Glossary for intralogistics & logistics

Published on: December 11, 2014 / Update from: October 1, 2021 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Glossary of Intralogistics & Logistics – Image: Don Pablo|Shutterstock.com

Glossary with terms from warehouse logistics in alphabetical order

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Quantity to be picked that is smaller than a packaging or staging unit of the requested goods. Or also: the amount of goods remaining after receipt of an order for smaller units as whole packs (so-called partial units).

Customer requirements are described via orders and contain the items ordered by a client (customer) with details of the desired quantity.

Line in a picking or picking list. It contains information such as item number and description, quantity and storage location of an item. With item-oriented picking, an order line can contain goods for several orders at the same time, which are only assigned to the individual orders in a second step.

Facility for retrieving units from a storage system. Often close to the picking or loading station.

Each combination of item and quantity in an order is called a line and corresponds to exactly one order line.

Technology used for the automatic recognition of goods and objects through image recognition, barcodes, smart labels or biometric data (techniques such as optical character recognition (OCR) or radio-frequency identification (RFID).

Automated system for storing low volume goods. Storage and retrieval is usually carried out using mechanical storage and retrieval machines or shuttles.

Used in storage systems with container conveyor technology, where the items or containers with them are transported over taxiways. Here, so-called train stations are set up at the individual picking zones, where arriving containers can be parked for the upcoming picking. This means that the flow of items is not blocked by waiting containers and backlogs are prevented.

Machine-readable code for identifying items and storage locations. A barcode consists of lines and gaps of different widths and is read by software-supported reading devices (scanners).

Part of the picking time per order. During the basic time, organizational activities for the actual picking process are carried out, e.g

• Creating the picking list
• Preparing the picking trolley
• Handover of the commission to downstream processes (outgoing goods, etc.)

is the combination of several orders into an ordered set or list of orders. In practice, the terms batching or multi-order picking are also used synonymously.

Picking strategy. Several picking orders are combined into a batch and picked at the same time. As soon as a job is completely processed, the batch is continuously replenished with the next job.

Procurement logistics is the first of four sub-areas of logistics. It includes all logistical tasks related to the procurement of goods and their routes from the supplier to the buyer's receipt of goods.

Storage location where the goods are placed directly on the floor. This can also include pallets with fast-moving items that are stored centrally near the picking station due to their frequent retrieval. This also includes storage spaces that are located below the lower level of a shelf.

The goods are not stored in permanently assigned places, but always wherever there is free space. Opposite of fixed storage.

Handling of goods without storing the goods. Delivered goods are transported directly to the outgoing goods department or to the shipping station without any storage.

Shelving that can receive and release goods from both sides on each level. Double shelves are usually found between two aisles in a warehouse.

Storage of two units one behind the other. Double shelves or drive-in storage are particularly suitable for this type of storage.

Shelf with an open operating side into which the transport device can drive (entry level) and deposit the goods (usually stored on pallets) in front of the last stack of goods. It is stored according to the LIFO principle, as the last stored unit is picked up first.

Comparable to drive-in racking, where goods are stored on several levels, one above the other and one behind the other. The difference to drive-in racking is that drive-through racking is open on both sides, which allows storage and retrieval from two sides. Storage strategies such as LIFO and FIFO principles are therefore possible.

Here the storage units are stored on rollers, stored on one side of the rack and retrieved on the other. The transport route within the shelf is on rollers.

With these rack storage systems, the units are moved during storage on the rack. These include carousel racks, horizontal carousel warehouses and flow racks. Opposite: static storage with units stored on rigid shelves.

The most commonly used type of storage. Only one storage unit is stored in the depth (e.g. in a single pallet rack).

Static racking with rigid storage compartments on which goods can be stored directly or in containers. It is suitable for both small and large volume items and is a widely used storage system due to its simple and cost-effective structure.

Each item is stored in a designated storage location. Opposite to chaotic storage.

The storage units are stored on rollers on one side of the shelf and removed on rollers on the other side. Movement within the warehouse is often done by gravity because the roller conveyors have a slope.

The degree of filling indicates in percent how full a storage system is.
Filling ratio = number of occupied storage spaces / number of storage spaces

Extreme point that a person can reach without contortions to grasp an object. Together with the gripping height and depth, the gripping limit is an important feature for the ergonomic design of workstations in the warehouse.

Height or depth at which an object can be grasped without physical contortions. The gripping height and depth are divided into: minimum, optimal, maximum gripping height and depth respectively.

Part of the picking time per order.

The gripping time is also referred to as the removal time or the picking time. It is the time it takes the picker to grab an item.

Storage system with very tall dimensions. Devices of this type are often up to 30 meters high and allow warehouse logistics companies to accommodate large quantities of stored goods in the smallest of spaces. The goods are usually transported within the high rack using internal lifting devices, which work according to the paternoster principle, for example.

Dynamic storage system in which the goods are stored like in a carousel and automatically rotate to the picking station when requested.

Transport vehicle (forklift, industrial truck, etc.) that operates according to the “people to goods” principle. It drives the order picker to the location of the requested item and often supports the picking process for faster and more ergonomic work (e.g. with the help of lifting or loading devices).

Driverless and driverless transport vehicles that are powered by inductive energy transfer from the ground. They are routed via wires laid in the ground.

Abbreviation for courier, express and parcel service.

Order-related compilation of certain partial quantities (items) from a provided total quantity (range).
This can be a customer order or a production order. The employee who puts the order together is called an order picker, picker or gripper. To form:

• Order parallel picking: Simultaneous processing of orders in different picking zones and subsequent merging for delivery.
• Order-oriented picking: Only one order is processed before the next order begins.
• Item-oriented picking: Items from multiple orders are put together at the same time. In a second step, these are assigned to the individual orders.
• Document picking: One or more pick lists are printed for an order. After they have been processed, the departures are recorded on the order. Instead of lists, cables, stickers and adhesive labels are often used.
• Paperless picking: All information necessary for picking is shown to employees on displays at the picking station. Paper receipts are no longer needed. Examples would be pick-by-light or pick-by-voice techniques.
• Dynamic picking: Occurs in automatic storage systems. The storage unit is automatically removed by the warehouse management system and transported to the picking station. The order picker removes the required quantity of goods, after which the rest of the unit is put back into storage.
• One-dimensional picking: picking up the items from a height that the picker can reach. The storage locations are arranged at reach height, so that no lifting equipment has to be used compared to two-dimensional order picking.
• Two-dimensional picking: The goods are stored on several levels one above the other, some of which are beyond the picking height of the picker. For this type of picking, special conveying equipment such as staples or pallet trucks are required.
• Serial picking: All items in a picking order are processed one after the other.
• Batch building: picking individual orders and combining them into larger units (so-called batches – see above).

It is the total service provided in a certain time and expresses the productivity of a picking system. The picking performance can be calculated based on the number of all picked orders or the number of all picked positions per hour or per day. The picking performance is often determined for each picker.

A picking station is the work area of ​​the pickers.

The picking time is the total time required to pick a customer order. For economic reasons, this time should be kept as short as possible. The picking time consists of the following individual times:

• Base time
• Travel time
• Grab time
• dead time
• distribution time

A material management key figure for industrial companies. It indicates how often the average inventory of a product was completely removed from a warehouse and replaced in a specified period.

Software that helps coordinate and control all flows of goods in the warehouse. Modern systems take over the control of the automatic rack warehouses and their loading and unloading, so that order pickers only have to move the items out and into the removal openings at their workstations.

A type of picking in which the goods are made available statically. The order picker goes to the storage area and removes the goods on site.

Picking strategy. During peak times, several order pickers (= multi-user) can be used at one picking station at the same time.

A warehouse that is created after the items have been produced and holds the manufactured products. It can also be referred to as a sales or buffer warehouse.

Zero-error picking is the optimal goal in picking, as picking inaccuracies lead to delays and increased costs. In reality, software-supported storage systems already achieve an accuracy of up to 99.9%.

A picking strategy designed to quickly and accurately pick small batch sizes of items from large inventories. For example, with a stored inventory of 10,000 items, up to 350 picks per hour can be achieved.

A type of picking in which the goods are made available statically. The order picker goes to the storage area and removes the goods on site.

This technology enables paperless picking by showing the employee the removal location of the item for the respective order via the lamps, displays or diodes attached to each storage compartment.

Information about the storage locations etc. of the items to be picked is communicated to the picker via headphones. A paperless technology that allows the employee to have both hands free to remove goods.

A warehouse located between two successive production stages. Its task is to ensure a smooth production process even in the event of disruptions or delays. The otherwise stalled supplies for the next production stage are then served from the buffer warehouse.

Retrofitting refers to the modernization or expansion of existing systems and equipment.

Reasons for retrofit measures:

• Fulfillment of legal requirements (e.g. reduction of emissions)
• Retrofitting automation technology to reduce costs and save energy
• Greater efficiency of the system, e.g. B. by saving energy
• Increasing production volume or product quality

“Radio Frequency Identification”, German “identification using electromagnetic waves”. RFID is used to automatically locate and identify items that are equipped with a transponder (transmitter) or other electromagnetic transmitter module.

Same Day Delivery (SDD) is a form of courier express parcel service that delivers packages more quickly, ideally within a calendar day, or within a scheduled time slot.

A shelf designed to hold heavy loads. Unlike regular racks that are designed to hold a load of 4 to 5 tons, heavy duty racks can hold over 7 tons. Individual rack warehouses can handle up to one ton per level.

The total quantity of all items available in a warehouse to meet customer or production requirements is called the assortment.

A software-controlled solution in which order items that have to be picked from different storage systems (e.g. storage lifts and horizontal carousel warehouses) can be bundled into one order in a time- and cost-efficient manner. These so-called streams are temporarily stored in a buffer warehouse before they are finally prepared for shipping.

In contrast to dynamic storage, the goods remain in the same storage location during storage. They will only be moved again when they are removed from storage.

An automatic small parts warehouse (AKL) with storage spaces for trays. The requested items are taken from the tray at the removal point or placed on it after arrival or processing. The trays are then transported (usually automatically) by a storage and retrieval machine to the storage location intended for them. The trays therefore always remain in the storage area. A system that can accommodate goods of different sizes and thus allows great flexibility.

Part of the picking time per order that is not associated with pure retrieval or storage. The dead time, or non-productive time, consists, for example, of the following activities:

• Finding the storage location
• Opening packaging
• Counting, weighing, measuring the amount of items required
• Checking the item
• Note withdrawal

A variant of dynamic storage systems. They do not have a fixed storage rack. Instead, the storage spaces or compartments are attached to surrounding supports such as chains or timing belts. The goods stored in the storage areas or compartments are automatically transported to the removal opening after they are called up (goods-to-person principle). There are vertical and horizontal carousel warehouses (see also: horizontal or vertical carousel warehouse).

Part of the picking time per order. The distribution time is the time in which the order picker is not working productively. It is divided into the factual distribution time and the personal distribution time. The distribution time includes, for example:

• Waiting for information or means of transport (factual)
• Interruption of work due to lack of work (factual)
• Do mock work, get coffee (personally)

Vertical carousel warehouses have a variety of movable support floors that deliver selected goods safely and quickly to the next pick-up point upon request.

The underlying “goods to person” principle enables an ergonomic workplace in addition to high picking speeds.

A software-controlled storage system in which items are automatically stored and removed from a high-rise shelf on vertical levels. The employees remove the goods from a central removal opening. The underlying “goods to person” principle enables an ergonomic workplace in addition to high picking speeds.

Measure for efficient and ergonomic design of the workplace. The goods are brought to the employee's workplace via (usually automated systems), where the employee simply has to pick them up and process them, pick them or prepare them for further shipping.

Part of the picking time per order.

The travel time is often the largest part of the picking time. It is the time that the picker needs to move to or between storage locations.

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