Warehouse, explained plainly.
Short, accurate answers to the warehouse and WMS terms that come up when you are scoping software or training a team. Written for people who run real operations.
Foundations
What is a WMS?
A warehouse management system runs a warehouse end to end. What it does, who needs one, and how it differs from an ERP.
Foundations
WMS vs ERP vs inventory management
Three systems that overlap in marketing copy but do different jobs. Where a WMS sits among them.
3PL · Defined
What Is a 3PL (Third-Party Logistics)?
A third-party logistics provider (3PL) is a company that stores, handles, and ships inventory on behalf of other businesses. Instead of running their own warehouse, brands outsource fulfillment to the 3PL, which receives goods, stores them, then picks, packs, and ships orders as they arrive.
Wave picking · Defined
What Is Wave Picking?
Wave picking is an order-picking method that releases a group of orders, a wave, to the floor together so a picker collects items for many orders in one trip through the warehouse. Grouping by location, carrier, or priority cuts the walking distance per order and raises picks per hour.
Cycle counting · Defined
What Is Cycle Counting?
Cycle counting is an inventory audit method that counts a small subset of locations or SKUs on a rolling schedule, rather than counting everything at once. Because the warehouse keeps running, cycle counts catch and correct discrepancies continuously, keeping the inventory record accurate without an annual shutdown.
ASN · Defined
What Is an ASN (Advance Ship Notice)?
An advance ship notice (ASN) is an electronic document a supplier sends before a shipment arrives, telling the receiving warehouse exactly what is coming: which items, how many, in what cartons, on which pallets. The warehouse uses it to plan dock time and to check goods in quickly against a known manifest.
Putaway · Defined
What Is Putaway in a Warehouse?
Putaway is the warehouse process of moving received goods from the receiving dock to their assigned storage location. Done well, putaway places each item where it can be stored safely and picked efficiently later, which is why modern systems direct putaway rather than letting workers choose locations by hand.