Technical terms from logistics

Discover our comepack wiki technical terms from logistics

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Glossary

What are RFID gates? How does unique tracking work? How is data evaluated and how are reports created? Refer to our glossary to discover which terms are used in comepack container management and how they link to our services.

Automation refers to autonomous task fulfillment, directly influencing the operational structure of a company. When applied to business processes, the term process automation is used. Commonly process automation is integrated with a digital solution. The goal is to incorporate processes autonomously into the value-added chain. This strategy increases production speeds while optimizing capacities.

A bottleneck describes a narrowing as a cause of which the general flow is being held back or involuntarily focused. This phenomenon is well-known in production and delivery chains, which contain weak or slow points, inhibiting the full potential of the according production plant. Our container management software is designed to actively prevent bottlenecks. We do this by assessing the overall supply chain based on data provided by the system in real-time.

A B2B (business-to-business) transaction involves one or more companies. Thereby individual consumers cannot take part in a business-to-business transaction. Fixed prices are usually not publicly visible, as partnered companies usually pay individualized prices.

A business-to-consumer (B2C) transaction is carried out directly between the business and the individual consumer. This substantially impacts how the product is marketed as the target group usually uses different channels than the B2B audience. While the customer spectrum is broader, the need for other marketing strategies is also present.

The term "container cleaning" describes the professional (manual or automatic) purification of multi-use transport packaging.

Multi-use transport packaging is another term for a reusable industrial cargo carrier. Examples include small load carriers (SLC), large load carriers (LLC), trays, blisters, plastic- and cover pallets.

Cleaning of SLCs and LLCS alike can be an automatic or manual process. Removing labels, adhesive residues, and envelopes is a separate automated or manual upstream process. The main procedure is mostly carried out in washing tunnels. Impurities, dust, oiling, etc., are removed in the process. Wastewater is properly getting disposed of.

Together with smart, holistic container management, multi-use transport packaging can be used over decades. Container cleaning thereby forms a fundamental pillar of a sustainable supply chain.

"Container management" is an umbrella term that includes the planning, monitoring, and controlling of inventories and movements of multi-use transport packaging. Container management aims to ensure the timely availability of needed packaging in the right quality and quantity.

A pooling service describes a rental- and deposit-based concept in which a service company provides a product (e.g. a container) in the right amount at the right time for one or many markets. A container pool, therefore, is a rotating carrier inventory within a pooling service for multi-use transport packaging.

Container pools generally fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Open container pools are available to every customer in return for payment of rent or a deposit.
  2. Closed container pools are kept customer exclusive due to specialized quality criteria like technical cleanliness or ownership.

(Smart) Container management systems administrate these types of pools. Besides that, many other services like cleaning, tracking, tracing, and software solutions are necessary for qualitative and quantitative measurement and long-time maintenance of a container pool.

Firstly a container is set up with an RFID code, making it possible to scan out data about the given container, telling all entitled participants where it originated and what its current position is. That way, it can be tracked throughout the entire logistical journey, granting 24/7 insight into its present status.
The goal of container tracking is to avoid complications and shrinkages, to be able to plan forward, and quickly act in case any logistical factors change.

In the logistics sector disposition describes the allocation of goods and containers to their respective destinations. Relevant questions include: Where and when are containers needed, and in what quantity?
Using our intelligent container management software you can easily optimize your inventory movements. It provides the location and status of containers and tracks all movements, efficiently reducing cost.

Industry 4.0 describes the fourth industrial revolution connecting every part of the manufacturing process, transforming the possibilities for efficient monitoring, analysis, and production for well-connected businesses all around the globe. It directly builds on Industry 3.0’s (automation) developments, now focusing on data-based networked production models more intelligent, efficient, and individual than ever before. It paves the way for a closer collaboration between machines and humans, controlled through the internet of things.

Information technology (IT) is the technology used for the collection, storage, and processing of digital data - in other terms: electronic data processing (EDP). In the logistics sector, IT structures play a key role in resource and material requirements planning. They serve as a linking point between informatics and electrical engineering.

An IBC (intermediate bulk container) is a reusable cargo carrier intended for storing fluids like chemicals, beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. IBCs usually have a volumetric capacity of 300 - 3.000 liters. The plastic carriers are equipped with metal meshes on the sides for additional reinforcement, making them eligible for use with dangerous goods. A steel frame on the bottom enables them to be transported by forklift.

Material requirements planning is the process of analyzing when and in which quantities materials will be needed to fulfill the production demand in a given timeframe. The availability and timely arrival of the components is an essential part of the process, crucial for a clean unhindered production flow. On that basis, procurement costs, transport capacities and storage of goods are planned.

Optimum stock levels are reached by finding the most economically efficient minimum inventory size. To determine the optimum stock level, fixed- and variable costs are taken into account to find a sweet spot between cost and storage capacity. A raised stock level places an unnecessary financial burden on a company through higher warehouse staff and personnel management requirements. Low stock levels obstruct the general delivery capability resulting in the loss of clients.

"Out of the box" is a term that describes ideas and concepts which exceed the currently known potential. The "out of the box" principle is characterized by a high level of creativity, questioning the boundaries of what's possible to widen the horizon of problem solutions - part of this horizon being process extension and resource planning. Digitization also plays a huge role in the "out of the box" thought process, bringing massive innovation potential among others in process automation.

A pallet cage is a storage and transportation container used in logistics. Similar to the IBC (intermediate bulk container), the pallet cage has a surrounding steel grid but no plastic container on the inside. Its properties make it perfectly stackable and robust, with a volume of about 0,75 cubic meters and a load capacity ranging from 1 - 1,5 tonnes with a stackable load of 4,4 - 6 tonnes.

Automation in general refers to autonomous task fulfillment, directly influencing the operational structure of a company. When applied to business processes, the term “process automation” is used. Commonly process automation is integrated with a digital solution. The goal is to incorporate processes autonomously into the value-added-chain. This strategy increases production speeds while optimizing capacities.

Returnable transport packaging, or RTP, is a general term for transport and storage packaging made for repeated use. RTPs are usually made of wood, metal, and plastic, and designed to provide excellent damage- and weather protection. Widely used examples made of polypropylene (PP) include VDA-KLT, MULTI-PACK, or the H1 Euro pallet. In contrast to disposable packaging, RTP can be reliably used for decades if managed, cleaned, and commissioned correctly.

A recertification is a re-verified confirmation of adherence to a set of standards and conditions. The certification in itself aims to secure safe and correct procedures of all kinds. Examples include the German TÜV certification for automotive safety.
The comepack GmbH is a GDPA & HACCP certified company, thereby meeting all conditions and standards for the safe delivery of pharmaceutical products in high quality as well as food products in clean returnable transport packaging (RTP).

Resource planning ensures that all resources are available at the right time and place in the correct quantity, thereby reducing the downtime rates significantly, pushing the project and automation process.

A resource is a material or immaterial good including equipment, personal, raw materials, currency, and more.

RFID gates serve as checkpoints for automatically booking incoming or outgoing goods and containers.
Our service spectrum builds on years of experience in RFID tracking & tracing. We are happy to advise you on your RFID project and provide the right hardware for your container management.

The term shrinkage describes the unforeseen loss of inventory.
Using our container management software we can minimize shrinkage and determine its causes.

The supply chain spans all areas of the value-added chain of a business, ranging from procurement to delivery of the good or service to the customer. Supply chains exist in a constant state of improvement, as issues within are directly passed on to the customer. Companies actively prevent these errors by precisely controlling their processes through their supply chain management department. To be able to grant technical cleanliness, it monitors the ever-changing conditions of the chain, optimizing it continuously. In this context, supply chain digitization forms the connecting point for efficient resource planning in the digital age.

Unique tracking refers to single-container tracking. We use the latest technologies for this. We do not solely rely on RFID tracking or barcodes but can offer the exact type of container management technology to meet your needs.