Logistics
This mode of transportation is the most cost-effective for moving large quantities of goods over long distances, but it's also the slowest.
What is ocean freight?
This strategy involves keeping minimal inventory on hand and receiving goods only as they are needed in the production process.
What is Just-In-Time (JIT)?
This document is sent by a buyer to a supplier to confirm the details of a purchase, including quantity, price, and delivery terms.
What is a Purchase Order (PO)?
Retailers are increasingly using this technology to navigate tariff uncertainty and are placing holiday orders two months earlier than usual.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
This item, often hoarded like gold during supply chain disruptions, mysteriously disappears from the break room faster than pallets from a warehouse.
What is coffee?
This type of freight shipment fills an entire truck trailer and is typically more cost-effective for large loads.
What is Full Truckload (FTL)?
This statistical method uses historical data to predict future customer demand and helps optimize inventory levels.
What is demand forecasting?
This purchasing method involves negotiating long-term agreements with suppliers to lock in prices and ensure supply continuity.
What is strategic sourcing?
To stay competitive in 2025, small and medium-sized manufacturers are advised to strengthen relationships with these partners to build resilient supply chains.
Who are local suppliers?
This phrase, often found in emails from suppliers, translates roughly to “we forgot your order but we’re pretending everything is fine.”
What is ‘We’re looking into it’?
When a planner says “we’re optimizing the route,” they really mean this—especially when the GPS sends the truck through a cornfield.
What is “we’re winging it”?
This ancient tool is just as accurate as some demand forecasts and doesn’t require a subscription to an analytics platform.
What is a crystal ball?
This mythical creature is rumored to deliver all POs on time, with zero price changes and perfect vendor compliance.
What is the ideal supplier?
This technology is being tested to replace forklifts, but it still can’t handle sarcasm.
What is robotics?
This is the universal sign that a meeting is about to go off the rails.
What is “Let’s circle back on that”?
This is the term for when your shipment is “somewhere between here and the moon,” according to tracking.
What is “in transit”?
This is the sacred document that planners treat like a treasure map, even though it’s just a spreadsheet with 47 tabs.
What is the master schedule?
This document is often requested, lost, re-requested, and then found in someone’s inbox from three weeks ago.
What is an invoice?
This middle east event made planners rethink their entire strategy, including whether they should just open a llama farm instead.
What is the latest Suez Canal blockage?
This is the planner’s version of a spa day.
What is a day without emails?
This is the logistics planner’s favorite phrase when things go wrong.
What is “We’re working on it”?
This is the term for when all your shipments arrive on time, your inventory is balanced, and your boss actually smiles.
What is a supply chain miracle?
This is the purchasing equivalent of a unicorn: a supplier who delivers early, under budget, and with no complaints.
What is a miracle?
This recent innovation in supply chain tech promised to “revolutionize everything,” but mostly just caused everyone to update their passwords again.
What is blockchain?
This is the one thing every supply chain planner wishes they had, right after more coffee and fewer emails.
What is a time machine?