The Language of Logistics
A Supply Chain and Logistics Glossary
Copyright 1997 by Edward H. BlicksteinDuplicating forsharing
with others， by any means， is illegal. Printed in USA
Year 2000 Issue
Purpose
Written and compiled for the benefit of logistics and transportation professionals， students of the field， and for clients of TranSolutions Consulting. It is hoped that this tool will enable the user to gain a better understanding of logistics [including relevant terms for distribution， transportation， leasing， and warehousing operations] by providing a useful and easy-to-understand glossary that will be up-dated annually. The author and TranSolutions Consulting acknowledge important contributions from many of its client's logistics and transportation personnel as well as information derived from other expert sources in the compilation of this glossary.
This issue of The Language of Logistics attempts to include the newest terminology and acronyms utilized in the field of business logistics. Special attention has been made to compile terms and offer advice in connection with year 2000 business issues （not the Y2K issue） like e-commerce. However， I make no claim that this issue is 100% complete as the challenge of compiling， researching， defining， and occasionally creating meaningful terminology is never ending. Writers in the field of logistics and supply-chain management， consulting firms， industry providers of 3PL services， transportation companies， and shippers are constantly contributing to the development of new terminology through their efforts to improve the effectiveness of supply-chain management. Consequently， the language of logistics is always expanding due to the evolving nature of the field.
As you use this tool you will note that there is a new emphasis on technology， the Internet， and e-commerce. While most everyone is aware of the current consumer orientation of the Internet and e-commerce， the greatest growth over the next several years will be in the use of the Internet in business-to-business （B2B） applications not in business to consumer （B2C）。 These applications， for logistics and supply chain improvement， will range from procurement， inventory management， distribution， and transportation to sales （including order entry） and customer service.
As a result， logistics and supply chain professionals will continue to be constantly challenged by the speed of change and emphasis on cost reduction in their companies as well as in business in general. It is hoped that this publication will assist these professionals in their work by being a good reference source.
Students of supply chain and logistics should continue to find this publication beneficial as well. In 1999， university and college students worldwide accounted for almost 50% of downloads of this publication. Also， in future editions I will attempt to do a better job at 'internationalizing“ this publication.
Last but not least， most of the observations and opinions reflected in this publication are the result of project work performed for our clients over the last six years. This includes our partnership work with Moore & Associates.
A Supply Chain and Logistics Glossary
Copyright 1997 by Edward H. BlicksteinDuplicating forsharing
with others， by any means， is illegal. Printed in USA
Year 2000 Issue
Purpose
Written and compiled for the benefit of logistics and transportation professionals， students of the field， and for clients of TranSolutions Consulting. It is hoped that this tool will enable the user to gain a better understanding of logistics [including relevant terms for distribution， transportation， leasing， and warehousing operations] by providing a useful and easy-to-understand glossary that will be up-dated annually. The author and TranSolutions Consulting acknowledge important contributions from many of its client's logistics and transportation personnel as well as information derived from other expert sources in the compilation of this glossary.
This issue of The Language of Logistics attempts to include the newest terminology and acronyms utilized in the field of business logistics. Special attention has been made to compile terms and offer advice in connection with year 2000 business issues （not the Y2K issue） like e-commerce. However， I make no claim that this issue is 100% complete as the challenge of compiling， researching， defining， and occasionally creating meaningful terminology is never ending. Writers in the field of logistics and supply-chain management， consulting firms， industry providers of 3PL services， transportation companies， and shippers are constantly contributing to the development of new terminology through their efforts to improve the effectiveness of supply-chain management. Consequently， the language of logistics is always expanding due to the evolving nature of the field.
As you use this tool you will note that there is a new emphasis on technology， the Internet， and e-commerce. While most everyone is aware of the current consumer orientation of the Internet and e-commerce， the greatest growth over the next several years will be in the use of the Internet in business-to-business （B2B） applications not in business to consumer （B2C）。 These applications， for logistics and supply chain improvement， will range from procurement， inventory management， distribution， and transportation to sales （including order entry） and customer service.
As a result， logistics and supply chain professionals will continue to be constantly challenged by the speed of change and emphasis on cost reduction in their companies as well as in business in general. It is hoped that this publication will assist these professionals in their work by being a good reference source.
Students of supply chain and logistics should continue to find this publication beneficial as well. In 1999， university and college students worldwide accounted for almost 50% of downloads of this publication. Also， in future editions I will attempt to do a better job at 'internationalizing“ this publication.
Last but not least， most of the observations and opinions reflected in this publication are the result of project work performed for our clients over the last six years. This includes our partnership work with Moore & Associates.