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- Zero InventoriesA lean objective of holding no on hand stock aside from items in process or in transit. It relies on stable demand signals, short and reliable lead times, small lot sizes, and frequent deliveries so materials arrive when needed for production or shipment. The concept is used as a design target to expose waste and drive setup time reduction, tighter scheduling, and closer supplier and transportation coordination. Inventory control focuses on accurate consumption data and pipeline visibility because availability depends on timing rather than stored buffers.
- Zone PickingA warehouse picking method where the facility is divided into areas and each picker works only within an assigned zone. Orders move to the next zone in sequence or items from several zones are merged at a sorter or packing station. The warehouse management system directs tasks by wave or in real time and captures confirmations by scan or pick to light. Workload is balanced across zones and forward locations are replenished to support the next release of orders.
- Zone PricingA pricing method that uses geographic distance bands called zones to set transportation charges. Carriers map origin postal codes to destination postal codes and assign a zone number to each pairing. Rates are selected from tables by service level, zone, and billable weight, with fuel and accessorials listed as separate line items. Zone charts and rate tables are referenced during label creation, manifesting, and invoice audit.
- Zone ShippingA parcel pricing method in which charges depend on the distance band between the origin and the destination. Carriers group postal codes into numbered zones that start with nearby areas and increase with distance. Rates are taken from published tables using the shipment’s weight or dimensional weight, the zone, and the selected service level. The shipping label and manifest provide the origin and destination data that determine the zone used for billing.
- Zone SkippingA parcel distribution method where shipments for distant regions are consolidated and transported in bulk to a destination area before entering the final mile carrier network. Shippers linehaul the consolidated volume to a deeper entry point such as a regional hub or local sort facility, bypassing intermediate zones used in standard rating. Parcels carry the final delivery label and tracking from origin, and are inducted at the destination facility for last mile processing. Planning specifies minimum volume, packaging requirements, and the cutoffs and documentation accepted by the receiving facility and carrier.