Food Distributors Industry Terminology

- “Let’s re-slot our ‘A’ movers near the dock based on the latest ABC analysis.” - “Cycle count frequency is weekly for A items, monthly for B, and quarterly for C.” - “Our buyer used ABC results to negotiate better terms on top-margin A SKUs.”

- “Receiving will be faster if the supplier sends an ASN with SSCC pallet labels.” - “The ASN didn’t match the PO quantities, so we flagged it as an exception.” - “Our WMS can auto-create receipts from ASNs to reduce dock-to-stock time.”

- “Shifting to B2B eCommerce raised order accuracy and reduced call center costs.” - “Customers want real-time inventory and substitutions in the eCommerce cart.” - “We integrated promotions and contract pricing into the B2B portal.”

- “We secured a dairy backhaul after the store delivery to cut empty miles.” - “TMS suggested backhaul matches for Tuesday routes.” - “Backhauls must comply with our sanitary trailer standards before loading.”

- “Case-pick lanes are designed for our top 500 movers.” - “We use voice picking for case pick to improve accuracy.” - “Case pick productivity is 185 cases per labor hour this shift.”

- “Ensure catch weights are scanned during receiving for accurate invoicing.” - “The WMS records catch weight against each lot tag.” - “Pricing is by lb, but we allocate picking in cases for catch-weight items.”

- “Data loggers prove our cold chain stayed within 2–4°C.” - “Multi-temp trailers protect the cold chain for mixed orders.” - “FSMA audits require documented cold chain controls.”

- “We cross-dock produce arriving overnight to morning store routes.” - “ASN accuracy is critical for same-day cross-docking.” - “Cross-dock lanes are assigned by route departure time.”

- “Our new DC added 20,000 pallet positions.” - “The DC is moving to voice-directed picking.” - “We’ll split inventory across two DCs to cut lead times.”

- “We adjusted forecasts for the holiday spike in ham.” - “Weather signals improved ice cream forecasting.” - “Forecast error dropped after adding promo lift factors.”

- “DRP recommends a 3-truck inbound for next week.” - “We raised safety stock in DRP for A items during the event.” - “DRP signals when to transfer inventory between DCs.”

- “Bread and beverages often run on DSD to ensure freshness.” - “DSD vendors stock and rotate product on store shelves.” - “Our DSD routes target early-morning delivery windows.”

- “We require EDI 856 ASNs for faster receiving.” - “EDI reduced invoice errors and short-paid claims.” - “The retailer rejected the load due to an EDI mismatch.”

- “The ERP holds the item master and pricing; WMS handles execution.” - “We’re upgrading ERP to support catch-weight.” - “ERP and TMS integration improved OTIF performance.”

- “The PO specifies a minimum remaining shelf life of 80%.” - “Short-dated lots are flagged for markdown and priority picking.” - “Receivers reject pallets with illegible date codes.”

- “FEFO picking is mandatory in chilled zones.” - “WMS allocates by FEFO after checking customer MSL rules.” - “Audit confirmed FEFO compliance on all dairy picks.”

- “Ambient snacks run FIFO; perishables run FEFO.” - “FIFO exceptions are investigated for potential mis-picks.” - “Cycle counts verify FIFO integrity in reserve locations.”

- “Line fill was 96%, but unit fill dipped due to shortages.” - “We improved fill rate by increasing safety stock on A SKUs.” - “Retailers tie bonuses to weekly fill rate targets.”

- “Our FSMA plan documents preventive controls at receiving.” - “Drivers complete FSMA training on sanitary transport.” - “FSMA audits reviewed our temperature monitoring logs.”

- “The DC maintains GFSI certification via BRCGS Storage & Distribution.” - “RFPs often mandate a GFSI-recognized program.” - “GFSI audits drive continuous improvement in sanitation.”

- “Print SSCC pallet labels to match the ASN.” - “GS1-128 case labels carry GTIN, lot, and date codes.” - “Retailer compliance requires SSCC on every pallet.”

- “Our HACCP plan covers CCPs at receiving and cold storage.” - “Corrective actions are documented per HACCP procedures.” - “Auditors reviewed HACCP logs for CCP temperature checks.”

- “Route plans respect HOS to avoid violations.” - “ELD data proves HOS compliance on long hauls.” - “We scheduled a relay due to HOS constraints.”

- “Under CIF, the seller arranges insurance and freight.” - “We prefer FOB origin for better inbound control.” - “Customs delays aren’t our risk under DDP.”

- “Frozen turns should be 10+, ambient 6–8.” - “We improved turns by rationalizing slow movers.” - “Higher turns reduce shrink on perishables.”

- “We moved to JIT replenishment on dairy with daily inbound.” - “JIT relies on reliable lead times and supplier ASN accuracy.” - “JIT cut holding costs but raised delivery frequency.”

- “Our top KPIs include fill rate and OTIF.” - “The DC KPI dashboard updates hourly.” - “We tied bonuses to safety and quality KPIs.”

- “We extended safety stock for items with volatile lead times.” - “Supplier lead time dropped from 14 to 9 days.” - “Lead-time variability drives most of our stockouts.”

- “We tightened last-mile windows for hospitals.” - “Refrigerated last-mile routes use geo-fencing and temp sensors.” - “Late last-mile arrivals hurt OTIF.”

- “We can trace lot 123 from supplier to each store within 2 hours.” - “WMS enforces lot capture at picking for traceability.” - “Customer requires lot and date on the invoice.”

- “We ship small store orders LTL to remote areas.” - “NMFC class affects our LTL rates.” - “Damages are more common on multi-stop LTL moves.”

- “Missed MABD can trigger hefty compliance fines.” - “We built slack into routes to hit MABD during storms.” - “Suppliers must confirm MABD on the PO ack.”

- “MOQ forces us to take two pallets per flavor.” - “We negotiated lower MOQ for slow movers.” - “DRP batches orders to meet MOQ economically.”

- “Log the dented cans as OSD with photos.” - “High OSD on LTL lanes triggered packaging changes.” - “Carrier disputes require detailed OSD documentation.”

- “Our OTIF improved after route optimization.” - “Retailer penalties kick in below 95% OTIF.” - “ASN accuracy is foundational to strong OTIF.”

- “Update Ti-Hi after the packaging change.” - “We reconfigured Ti-Hi to maximize trailer cube.” - “Incorrect Ti-Hi caused leaning pallets in chill.”

- “Perpetual balances drive WMS allocation.” - “Discrepancies from cycle counts trued up the perpetual.” - “Accurate perpetuals reduce stockouts and shrink.”

- “Voice picking boosted accuracy in freezer aisles.” - “Pick-to-light cut travel in high-velocity lanes.” - “We’re A/B testing voice vs. RF scanning.”

- “Drivers capture ePOD with customer signatures.” - “Damage photos attach to the POD record.” - “Retailers require temp-at-delivery on the POD.”

- “QA inspects inbound produce color and brix.” - “QC recorded a temperature deviation on dock 3.” - “Supplier CAPA closed after QA audit.”

- “Mock recall traced 99.8% of lots within 90 minutes.” - “We verified customer contacts for recall alerts.” - “Recall binders include lot mapping and PODs.”

- “Night shift handles pick-face replenishment.” - “DRP triggers vendor replenishment orders weekly.” - “Replenishment rules consider cube and case pick velocity.”

- “We raised safety stock on soup ahead of the storm.” - “Safety stock is set by service targets and forecast error.” - “Low safety stock caused backorders on A items.”

- “We verify pre-cool and trailer cleanliness per the rule.” - “Driver training covers FSMA sanitary requirements.” - “We document washout certificates for raw proteins.”

- “Short shelf life requires faster turns.” - “Customer needs 30 days’ remaining shelf life on delivery.” - “We rotate to protect shelf life exposure in warm aisles.”

- “We re-slotted A items to ground-level case pick.” - “Slotting analysis cut travel by 18%.” - “Heavy items are slotted low for ergonomics.”

- “Data loggers flagged temperature abuse on lane 5.” - “Pallets sat on the dock too long—risk of abuse.” - “We rejected the load due to temperature abuse.”

- “TMS cut miles with multi-stop routing.” - “We tendered the load via TMS to our core carrier.” - “Freight audit is automated in the TMS.”

- “End-to-end traceability supports faster recalls.” - “We capture SSCC and lot at each handoff.” - “Retailers are piloting EPCIS for traceability data.”

- “WMS allocates picks by FEFO.” - “We added catch-weight to WMS to improve billing.” - “Dock-to-stock time fell after WMS wave tuning.”