C&F:
Cost and Freight: price includes goods and transport.
C.P.M.
- Certified Purchasing Manager
CAD:
See Computer-Aided Design.
CAE:
Computer-Aided Engineering.
Call
Centre: A
facility housing personnel who respond to customer phone queries. These personnel
may provide customer service or technical support. Call centre services may
be in-house or outsourced. Synonym: Customer Interaction
Centre.
CAM:
Computer Aided Manufacturing
CAO:
Computer-Assisted Ordering. Software that generates store replenishment
orders according to POs, perpetual inventory, and shelf-stock data, typically
ordering from the chain's own warehouse. See Continuous Replenishment Programs.
Capable
to Promise (CTP): A
technique used to determine if product can be assembled and shipped by a specific
date. Component availability throughout the supply chain, as well as available
materials, is checked to determine if delivery of a particular product can
be made. The process of committing orders against available capacity as well
as inventory. This process may involve multiple manufacturing or distribution
sites. Capable-to-promise is used to determine when a new or unscheduled customer
order can be delivered. Capable-to-promise employs a finite-scheduling model
of the manufacturing system to determine when an item can be delivered. It
includes any constraints that might restrict the production, such as availability
of resources, lead times for raw materials or purchased parts, and requirements
for lower-level components or subassemblies. The resulting delivery date takes
into consideration production capacity, the current manufacturing environment,
and future order commitments. The objective is to reduce the time spent by
production planners in expediting orders and adjusting plans because of inaccurate
delivery-date promises.
Capacity:
The
physical facilities, personnel and process available to meet the product or
service needs of customers. Capacity generally refers to the maximum output
or producing ability of a machine, a person, a process, a factory, a product,
or a service. Also see: Capacity Management
Capacity
Management: The
concept that capacity should be understood, defined, and measured for each
level in the organization to include market segments, products, processes,
activities, and resources. In each of these applications, capacity is defined
in a hierarchy of idle, non-productive, and productive views.
Capacity
Planning: Assuring
that needed resources (e.g., manufacturing capacity, distribution centre capacity,
transportation vehicles, etc.) will be available at the right time and place
to meet logistics and supply chain needs.
CAPEX:
A
term used to describe the monetary requirements (CAPital EXPenditure) of an
initial investment in new machines or equipment.
CAPS:
Centre
for Advanced Purchasing Studies
Cargo:
A
product shipped in an aircraft, railroad car, ship, barge, or truck.
Carload
Lot: A
shipment that qualifies for a reduced freight rate because it is greater than
a specified minimum weight. Since carload rates usually include minimum rates
per unit of volume, the higher LCL (less than carload) rate may be less expensive
for a heavy but relatively small shipment.
Carrier:
A
firm which transports goods or people via land, sea or air.
Carrier
Code:
A unique combination of letters (code) assigned to a carrier by the
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).
Cart
(pull cart): Four
wheeled cart used in order filling. Labelled merchandise
is placed on it, then transported to the conveyors or shipping dock.
Also used in a manual Distribution Centre that operates with a towveryoer
line instead of conveyors.
CASE:
Computer-Aided Software Engineering. Software that assists with software
design (upper CASE), "automatic" programming (lower CASE), implementation,
and maintenance.
Cash
Drawer Driver:
Software used to automate non-intelligent cash drawers.
Cash
Settlement System:
Processes and generates reports of cash room coin, currency, and media
(cash, checks, credit slips, etc.) verification.
Cash-to-Cash
Cycle Time: The
time it takes for cash to flow back into a company after it has been spent
for raw materials. Synonym: Cash Conversion Cycle. Calculation:
Total Inventory Days of Supply + Days of Sales Outstanding - Average
Payment Period for Material in days
CASM:
Carrier Assessment Selection and Management
CAT:
Credit Authorization Terminal.
CAT
Interface:
Credit Authorization Terminal connected to a POs register or PC via
a bridge controller (wedge).
Category:
Class of products within which a consumer can substitute one for another
(e.g., pain relievers, hosiery).
Category
Management: The
management of product categories as strategic business units. The practice
empowers a category manager with full responsibility for the assortment decisions,
inventory levels, shelf-space allocation, promotions and buying. With this
authority and responsibility, the category manager is able to judge more accurately
the consumer buying patterns, product sales and market trends of that category.
Causal
Forecast: In
forecasting, a type of forecasting that uses cause-and-effect associations
to predict and explain relationships between the independent and dependent
variables. An example of a causal model is an econometric model used to explain
the demand for housing starts based on consumer base, interest rates, personal
incomes, and land availability.
Cause
and Effect Diagram: In
quality management, a structured process used to organize ideas into logical
groupings. Used in brainstorming and problem solving exercises. Also known
as Ishikawa or fish bone diagram.
CBD:
Cash
Before Delivery
CCD:
Charge-Coupled Device. A type of bar-code reader that operates by flashing
an LED, creating a reflected image onto photosensitive material, and digitizing
that image.
CDC
Cross-Dock Centre: a stockless (or virtual) distribution
centre where goods are generally not placed into storage for subsequent picking,
but arrive and depart relatively quickly - by passing "across the dock".
This is achieved by suppliers delivering individual store orders. Also Consolidated
Distribution Centre and Combined Distribution Centre. See also PBL.
CDD:
Consumer Demand Driven. Capturing the demand as close to the market
as possible using information such as point-of-sale data.
CD-ROM:
Compact Disc-Read Only Memory.
Centralized
Dispatching: The
organization of the dispatching function into one central location. This structure
often involves the use of data collection devices for communication between
the centralized dispatching function, which usually reports to the production
control department, and the shop manufacturing departments.
CEO:
Chief
Executive Officer: also "Chairman's Executive Office" (see also COO).
Certificate
of Analysis (COA): A
certification of conformance to quality standards or specifications for products
or materials. It may include a list or reference of analysis results and process
information. It is often required for transfer of the custody/ownership/title
of materials.
Certificate
of Compliance: A
supplier's certification that the supplies or services in question meet specified-requirements.
CF:
Cost
& Freight. Also "c.f." (confer) - compare.
CFAR:
See Collaborative Forecasting and Replenishment.
CFCs:
Chlorofluorocarbons--range
of chemicals at one time widely used in packaging, propellants and refrigerants
but now believed to be responsible for the destruction of ozone in the upper
atmosphere and consequently global warming.
CFD:
Continuous
Flow Distribution
CFM:
Collaborative
Freight Management: integrated supply chain management
- using alliances between freight/logistics companies, customers and suppliers
to cut transport costs, improve efficiency and add value.
CFO:
Chief
Financial Officer
CFR:
Cost and Freight: also "CAF", "CF".
CFT:
Cross-Functional
Team:--a multi-skilled team.
CGP-Cost
of Good Purchased
Change
Management: The
business process that coordinates and monitors all changes to the business
processes and applications operated by the business as well as to their internal
equipment, resources, operating systems, and procedures. The change management
discipline is carried out in a way that minimizes the risk of problems that
will affect the operating environment and service delivery to the users.
Channel:
1) A
method whereby a business dispenses its product, such as a retail or distribution
channel, call centre or web based electronic storefront. 2) A push
technology that allows users to subscribe to a website to browse offline,
automatically display updated pages on their screen savers, and download or
receive notifications when pages in the website are modified. Channels are
available only in browsers that support channel definitions, such as Microsoft
Internet Explorer version 4.0
Channel
Conflict: This
occurs when various sales channels within a company's supply chain compete
with each other for the same business. An example is where a retail channel
is in competition with a web based channel set up by the company.
Channel
Partners: Members
of a supply chain (i.e. suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers,
etc.) who work in conjunction with one another to manufacture, distribute,
and sell a specific product.
Channels
of Distribution: Any
series of firms or individuals that participates in the flow of goods and
services from the raw material supplier and producer to the final user or
consumer. Also see: Distribution Channel
Character
Density:
A measurement of the number of characters per inch that are encoded
in a bar code.
Check
Digit or Check Character:
A character used as a mathematical check to ensure accuracy. Commonly
used in SKU numbers and bar codes.
Check
Readers:
Electronic devices that read MICR-encoded checks and transmit that
information to a PC or terminal for further processing.
CHEP:
Commonwealth
Handling Equipment Pool: a pallet (strictly a pooling system for pallets and
automotive crates).
CIF:
Cost,
Insurance & Freight: i.e. price includes cost (of
goods), insurance and transport.
CL:
Carload:
a rail freight term.
Claim:
Action taken against a carrier, vendor, or individual for lost and/or
damaged freight.
Cleansing
of Data:
Putting data in a consistent format and removing errors, often for
data warehouses or other large databases.
Clearinghouse:
A
conventional or limited purpose entity generally restricted to providing specialized
services, such as clearing funds or settling accounts.
Click-and-Mortar:
With
reference to a traditional brick-and-mortar company that has expanded its
presence online. Many brick-and- mortar stores are now trying to establish
an online presence but often have a difficult time doing so for many reasons.
Click-and- mortar is "the successful combination of online and real world
experience."
Client/Server:
A computing architecture that separates application functionality from
centralized data and services. There are at least five stages of separation
between clients and servers, but generally the user presentation and
some processing is on clients, while data and some functions reside on servers.
Clip
Art: A
collection of icons, buttons, and other useful image files, along with sound
and video files that can be inserted into documents/web pages.
CLM:
Council of Logistics Management
CLO:
Chief Logistics Officer
CLR:
Competitive
Line Rate: a railfreight term.
CM:
Controlled Manufacturing
CMI:
See
Co-managed Inventory
CMR:
Customer Managed Relationship: a self-service approach
to customer management, enabling people to obtain the services or information
they need themselves. The acronym also denotes an international convention
for the carriage of goods by road.
CNG:
Compressed Natural Gas: used as motor fuel (see also
LNG, LPG).
CO:
Carbon
Monoxide
COA:
See
Certificate of Analysis
COD:
Cash On Delivery: see also CWO.
Code:
A
numeric, or alphanumeric, representation of text for exchanging commonly used
information. For example: commodity codes, carrier codes,
Code
128:
Variable length, bi-directional, self-checking, alphanumeric bar-code
symbology with 128 characters. It's the symbology used for shipping containers
(a VICS standard) for vendors' shipping labels to general merchandise retailers.
Code
39:
Variable length, bi-directional, self-checking alphanumeric bar code.
Three of the elements are wide and six are narrow. Rarely used in retail any
more.
Co-destiny:
The
evolution of a supply chain from intra-organizational management to interorganizational
management.
Codifying:
The
process of detailing a new standard.
CofI:
Certificate of Inspection
CofM:
Certificate of Manufacture. Also COM.
CofO:
Certificate of Origin
CofS:
Certificate of Shipment
COGS:
See
Cost of Goods Sold
COGSA:
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (USA).
Collaborative
Forecasting and Replenishment (CFAR):
An initiative that enables companies along a supply chain to work together,
communicating via the Internet, to develop a single, more accurate demand
forecast and to create a plan for delivering product to meet that demand.
Collaborative
Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR):
1) A collaboration process whereby supply chain trading partners can
jointly plan key supply chain activities from production and delivery of raw
materials to production and delivery of final products to end customers. Collaboration
encompasses business planning, sales forecasting, and all operations
required to replenish raw materials and finished goods. 2) A process philosophy
for facilitating collaborative communications. CPFR is considered a standard,
endorsed by the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards.
COM:
Certificate
of Manufacture: Also CofM.
Co-Managed
Inventory (CMI): A
form of continuous replenishment in which the manufacturer is responsible
for replenishment of standard merchandise, while the retailer manages the
replenishment of promotional merchandise.
Committed
Capability: The
portion of the production capability that is currently in use, or is scheduled
for use.
Commodity:
An
item that is traded in commerce. The term usually implies an undifferentiated
product competing primarily on price and availability.
Commodity
Buying: Grouping
like parts or materials under one buyerís control for the procurement of all
requirements to support production.
Commodity
Procurement Strategy: The
purchasing plan for a family of items. This would include the plan to manage
the supplier base and solve problems.
Common
Carrier: Transportation
available to the public that does not provide special treatment to any one
party and is regulated as to the rates charged, the liability assumed, and
the service provided. A common carrier must obtain a certificate of public
convenience and necessity from the Federal Trade Commission for interstate
traffic.
Company
Culture: A
system of values, beliefs, and behaviours inherent in a company. To optimize
business performance, top management must define and create the necessary
culture.
Competitive
Advantage: Value
created by a company for its customers that clearly distinguishes it from
the competition, and provides its customers a reason to remain loyal.
Competitive
Benchmarking: Benchmarking
a product or service against competitors. Also see: Benchmarking
Competitive
Bid Processes:Processes
used to determine sources, options, specifications,
Competitive
Data:
Data acquired from an outside source that can be added to the data
warehouse and used to measure a retailer's performance against competing firms.
It might include geo-demographic data, multi-chain summarized POs data, consumer
purchase panel data, etc.
Complete
& On-Time Delivery (COTD): A
measure of customer service. All items on any given order must be delivered
on time for the order to be considered as complete and on time.
Compliance:
Meaning
that products, services, processes and/or documents comply with requirements.
Component:
Material
that will contribute to a finished product but is not the finished product
itself. Examples would include tires for an automobile, power supply for a
personal computer, or a zipper for a ski parka.
Computer-Aided
Design (CAD):
Systems that streamline development of engineering and storage of designs,
often enabling many to work on a design simultaneously.
Configuration:
The
arrangement of components as specified to produce an assembly.
Configure/Package-to-Order:
A
process where the trigger to begin manufacture, final assembly or packaging
of a product is an actual customer order or release, rather than a market
forecast. In order to be considered a Configure-to-Order environment, less
than 20% of the value-added takes place after the receipt of the order or
release, and virtually all necessary design and process documentation is available
at time of order receipt.
Confirmation:
With
regards to EDI, a formal notice (by message or code) from a electronic mailbox
system or EDI server indicating that a message sent to a trading partner has
reached its intended mailbox or been retrieved by the addressee.
Confirming
Order: A
purchase order issued to a supplier, listing the goods or services and terms
of an order placed orally or otherwise before the usual purchase document.
Conformance:
An
affirmative indication or judgment that a product or service has met the requirements
of a relevant specification, contract, or regulation. Synonym:
Compliance.
Consignee:
The
party to whom goods are shipped and delivered. The receiver of a freight shipment.
Consignment:
1) A
shipment that is handled by a common carrier. 2) The process of a supplier
placing goods at a customer location without receiving payment until after
the goods are used or sold. Also see: Consignment Inventory
Consignment
Inventory: 1) Goods
or product that are paid for when they are sold by the reseller, not at the
time they are shipped to the reseller. 2) Goods or products which are
owned by the vendor until they are sold to the consumer.
Consignor:
The
party who originates a shipment of goods (shipper). The sender of a freight
shipment, usually the seller.
Consolidation:
Combining
two or more shipments in order to realize lower transportation rates. Inbound
consolidation from vendors is called make-bulk consolidation; outbound consolidation
to customers is called break-bulk consolidation.
Consortium:
A
group of companies that work together to jointly produce a product, service,
or project.
Constraint:
A
bottleneck, obstacle or planned control that limits throughput or the utilization
of capacity.
Constraint
Management:
Using theory of constraints (TOC) to run a business. Often used by
manufacturers. See theory of constraints.
Consumer
Direct:
An emerging retail channel involving the sale and shipment of goods
directly to consumers, usually at their homes, with the sales often taking
place through the Internet.
Consumer-Centric
Database:
Database with information about a retailer's individual consumers,
used primarily for marketing and promotion.
Consuming
the Forecast: The
process of reducing the forecast by customer orders or other types of actual
demands as they are received. The adjustments yield the value of the remaining
forecast for each period.
Container:
1) A
"box", typically ten to forty feet long, which is used primarily for ocean
freight shipments. For travel to and from ports, containers are loaded onto
truck chassisor on railroad flatcars. 2) The packaging, such as a carton,
case, box, bucket, drum, bin, bottle, bundle, or bag, that an item is packed
and shipped in.
Containerization:
A
shipment method in which commodities are placed in containers, and after initial
loading, the commodities per se are not rehandled in shipment until they are
unloaded at the destination.
Continuous
Deal Pricing:
An average of deal and non-deal prices available to distributors who
do not take high-low deals. "Every Day Low Pricing" applied to the trade.
Continuous
Flow Distribution (CFD): The
streamlined pull of products in response to customer requirements while minimizing
the total costs of distribution.
Continuous
Improvement (CI): A
structured measurement driven process that continually reviews and improves
performance.
Continuous
Process Improvement (CPI): A
never-ending effort to expose and eliminate root causes of problems; small-step
improvement as opposed to big-step improvement. Synonym:
Continuous Improvement. Also
see: Kaizen
Continuous
Replenishment: Continuous
Replenishment is the practice of partnering between distribution channel members
that changes the traditional replenishment process from distributor-generated
purchase orders, based on economic order quantities, to the replenishment
of products based on actual and forecasted product demand.
Continuous
Replenishment Planning (CRP): A
program that triggers the manufacturing and movement of product through the
supply chain when the identical product is purchased by an end user.
Continuous
Replenishment Programs:
(aka CR, CPR). The process by which generally a supplier determines
replenishment orders using a retailers' inventory, forecast, and POs data.
It's supposed to yield lower inventory investments and higher turns. Usually
refers to warehouse replenishment rather than store replenishment.
Contract:
An
agreement between two or more competent persons or companies to perform or
not to perform specific acts or services or to deliver merchandise. A contract
may be oral or written. A purchase order, when accepted by a supplier, becomes
a contract. Acceptance may be in writing or by performance, unless the purchase
order requires acceptance in writing.
Contract
Administration: Managing
all aspects of a contract to guarantee that the contractor fulfills his obligations.
Contract
Carrier: A
carrier that does not serve the general public, but provides transportation
for hire for one or a limited number of shippers under a specific contract.
Contribution:
The
difference between sales price and variable costs. Contribution is used to
cover fixed costs and profits.
Contribution
Margin:
The remainder after all variable costs, including distribution processing,
are subtracted from sales revenues.
Control
Structure:
The "begin" and "end" (header and trailer) segments for entities in
EDI.
COO:
Country
of Origin
Co-packer:
A
contract co-packer produces goods and/or services for other companies, usually
under the other company's label or name. Co-Packers are more frequently seen
in CPG and Foods.
Core
Competencies:
The critical skills and knowledge a company has that add value for
customers. Many firms seek world-class performance in competencies that differentiate
them from competitors and often outsource non-core competencies.
Corporate
Culture:
A set of shared values about how things are done, what is important,
what works, etc. It can help or hinder implementation of changes such as new
systems or processes.
Corporate
Traffic:
Area responsible for Contract Carriers, Carrier Claims, freight payment,
Lease Car department and Tab Tracing.
Correction
Invoice:
An invoice used to additional bill or issue credit to a store because
of incorrect billing or pricing.
Cost
Accounting: The
branch of accounting that is concerned with recording and reporting business
operating costs. It includes the reporting of costs by departments, activities,
and products.
Cost
Allocation: In
accounting, the assignment of costs that cannot be directly related to production
activities via more measurable means, e.g., assigning corporate expenses to
different products via direct labour costs or hours.
Cost
Centre: In
accounting, a sub-unit in an organization that is responsible for costs.
Cost
Management: The
management and control of activities and drivers to calculate accurate product
and service costs, improve business processes, eliminate waste, influence
cost drivers, and plan operations. The resulting information will have utility
in setting and evaluating an organization's strategies.
Cost
Variance: In
cost accounting, the difference between what has been budgeted for an activity
and what it actually costs.
Cost,
Insurance, Freight: A
freight term indicating that the seller is responsible for cost, the marine
insurance, and the freight charges on an ocean shipment of goods.
Council
of Logistics Management (CLM): The
CLM is a not- for-profit professional business organization consisting of
individuals throughout the world who have interests and/or responsibilities
in logistics and the related functions that make up the logistics profession.
Its purpose is to enhance the development of the logistics profession through
logistics professionals by providing them with educational opportunities and
relevant information through a variety of programs, services, and activities.
CPFR:
See Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment.
CPG:
Consumer Packaged Goods: see also FMCG.
CPI:
Characters Per Inch. See character density.
CPIO:
Chief
Process Improvement Officer
CPS:
Characters Per Second. Refers to print speed.
CPT:
Carriage Paid To
CPU:
Central Processing Unit. A computer processor, generally the "main"
chip that is the computer's "brain."
CR:
Current
Ratio
CR:
Continuous
Replenishment: a modification of QR (q.v.) which eliminates
the need for replenishment orders - individual customer's purchases trigger
manufacturing and distribution. See also AR and VMI.
Credit
Authorization and EDC Utilities:
Software integrated into a POs system to provide access to credit authorization,
check authorization networks, and settlement banks.
Credit
Scoring:
Risk-assessment tool based on statistical analysis of credit users.
CRM:
Customer
Relationship Management
Cross
Docking: A
distribution system in which merchandise received at the warehouse or distribution
centre is not put away, but instead is readied for shipment to retail stores.
Cross docking requires close synchronization of all inbound and outbound shipment
movements. By eliminating the put-away, storage and selection operations,
it can significantly reduce distribution costs.
Cross-Shipment:
Material
flow activity where materials are shipped to customers from a secondary shipping
point rather than from a preferred shipping point.
CRP:
See Continuous Replenishment Programs.
CRP:
Capacity
Requirements Planning: the process of establishing,
measuring and adjusting limits or levels of capacity - e.g. to determine the
human and machine resources required for production. Also "Continuous Replenishment
Programme" - customer-driven replenishment.
CRT:
Cathode
Ray Tube
CS:
Customer Service
CSR:
Corporate
Social Responsibility:. Also 'Common Stock Room' and 'Customer Service
Representative'.
C-Type
Warehouse: A physical Customs Warehouse (i.e. where goods are not subject
to excise duty) in which the warehouse keeper takes on full responsibility
for the goods stored, or owns them. See also A, D, E.
Cube
Utilization: In
warehousing, a measurement of the utilization of the total storage capacity
of a vehicle or warehouse.
Cubic
Space: In
warehousing, a measurement of space available or required in transportation
and warehousing.
Cumulative
Lead Time: The
total time required to source components, build and ship a product.
Cumulative
Source/Make Cycle Time: The
cumulative internal and external lead time to manufacture shippable product,
assuming that there is no inventory on-hand, no materials or parts on order,
and no prior forecasts existing with suppliers. (An element of Total Supply
Chain Response Time) Calculation: The critical path
along the following elements: Total Sourcing Lead Time,
Manufacturing Order Release to Start Manufacturing, To tal Manufacture Cycle
Time (Make-to-Order, Engineer-to-Order, Configure/Package-to-Order) or Manufacture
Cycle Time (Make-to-Stock), Complete Manufacture to Ship Time Note:
Determined separately for Make-to-Order, Configure/Package-to-Order,
Engineer-to-Order, and Make-to-Stock products
CUSDEC:
Customs
Declaration message.
Customer:
1) In
VMI, the Trading Partner or reseller, i.e. Wal-Mart, Safeway, or CVS. 2)
In Direct-to-Consumer, the end customer or user.
Customer
Acquisition or Retention: The
rate by which new customers are acquired, or existing customers are retained.
A key selling point to potential marquis partners. Also see:
Marquis Partner
Customer
Driven: The
end user, or customer, motivates what is produced or how it is delivered.
Customer
Order: An
order from a customer for a particular product or a number of products. It
is often referred to as an actual demand to distinguish it from a forecasted
demand.
Customer
Relationship Management:
A strategy designed to build customer loyalty by capturing and consolidating
customer data from across an enterprise (and sometimes from outside sources)
in a central database and enabling all associates who deal with customers
to make effective use of that data and analysis of that data.
Customer-Supplier
Partnership: A
long-term relationship between a buyer and a supplier characterized by teamwork
and mutual confidence. The supplier is considered an extension of the buyer's
organization. The partnership is based on several commitments. The buyer provides
long-term contracts and uses fewer suppliers. The supplier implements quality
assurance processes so that incoming inspection can be minimized. The supplier
also helps the buyer reduce costs and improve product and process designs.
Customs
Brokerage ‚
A company who is responsible for handling customs clearances and
Customs
House Broker: A
business firm that oversees the movement of international shipments through
customs and ensures that the documentation accompanying a shipment is complete
and accurate.
CV:
Commercial Vehicle: a truck.
CVO:
Commercial Vehicle Operations
CWO:
Cash
With Order-see also COD.
CY:
Container Yard-storage for containers in transit (often at a port).
Cycle
Counting: An
inventory accuracy audit technique where inventory is counted on a cyclic
schedule rather than once a year. A cycle inventory count is usually taken
on a regular, defined basis (often more frequently for high- value or fast-moving
items and less frequently for low value or slow- moving items). Most effective
cycle counting systems require the counting of a certain number of items every
workday with each item counted at a prescribed frequency. The key purpose
of cycle counting is to identify items in error, thus triggering research,
identification, and elimination of the cause of the errors.
Cycle
Counts:
A way of physically counting/verifying inventory levels in sections
of a store or DC, usually more efficiently than other methods.
Cycle
Time: The
amount of time it takes to complete a business process.
Cycle
Time to Process Excess Product Returns for Resale: The
total time to process goods returned as Excess by customer or distribution
centres, in preparation for resale. This cycle time includes the time a Return
Product Authorization (RPA) is created to the time the RPA is approved, from
Product Available for Pickup to Product Received and from Product Receipt
to Product Available for use.
Cycle
Time to Process Obsolete and End-of-Life Product Returns for Disposal:
The
total time to process goods returned as Obsolete & End of Life to actual
Disposal. This cycle time includes the time a Return Product Authorization
(RPA) is created to the time the RPA is approved, from Product Available for
Pickup to Product Received and from Product Receipt to Product Disposal/Recycle.
Cycle
Time to Repair or Refurbish Returns for Use: The
total time to process goods returned for repair or refurbishing. This cycle
time includes the time a Return Product Authorization (RPA) is created to
the time the RPA is approved, from Product Available for Pickup to Product
Received, from Product Receipt to Product Repair/Refurbish begin, and from
Product Repair/Refurbish begin to Product Available for use.
Cyclical
Demand: A
situation where demand patterns for a product run in cycles driven by seasonality
or other predictable factors.
©
Copyright 2005. Media Services, Calgary Board of Education. All rights reserved