Inglés para logística: vocabulario esencial

"bill of lading"

A legal document issued by a carrier that lists the goods being shipped, serves as a receipt, and is a document of title.

"The exporter sent the bill of lading to the buyer so they could collect the container at the port."

"freight forwarder"

A company or agent that organises shipments on behalf of exporters or importers, coordinating carriers and documentation.

"We hired a freight forwarder to handle the customs paperwork and book the ocean vessel."

"FCL (full container load)"

A shipment that fills an entire shipping container, giving one shipper exclusive use of the container.

"Because we were shipping 20 tonnes of machinery, we booked an FCL rather than sharing space."

"LCL (less-than-container load)"

A smaller shipment that shares container space with cargo from other shippers, consolidated at a freight station.

"The startup used LCL shipping to keep costs low while testing demand in the new market."

"demurrage"

A charge levied when a shipper holds a container at the port longer than the agreed free period.

"Port congestion caused the importer to pay heavy demurrage fees on the delayed containers."

"airway bill"

A non-negotiable transport document issued by an airline or air freight agent that accompanies goods shipped by air.

"The courier attached the airway bill to the package before handing it to the airline at check-in."

"consolidation"

The grouping of smaller shipments from multiple shippers into a single larger consignment to reduce transportation costs.

"The forwarder offered weekly consolidation from Shanghai to Los Angeles for small exporters."

"transhipment"

The transfer of cargo from one vessel or vehicle to another at an intermediate port or terminal on the way to its final destination.

"The goods were transhipped at Singapore before continuing on a feeder vessel to the smaller port."

"customs clearance"

The process of obtaining official permission from customs authorities to import or export goods across an international border.

"Incorrect documentation delayed customs clearance by four days, disrupting the production schedule."

"harmonised system code"

An internationally standardised numerical code used to classify traded goods for customs and tariff purposes.

"The broker checked the harmonised system code to determine the correct import duty rate for the electronics."

"certificate of origin"

An official document certifying the country in which a product was manufactured, required for customs and trade agreements.

"The buyer requested a certificate of origin to qualify for the preferential tariff under the free trade agreement."

"tariff"

A tax or duty imposed by a government on imported or exported goods, typically to raise revenue or protect domestic industries.

"The 25% tariff on steel imports forced manufacturers to source material domestically."

"incoterms"

A set of internationally recognised trade terms that define the responsibilities of buyers and sellers for the delivery of goods.

"The contract specified DDP incoterms, making the seller responsible for all costs including import duties."

"bonded warehouse"

A secure storage facility authorised by customs authorities where dutiable goods can be stored without paying import duty until released.

"The importer stored the wine in a bonded warehouse to defer paying excise duty until the bottles were sold."

"prohibited goods"

Items that are legally banned from import or export in a given country, regardless of any permit or licence.

"The customs officer discovered prohibited goods hidden inside the shipment and seized the entire consignment."

"ATA carnet"

An international customs document that allows goods to be temporarily imported into a country without paying duties or taxes.

"The film crew used an ATA carnet to take their equipment into the country for the three-week shoot."

"SKU (stock keeping unit)"

A unique code assigned to each distinct product in a warehouse to identify and track inventory.

"The warehouse management system flagged three SKUs as out of stock and automatically triggered a reorder."

"safety stock"

Extra inventory held as a buffer against unexpected demand surges or supply delays, reducing the risk of stockouts.

"After the factory shutdown, the safety stock kept production running for two additional weeks."

"pick and pack"

The warehouse process of selecting specific items from storage and packing them into shipment boxes for customer orders.

"The fulfilment centre processed 5,000 pick and pack orders per day during the holiday season."

"FIFO (first in, first out)"

An inventory management method where the oldest stock is used or sold before newer stock, minimising expiry risk.

"The food distributor strictly applied FIFO rotation so that no perishable product exceeded its best-before date."

"cross-docking"

A logistics practice where incoming goods are transferred directly to outbound vehicles with minimal or no storage time.

"The retailer used cross-docking at its distribution hub to cut storage costs and speed up delivery."

"reorder point"

The predetermined inventory level at which a new purchase order must be placed to avoid running out of stock.

"The system automatically raised a purchase order when stock fell to the reorder point of 200 units."

"shrinkage"

The loss of inventory due to theft, damage, administrative errors, or supplier fraud, reducing stock accuracy.

"An annual audit revealed shrinkage of 1.8%, higher than the industry benchmark, prompting a security review."

"put-away"

The warehouse process of moving received goods from the unloading dock to their designated storage location.

"Efficient put-away procedures reduced the time goods spent in the receiving bay from hours to minutes."

"lead time"

The total time from when an order is placed to when the goods are received, including production and transit.

"The supplier's 12-week lead time forced the buyer to place orders months in advance of the selling season."

"just-in-time (JIT)"

A production and inventory strategy where materials are ordered and delivered only as they are needed, minimising holding costs.

"Toyota's just-in-time system reduced inventory costs dramatically but proved vulnerable to supply disruptions."

"vendor-managed inventory"

An arrangement where the supplier monitors and replenishes stock at the customer's location based on agreed levels.

"Under vendor-managed inventory, the packaging supplier restocked the production line before it ever ran dry."

"reverse logistics"

The process of moving goods from the customer back to the seller or manufacturer for returns, repairs, recycling, or disposal.

"The electronics company built a reverse logistics network to handle warranty returns and refurbish units for resale."

"bullwhip effect"

The phenomenon where small fluctuations in consumer demand cause increasingly large swings in orders further up the supply chain.

"Panic buying triggered the bullwhip effect, leaving factories either overwhelmed with orders or sitting idle."

"nearshoring"

The practice of relocating supply chain operations to a nearby country to reduce lead times and geopolitical risk.

"Several US manufacturers opted for nearshoring to Mexico to cut transit times and avoid tariff uncertainty."

"procurement"

The process of sourcing, negotiating, and purchasing goods, services, and raw materials needed by an organisation.

"The procurement team negotiated a three-year contract with the key supplier to lock in favourable pricing."

"bottleneck"

A point in the supply chain where capacity is constrained, slowing throughput and causing delays downstream.

"The single customs scanner at the port became a bottleneck, delaying every inbound container by 48 hours."

"intermodal transport"

The use of two or more modes of transport (e.g. ship, rail, and truck) to move cargo from origin to destination in the same container.

"Intermodal transport allowed the retailer to ship goods from the factory to the store using one container throughout."

"last-mile delivery"

The final stage of the delivery process from a distribution centre to the end customer's address, often the most expensive step.

"The courier company invested in electric cargo bikes to speed up last-mile delivery in congested city centres."

"routing optimisation"

The use of software and algorithms to determine the most efficient delivery routes, minimising distance, fuel, and time.

"Routing optimisation software reduced the fleet's total mileage by 18% and cut fuel costs significantly."

"proof of delivery"

A document or electronic confirmation, often signed by the recipient, verifying that a shipment was received in good condition.

"The logistics manager required a signed proof of delivery before authorising payment to the carrier."

"dead freight"

A charge payable by a shipper who has reserved cargo space on a vessel but fails to fill it with the agreed volume of goods.

"The importer had to pay dead freight after a factory delay prevented the container from being loaded in time."

"hub-and-spoke"

A distribution model where goods flow from multiple origin points to a central hub before being redistributed to destinations.

"The express courier used a hub-and-spoke model, funnelling all parcels through its central sorting facility overnight."

"consignee"

The person or company to whom a shipment is addressed and who is responsible for receiving and accepting the goods.

"The shipping documents listed the importer as the consignee, obligating them to clear the goods through customs."

"load factor"

The percentage of available cargo capacity that is actually used on a given journey, used to measure efficiency.

"The airline's cargo division reported a 92% load factor on the trans-Pacific route last quarter."

"warehouse management system"

Software that controls and optimises warehouse operations including receiving, storage, picking, and despatch.

"After implementing a warehouse management system, order accuracy improved from 96% to 99.8%."

"RFID (radio-frequency identification)"

A technology that uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to inventory items.

"The distribution centre fitted every pallet with an RFID tag to enable real-time location tracking."

"track and trace"

A system that allows the location and status of a shipment to be monitored at every stage of its journey.

"Customers could use the online portal to track and trace their order from the factory gate to their doorstep."

"electronic data interchange"

The structured computer-to-computer exchange of business documents such as purchase orders and invoices in a standard format.

"Switching to electronic data interchange eliminated manual data entry errors and accelerated order processing."

"digital twin"

A virtual replica of a physical logistics network or warehouse used to simulate and optimise operations before implementing changes.

"Engineers used a digital twin of the distribution centre to test the new conveyor layout without halting operations."

"autonomous mobile robot"

A self-navigating robot used in warehouses to transport goods, improving speed and reducing labour requirements.

"The fulfilment centre deployed 200 autonomous mobile robots that doubled picking speed during peak periods."

"predictive analytics"

The use of historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to forecast future demand, disruptions, or maintenance needs.

"Predictive analytics enabled the logistics team to anticipate port congestion two weeks in advance and reroute shipments."

"blockchain in logistics"

The use of distributed ledger technology to create an immutable, shared record of transactions and custody transfers across a supply chain.

"The food company used blockchain in logistics to trace an outbreak ingredient back to its source farm in under two minutes."