SOME IMPORTANT TERMS

Data Collection Terminals



Fixed and mobile computing devices that aquire data by reading bar codes, magnetic stripes, RFID tags, etc. and transmit that data to enterprise systems (i.e. ERP, WMS, TMS) for the purpose of providing real-time track and trace visibility. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)


Enterprise Resource Planning goes beyond material requirements planning (MRP I) and Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) to encompass all functions within an enterprise as well as its trading partners.


Forecasting & Replenishment


Forecasting seeks to predict levels of weekly or monthly product activity over a time horizon. Replenishment, within a warehouse, is the process of moving inventory from secondary storage areas into fixed storage locations. Within a supply chain or a multiplant environment, it is the process of moving inventory between facilities to meet demand. Inventory Management


Handles all functions related to the tracking and management of material. This would include the monitoring of material moved into and out of stockroom locations and the reconciling of the inventory balances. Also may include ABC analysis, lot tracking, cycle counting support, etc.


Labor Management — Workforce


Raise fulfillment proficiency to the highest level by monitoring all direct and indirect labor, and providing feedback to workers and supervisors as activities are completed. Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)


A shop floor control system which includes either manual or automatic labor and production reporting as well as online inquiries and links to tasks that take place on the production floor. MES includes links to work orders, receipt of goods, shipping, quality control, maintenance, scheduling, and other related tasks.


Mobile Devices


A portable device that uses wireless technologies to transmit and exchange data. Along with mobile computing devices such as laptops and smart phones, PDAs represent the new frontier of computing as desktop computers find less and less favor among every day users. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)


A software application that uses bill of material, routing, inventory, work order, sales order, purchase order, transfer order, and other information to calculate requirements for materials.


Order Fulfillment


In the company's Inventory Management Cycle, this is the vendor's business process. The vendor receives the purchase order from the company, picks and packs the merchandise, and sends it to the retailer. Picking Solutions


Information technology enabled solutions that increase efficiency and effectiveness of pick, pack, and put-away operations within warehousing and manufacturing facilities. Solutions that support wave picking, pick-to-light, and voice picking are featured in this section.


Printers


Generic term applied to data-processing devices that produce full-size hard copy from computers. Among impact printers: serial printers, line printers, chain printers, bar printers, wheel printers and matrix printers. Non-impact printers, like ink jet printers, are based on printing principles similar to those employed in cathode ray tubes. Product Lifecycle Management


IT-enabled systems that facilitate intra- and inter-enterprise collaboration and communication throughout a product's entire lifecycle, from initial R&D, through engineering design, through manufacturing release, through production ramp up, through field service, to end-of-life.


Real-Time Production


Real-time production uses computers designed to receive, process, and respond to data within a time frame set by outside events, e.g., for air traffic control. In many real-time systems, severe consequences result if the timing and logical correctness of the system are not satisfied. Real-time process monitoring and control. Repetitive Manufacturing


The production of discrete units in a high-volume concentration of available capacity using fixed routings. Products may be standard or made from standard modules. Production management is usually based on the production rate.


RFID


RFID stands for radio frequency identification. It is an automatic identification technology whereby digital data encoded in an RFID tag or "smart label" is captured by a reader using radio waves. Shopfloor Management


Enable comprehensive, real-time management of shop floor activities, including complex lot transactions, dynamic routing, end-to-end genealogy of products, and modeling and tracking of operation yield costs.


Supply Chain Execution


Optimizes customer response by merging two important functions: the storage and delivery of finished goods. Execution may involve final assembly and packaging of products within the warehouse environment. Supply Chain Management


The use of information technology to endow automated intelligence to an ever-growing network of delivery vehicles, distribution centers, factories, and raw material suppliers. That way, each player in the supply chain to conduct business with the latest and best information from everyone else in the chain.


Supply Chain Services


Combinations of global warehousing and logistics, finance, information technology, and asset management, external industry-wide data, and supply chain services that allow customers to increase their overall business knowledge, helping them to make better decisions. Transportation Management Systems (TMS)


Systems that optimize assignments from plants to distribution centers, and from distribution centers to stores. The systems combine "moves" to ensure the most economical means are employed on a scale that no human planner could match.


Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)


Systems that integrate work performed within warehouses and distribution centers with a transactional-type information system. Simple storage and retrieval of materials is superseded by strategies to increase throughput and productivity. Wireless Gateway


A wireless gateway is a computer networking device that routes packets from a wireless LAN to another network, typically a wired WAN. Wireless gateways combine the functions of a wireless access point, a router, and often provide firewall functions as well.


Workflow Management


The ability to graphically designate and change the distribution and approval routings of documents related to business processes.