Glossary
Lean and supply chain glossary
The terms you come across in a workshop or a warehouse, defined plainly — and, more to the point, what they change once you get down onto the floor.
SKU
The unique identifier of a stocked item in its exact variant. The building block of every inventory.
Read the definitionCross-docking
Moving goods from the receiving dock to the shipping dock without putting them away.
Read the definitionABC analysis
Classifying items by their real weight in the business, so that not every part gets the same treatment.
Read the definitionLIFO
Last in, first out. Rarely a choice: usually the consequence of poorly designed storage.
Read the definitionAS/RS crane
The automated high-bay warehouse. Powerful, expensive, and often out of proportion.
Read the definitionPicking
Taking items from stock to make up an order. The most expensive operation in a store.
Read the definition
The methods, in detail
The glossary gives the definitions. Our lean guides go into implementation: 5S, kanban, FIFO, visual management, continuous improvement.