Glossary of Terms

for Third Party Logistics, Supply Chain Management & Fulfillment Operations

Many of the terms used in the world of third-party logistics do not appear in a standard dictionary, nor is there a dictionary of fulfillment or warehouse management definitions. We offer this glossary to help you better understand our business. If you have a term you would like defined, or have a definition that you would like to share with us, please send us an e-mail.

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Jump to terms:

- labels
- LIFO
- lead time
- less than truckload (LTL)
- leveler
- lift truck
- light assembly
- linear bar code
- location

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L

labels
Printed itentification codes for packages, usually only on the exterior of packages, cartons, master cartons, pallet loads, and shipping containers. Labeling information can be printed directly onto the exterior of the packaging, but for retail stores using EDI protocols, labels are usually printed on white paper with a thermal barcode printer. To comply with the labeling requirements of the end purchaser, and to avoid penalties, labels often have to be of an exact size and positioned within fractions of an inch of a specified corner of a package.


LIFO
Last-In, First-Out; inventory management system wherein in the last (most recent) product into the warehouse is the first product to be shipped out. For high-turnover products, this system can save time and warehouse space, since a product can be shipped out before it has to be putaway and stored.


lead time
Amount of time required for an item to be available for use from the time it is ordered. Lead time should include purchase order processing time, vendor processing time, in transit time, customs clearance time (if applicable) receiving, inspection, and any pre-packaging times.

LTL
see less than truck load

less than truck load
(LTL) A shipment that is less than a standard full trailer load. Certain freight carriers specialize in LTL shipments, which require more logistics management than full truckloads, since many pickups and deliveries must be scheduled for the same truck.

leveler
A metal plate at the base of a loading dock door that can raise of lower to bridge the levels of the warehouse floor and the trailer floor.


lift truck
Sometimes refers to a forklift, but, more commonly, a hand-operated or motor powered vehicle, smaller than a forklift without a seat or platform for the operator, to transport palletized goods and lift them for racking and stacking.


light assembly
To assemble parts or components of a product for final shipment to the end buyer. Light assembly usually does not require extensive training of the assemblers in order to accomplish the task, and usually involves only a few steps to complete it. Light assembly could involve constructing displays for retail stores, or putting product components from different sources together into a final "kit" to ship to the end client.


linear bar code
see 1D bar code

location
where inventory is physically stored or staged in a warehouse. It is also the identification number in the database corresponding to the location or “slot.”