the active field as if typed on a keyboard, usually followed by Enter.
- Kitting
- Kitting is assembling several separate items into one unit that is stocked or shipped under its own SKU.
- License plate (LP)
- A license plate (LP) is a barcode that identifies one unit of stock, such as a pallet or tote, so the warehouse can track it as one thing.
- Lot
- A lot is a batch of one item produced or received together, sharing an origin and usually an expiry date, tracked so the batch can be traced or recalled.
- Pallet rack
- A pallet rack is a steel structure of upright frames and beams that stores pallets on several levels, with each pallet position usually tracked as one location.
- Pick face
- A pick face is a storage location that pickers take stock from directly, usually at an easy height, and that is refilled from reserve stock.
- Pick path
- A pick path is the order in which a picker visits locations on a pick list, set so the picker walks as little as possible.
- Proof of delivery
- Proof of delivery is the record that a shipment reached its customer, usually a signature with the date, time and any noted damage or shortage.
- Putaway
- Putaway is the step of moving received goods from the receiving area to the storage location where they will be kept.
- Replenishment
- Replenishment is moving stock from reserve locations to pick faces so pickers find stock where they expect it.
- Reserve location
- A reserve location holds backup stock, usually full pallets on upper rack levels, that refills pick faces instead of being picked from for each order.
- Serial number tracking
- Serial number tracking records a unique identifier for each individual unit of an item, so the warehouse knows where that exact unit is and where it went.
- Stock adjustment
- A stock adjustment is a manual correction to recorded inventory, used for damage, count differences, found stock or data entry errors.
- Stock ledger
- A stock ledger is the complete, ordered record of every stock movement, from which current inventory quantities are calculated.
- Stock movement
- A stock movement is one recorded change to inventory, such as a receipt or pick, stating what moved, how much, where from, where to and who did it.
- Stock reservation
- A stock reservation sets aside a quantity of on-hand stock for a specific order line before it is picked, so no other order can claim it.
- Storage location
- A storage location is one addressable slot in a warehouse where stock sits, identified by a code that workers read and scan.
- Task interleaving
- Task interleaving gives a worker a mixed sequence of tasks, such as a putaway followed by a nearby pick, so fewer trips are made empty-handed.
- Warehouse SLA
- A warehouse SLA (service level agreement) is a committed standard, such as shipping orders by a set cut-off, against which warehouse performance is measured.
- Warehouse zone
- A warehouse zone is an area of the building set aside for one purpose, such as receiving, storage, quarantine or outbound staging.
- Wave picking
- Wave picking groups orders into batches, called waves, that a supervisor releases to the floor together, controlling which work starts and when.
- Yard management
- Yard management is tracking trucks and trailers from gate arrival through the yard to a dock door and departure, including the appointments that schedule them.