Glossaire des termes de gestion des stocks et de gestion des entrepôts Toutes les définitions écrites par Dave Piasecki Vous trouverez ci-dessous quelques-uns des termes, acronymes et abréviations que vous pouvez utiliser sur ce site et d'autres sur le Web relativement aux opérations d'inventaire. Les définitions sont basées sur ma compréhension des termes et peuvent différer des autres opinions. Si vous n'êtes pas d'accord avec une définition ou avez des définitions supplémentaires à soumettre, envoyez-moi un courriel à emailinventoryops. Copy Droits d'auteur. Le contenu d'InventoryOps est protégé par le droit d'auteur et n'est pas disponible pour la réédition. Palette 2 voies Voir Palette 3PL Logistique tierce (voir liste séparée) Palette 4 voies Voir Palette Le calcul des coûts par activité se réfère généralement à la méthode de calcul des coûts qui répartit les frais généraux dans des activités spécifiques (inducteurs de coûts) afin de mieux répartir les coûts Coût du produit. A également été appliquée à la gestion des clients et des fournisseurs. ABC méthode de stratification utilisée pour catégoriser l'inventaire en groupes en fonction de certaines caractéristiques de l'activité. Exemples de stratifications ABC comprennent ABC par la vitesse (fois vendus), ABC par les ventes de dollars, ABC par la quantité vendue consommée, ABC par l'investissement moyen d'inventaire, ABC par la marge. Les stratifications ABC sont utilisées pour élaborer des politiques de planification des stocks, établir des fréquences de comptage pour le comptage des cycles, inventaire des créneaux horaires pour une sélection optimisée des commandes et d'autres activités de gestion des stocks. Méthode de coût de l'inventaire des coûts réels utilisée dans les environnements de fabrication qui utilise les coûts réels des matériaux, les coûts de la machine et les coûts de main-d'œuvre rapportés à une commande de travail spécifique pour calculer le coût de l'article fini. ADC Collecte automatisée de données. Voir Collection de données automatisée Système de planification et de planification avancé conçu pour s'intégrer aux systèmes ERP et MRP pour améliorer les systèmes de planning et de planification de production à court terme qui sont notoirement inadéquats dans les systèmes MRP. Les systèmes APS disposent d'une logique de programmation étendue qui leur permet d'être plus efficaces pour faire face aux demandes changeantes des clients. Notifications d'expédition avancées Les notifications d'expédition avancées (ASN) sont utilisées pour informer un client d'une expédition. Les numéros de bon de commande, les numéros de SKU, les numéros de lot, la quantité, le numéro de palette ou de conteneur, le numéro de carton. Les ASN peuvent être papier, mais la notification électronique est préférable. Les systèmes avancés de notification d'expédition sont habituellement combinés à un étiquetage de conformité codé en barres qui permet au client de recevoir l'expédition dans l'inventaire en utilisant des scanners de codes à barres et des systèmes automatisés de collecte de données. AIDC Collecte automatique des données d'amplification. Voir Répartition automatisée des données Les affectations des allocations dans la gestion des stocks font référence à la demande réelle créée par les ordres de vente ou les bons de travail sur un poste spécifique. La terminologie et le traitement réel qui contrôle les allocations varient d'un système logiciel à l'autre. Une allocation standard est une quantité globale de la demande par rapport à un élément spécifique dans une installation spécifique, j'ai entendu les attributions standard désignées sous le nom d'allocations normales, d'allocations douces, d'engagements doux, d'allocations régulières. Les allocations standard ne spécifient pas que des unités spécifiques vont à des ordres spécifiques. Une affectation ferme est une allocation par rapport à des unités spécifiques au sein d'une installation, comme une allocation par rapport à un emplacement, un lot ou un numéro de série précis. Les attributions fermes sont également appelées allocations spécifiques, allocations gelées, allocations matérielles, engagements forts, réserves, stocks réservés. Les allocations standard montrent tout simplement qu'il existe une demande alors que les allocations fermes réservent ou tiennent l'inventaire pour l'ordre spécifique désigné. APS voir Advanced Planning and Scheduling ASN voir Notifications avancées d'envoi ASRS voir Systèmes de récupération automatisés ASP, fournisseur de services d'application une torsion dans le marketing logiciel dans lequel les licences de logiciels appartiennent à l'ASP et résident sur leur système pendant que le client loue les droits à Utiliser le logiciel. L'ASP peut être le fabricant de logiciels ou une entreprise tierce partie. Les avantages d'utiliser un ASP sont des coûts initiaux moins élevés, des implémentations plus rapides et la réduction du besoin de personnel interne IS et de matériel serveur mainframeserver. On espère que les ASP permettront aux petites et moyennes entreprises un meilleur accès à la technologie que ce qui était auparavant disponible. Plus récemment, les termes SaaSS (Software as a Service) et On-demand Software ont émergé pour décrire ce même scénario. (Software as a Service) et On-demand Software ont émergé pour décrire ce même scénario. Autodiscriminationn la fonctionnalité d'un lecteur de code à barres pour reconnaître la symbologie de codes à barres balayée, permettant ainsi à un lecteur de lire plusieurs objets différents numérisés, ce qui permet au lecteur de lire plusieurs symbologues différentes de façon consécutive. Lisez mon articleconsecutively. Lire mon article ADC Basics Systèmes automatisés de collecte de données de matériel et de logiciels utilisés pour traiter les transactions dans les entrepôts et les opérations de fabrication. Les systèmes de collecte de données peuvent être des terminaux fixes, des terminaux portables et des ordinateurs, des terminaux de radiofréquence (RF) et divers types de scanners de codes à barres. A. k.a.) Capture de données automatisée,) terminaux, et divers types de scanners de codes à barres. A. k.a. Capture de données automatisée, AIDC, identification automatique des données de l'ampli collection Lire mon article, Identification automatique de la collection des données de l'ampli Lire mon article ADC Basics. Système de véhicule guidé automatisé (AGVS)) décrit des systèmes de véhicules qui peuvent être programmés pour conduire automatiquement aux points désignés et effectuer des fonctions préprogrammées. Le système de guidage peut consister en un fil incorporé dans le plancher, un système optique ou d'autres types de guidage. Véhicule guidé automatisé (AGV) Plus d'info sur) Plus d'info sur Automated Equipment PicssPagePage. Systèmes automatisés de stockage et de récupération: un système de rangées de racks, chaque rangée ayant une unité de récupération dédiée qui se déplace verticalement et horizontalement le long de la rampe de ramassage et de mise hors charges. A. k.a. ASRS, ASRS, ASRS à charge unitaire et ASRS à mini charge. Plus d'info sur Pics d'équipement automatisé Page. Disponible se réfère à l'état de l'inventaire en ce qui concerne sa capacité à être vendu ou consommé. Les calculs de disponibilité sont utilisés pour déterminer cet état. Les calculs de disponibilité varient d'un système à l'autre, mais soustraient essentiellement les allocations actuelles de retenues sur les stocks à partir du solde actuel. Un exemple de calcul de disponibilité serait: Quantité disponible Quantité en main - Quantité en attente - Quantité attribuée aux commandes clients - Quantité attribuée aux ordres de fabrication. Disponible à la promesse à la promesse prend le simple calcul de disponibilité, ajoute le temps de mise en phase et prend en compte les futurs reçus programmés. Disponible pour promettre peut être calculé pour chaque jour ou divisé en plus grands seaux de temps. La première période prendra en charge les stocks et ajoutera les reçus prévus pour cette période. Il déduira alors les allocations prévues avant le prochain reçu programmé (qui peut être plusieurs périodes dans le futur). Les périodes subséquentes sans recettes prévues auront les mêmes promesses que la période précédente. Les périodes subséquentes avec des reçus programmés commenceront généralement par un nouveau calcul, en ignorant tout reste disponible à la promesse des périodes précédentes. Il existe de nombreuses variantes sur la façon exacte dont la promesse est calculée et il est également important de noter que les promesses disponibles fonctionnent souvent indépendamment des systèmes de répartition. Cela peut parfois créer des conflits. Voir aussi Disponible, Allocations. Méthode de coût de l'inventaire des coûts moyens qui recalcule le coût d'un article à chaque réception en faisant la moyenne du coût réel du reçu avec le coût de l'inventaire actuel. Méthode de retournement pour émettre (réduire les quantités manuelles) à une commande de fabrication. Avec le rétro-lavage, le matériau est émis automatiquement lorsque la production est affichée contre une opération. Le programme de rétroéclairage utilisera la quantité achevée pour calculer, à l'aide de la nomenclature, les quantités des composants utilisés, et réduire les soldes en main de ce montant. Il ya généralement des options pendant le processus de rétroéclairage pour signaler les rebuts. Dans les opérations utilisant le rétro-balayage, il est conseillé de configurer des emplacements spécifiques de machines et de transférer les matériaux des emplacements de stockage aux emplacements des machines lorsqu'ils sont physiquement ramassés pour la production. L'opération de récupération émettra ensuite le matériau à partir des emplacements de la machine. Lisez mon article sur Backflushing. Le terme «transport de retour» décrit l'activité de ramassage, de transport et de livraison d'une nouvelle charge lors d'un voyage aller-retour en délivrant un autre chargement (connu sous le nom de fronthaul, bien que le terme fronthaul ne soit pas utilisé très fréquemment). Backorder une quantité spécifique d'un article spécifique qui n'a pas pu être rempli à la date demandée. Méthode de sélection des commandes par lots, où les commandes sont groupées en petits lots, un sélecteur de commandes sélectionne toutes les commandes du lot en une seule passe. La cueillette par lots est habituellement associée à des cueilleurs avec des charrettes de cueillette à plusieurs niveaux qui se déplacent vers le haut et le bas des allées de ramassage des lots de généralement 4 à 12 commandes, cependant, la cueillette des lots est également très courante lorsque vous travaillez avec l'équipement automatisé de manutention tels que carrousels. Voir aussi Picking de zone, Picking de vague. Article Sélection des commandes La nomenclature énumère les matériaux (composants ou ingrédients) requis pour produire un article. Les nomenclatures à multiniveaux présentent également des sous-ensembles et leurs composants. D'autres informations telles que les facteurs de ferraille peuvent également être incluses dans la nomenclature pour utilisation dans la planification des matériaux et l'établissement des coûts. Blanket commande un type de bon de commande qui s'engage à acheter une quantité spécifique pendant une période déterminée, mais ne fournit pas nécessairement de dates spécifiques pour les expéditions. Les commandes globales sont placées pour la quantité d'un article (ou groupe d'articles) que vous comptez acheter sur une période prolongée (3 mois, 6 mois, année, etc.). Un bon de commande global peut fournir des dates estimées requises pour des quantités déterminées, mais les rejets réels à l'égard de l'ordre blanchi sont déclenchés par des demandes distinctes du client au fournisseur, les quantités et les dates précises de ces demandes distinctes peuvent ou non être Semblables aux dates et quantités estimées. Fournir un ordre général à un fournisseur peut réduire les délais et augmenter les expéditions ponctuelles auprès du fournisseur et peut offrir un rabais plus important sur les achats. Les ébauches décrivent généralement des unités discrètes (habituellement des unités de taille uniforme) qui sont habituellement produites par un processus de coupe mais qui ne sont pas encore des articles finis. Par exemple, si une machine de découpage à l'emporte-pièce coupe des tôles d'acier en de petites pièces rectangulaires qui seront ultérieurement usinées et peintes, les pièces rectangulaires non finies peuvent être appelées blanks. Les estampages sont parfois appelés blanks, cependant, tous les blancs ne sont pas nécessairement estampillés. Voir aussi Affranchissement des comptes aveugles décrit la méthode utilisée dans le comptage des cycles et les inventaires physiques où vous fournissez à vos compteurs le numéro d'article et l'emplacement, mais aucune information sur la quantité. Voir l'article sur le comptage des cycles. Consultez aussi Mon livre sur l'exactitude de l'inventaire. Blind expédition a. k.a charge aveugle, navire à chute aveugle. Un envoi aveugle est un type d'expédition directe (envoi par chute) lorsque la source du fournisseur est cachée au client. Voir également la nomenclature des livraisons directes. Voir la nomenclature Entrepôt sous douane une installation ou une partie dédiée d'une installation où les marchandises importées sont entreposées avant le paiement des droits de douane et des taxes. Ces installations sont souvent utilisées pour retarder le paiement des droits d'importation jusqu'à ce que les produits soient effectivement vendus (lorsqu'ils quittent physiquement l'établissement cautionné). Cela peut être particulièrement utile lorsque les produits sont reçus bien avant la vente ou lorsqu'une partie du produit reçu peut éventuellement être retournée ou mise au rebut (ce qui empêche de payer les droits d'importation sur les articles non vendus). Les entrepôts sous douane sont autorisés par le gouvernement. Je crois que le même concept peut aussi s'appliquer à des produits nationaux spécialement taxés comme l'alcool et les produits du tabac. Voir aussi FTZ («Zone de commerce extérieur») Bien que ce terme puisse s'appliquer aux expéditions intérieures, le terme «break-bulk» est généralement utilisé pour décrire les expéditions à l'étranger où le fret expédié se compose d'unités plus petites (cartons, Sacs, etc) qui doivent être manipulés individuellement à un moment donné dans le processus de transport maritime. Logiciel d'application basé sur le navigateur conçu pour s'exécuter dans un navigateur Web (par exemple, Internet Explorer). Cela permet à un utilisateur d'accéder à l'application à partir de n'importe quel emplacement qui a accès à Internet et un navigateur Web (aucun logiciel supplémentaire n'est nécessaire sur l'ordinateur accédant à l'application). Lisez mon article sur la Sélection de logiciels pour plus d'informations. En vrac, l'utilisation classique du terme «vrac» (matériaux en vrac, stocks en vrac, stockage en vrac) dans la gestion et la distribution des stocks fait référence aux matières premières telles que le charbon, le minerai de fer, les grains, etc., qui sont stockées ou transportées en grandes quantités. Cela comprendrait les wagons, les camions-citernes ou les silos pleins d'un seul matériau. Cependant, ce terme peut aussi avoir une variété d'autres définitions basées sur l'industrie ou l'installation spécifique. Par exemple, une opération de cueillette de petites pièces peut désigner une zone de stockage de caisses en vrac, tandis qu'une opération de cueillette peut désigner la zone de palette complète comme zone en vrac. Cantilever Rack racking system dans lequel les supports d'étagères sont reliés à des supports verticaux à l'arrière de la crémaillère. Il n'y a pas de supports verticaux sur la face du rack permettant le stockage de pièces très longues telles que la tuyauterie et le bois d'oeuvre. Voir aussi Page Racking Pics. Processus de planification des besoins de capacité pour déterminer la quantité de machines et de ressources de main-d'œuvre nécessaires pour répondre à la production. Type d'équipement de manutention automatisé de type carrousel généralement utilisé pour les opérations de préparation de commande de petites pièces de gros volume. Carrousels horizontaux sont une version du même équipement utilisé par les nettoyeurs à sec pour stocker et récupérer les vêtements. Ils ont des supports suspendus à partir de ceux-ci qui peuvent être configurés pour accueillir les bacs de rangement de taille variable. Les carrousels verticaux se composent d'une série de plateaux horizontaux sur un carrousel vertical. Carrousels verticaux sont fréquemment utilisés dans les laboratoires et les opérations de fabrication de spécialité. Plus d 'informations sur les carrousels sur les photos d' équipement automatisé. Voir l'article sur la sélection des commandes. Charger le coût également appelé le coût de possession, le coût de possession est le coût associé à avoir l'inventaire sur la main. Elle est principalement constituée des coûts associés aux coûts d'investissement et de stockage. Aux fins des calculs de l'EOQ, si le coût ne change pas en fonction de la quantité d'inventaire en main, il ne devrait pas être inclus dans le coût de possession. Le coût de revient est représenté par le coût annuel par unité d'inventaire en main. Voir l'article sur EOQ pour des informations plus détaillées sur le coût de possession. L'attache du chariot élévateur à carton qui fonctionne comme un rouleau à papier sauf que la surface de serrage est plane plutôt que circulaire. Cas décrit une unité de mesure et la façon dont plusieurs unités physiques sont emballés. Un cas serait typiquement un carton ondulé scellé où une quantité normalisée (plus d'un) d'un article spécifique est emballée. Le choix de cas de cueillette de cas décrit un processus où les cas sont cueillis pour des ordres. Voir l'article sur la sélection des commandes. La coulée décrit généralement un article non fini en métal qui est produit par coulée de métal fondu dans un moule. Une pièce moulée est ensuite usinée dans un article fini ou semi-fini. Décrit également le processus utilisé pour produire des pièces moulées. Le poids de capture utilisé principalement dans l'industrie alimentaire pour les produits tels que les fruits de mer, les viandes et les poids de capture des fromages se réfère au poids réel des articles à poids variable qui utilisent le poids comme unité de vente de la mesure. Les poids des prises sont généralement enregistrés au cours du processus de préparation ou d'expédition. Les systèmes utilisant des poids de capture doivent être en mesure de traiter correctement les éléments de ligne de commande de vente en fonction des poids de prise qui sont dans des tolérances spécifiques de la quantité de commande. CCD voir Charged Coupled Device Les rétrofactuosités sont de plus en plus fréquentes de nos jours, car les clients deviennent plus précis avec leurs accords avec les fournisseurs. Un rejet de débit est essentiellement une pénalité financière imposée à un fournisseur par un client lorsqu'une expédition au client ne respecte pas les conditions convenues. Parmi les exemples de cas où les fournisseurs pourraient être facturés, il faudrait inclure les envois tardifs, le manque d'emballage et d'étiquetage (étiquettes de conformité), les conditions d'expédition erronées (frais d'expédition au lieu de prépayé ou non). Appareil couplé chargé utilisé pour décrire un type de scanner de code à barres qui agit comme un petit appareil photo numérique prenant une image numérique du code à barres par opposition au scanner de code à barres standard qui utilise un laser. Les scanners CCD sont une option peu coûteuse pour scanner les codes à barres à une courte distance (habituellement en quelques pouces). Distance de la hauteur libre mesurée du sol au bas de l'obstacle le plus bas suspendu. Parfois, les agents immobiliers utilisent la distance au bas des fermes de toit pour calculer la hauteur claire, même si des parties de l'immeuble peut avoir des hauteurs plus basses grâce à des unités de CVC ou d'autres équipements suspendus au toit. COGS Coût des marchandises vendues (voir la liste séparée) Le stockage à froid dans l'entreposage, stockage à froid décrit typiquement l'entreposage des produits périssables qui exigent la réfrigération. Le stockage à froid peut être soit un stockage réfrigéré (au-dessus du temps de congélation) soit un stockage congelé (au-dessous du temps de congélation). Voir aussi Stockage à sec Les étiquettes de conformité sont des formats d'étiquettes normalisés utilisés par les partenaires commerciaux. Les étiquettes de conformité sont utilisées comme étiquettes d'expédition, étiquettes de conteneurs, étiquettes de carton, ou étiquettes de pièce, et contiennent habituellement des codes-barres. Beaucoup de codes-barres de produits d'étiquetage des étiquettes ont maintenant les normes d'étiquettes de conformité les plus communes mis en place comme des modèles. Commodity dans la gestion des stocks, le terme «commodity» a quelques définitions. Les produits standard communément disponibles auprès de diverses sources sont souvent appelés produits de base. Les produits spécialisés ou personnalisés qui ne sont pas largement disponibles ou les produits exclusifs disponibles uniquement auprès d'un petit nombre de sources ne seraient pas considérés comme des produits de base. Le terme «marchandise» est également utilisé pour décrire les classifications d'inventaire. Dans ce cas, les codes de produits sont utilisés pour distinguer les groupes d'articles d'inventaire à utiliser pour les rapports et les analyses. Il est à noter que les classifications des produits de base peuvent être utilisées pour décrire tout élément de l'inventaire et ne sont pas limitées aux éléments qui relèvent de la définition précédente des articles de marchandises. Fonctionnalités de logiciel de traitement de configuration qui permettent de définir un produit en sélectionnant différentes options prédéfinies, au lieu d'avoir toutes les combinaisons possibles d'options prédéfinies comme SKU spécifiques. Le fait de passer une commande pour un ordinateur et de spécifier le disque dur, le processeur, la mémoire, la carte graphique, la carte son, etc. serait un exemple de traitement de configuration. Inventaire des stocks en consignation qui est en la possession du client, mais qui appartient toujours au fournisseur. L'inventaire des envois est utilisé comme un outil de marketing pour faciliter l'inventaire par un client d'un stock spécifique. Lisez mon article sur l'inventaire des envois. Produits de biens de consommation vendus à des utilisateurs finaux non professionnels. Vêtements, nourriture, CD de musique, sont des exemples de biens de consommation. Les biens de consommation emballés décrivent les stocks qui sont sous une forme qui est prête à la vente aux consommateurs (utilisateurs finaux). Conteneur bien qu'un conteneur puisse être tout ce qui est conçu pour contenir des matériaux pour le stockage ou le transport, la définition la plus courante de Conteneur en logistique se rapporte aux types spécifiques de conteneurs utilisés pour le transport intermodal, souvent appelés conteneurs océaniques. Les dimensions extérieures standard pour les conteneurs sont la largeur de 8, la hauteur de 8 6 ou 9 6 (High Cube) et les longueurs de 20, 40, 45 (déduire 4 de la largeur, 9 de la hauteur et 7 à 9 de la longueur pour déterminer les demences) . Plus de spécifications et d'informations sur les conteneurs à Seaboard Marine. Maersk Sealand. Et un joli site indépendant La FAQ Intermodal Container mis par un photographe commercial. La conteneurisation du mouvement JIT dans la fabrication, la conteneurisation se réfère à l'utilisation de conteneurs normalisés pour le stockage et le transport des matériaux dans une usine de fabrication ainsi qu'entre les fournisseurs et les fabricants. Les matériaux sont commandés en multiples de la quantité de récipient souvent en utilisant Kanban. Les avantages de la conteneurisation comprennent la réduction des dommages aux produits, la réduction des déchets (en utilisant des conteneurs réutilisables), une manipulation moins importante et une plus grande précision de l'inventaire en simplifiant les processus de comptage. Entrepôt de contrat Un entrepôt de contrat est une entreprise qui gère l'expédition, la réception et le stockage des produits sur une base contractuelle. Les entrepôts sous contrat exigeront généralement un client de s'engager à une période spécifique de temps (généralement en années) pour les services. Les contrats peuvent exiger ou non que les clients achètent ou subventionnent le matériel de stockage et de manutention. Les frais pour les entrepôts contractuels peuvent être transactionnels et de stockage, fixe, coût plus, ou toute combinaison. Voir aussi l'article sur les entrepôts publics et les 3PL. Coproduit Le terme coproduit est utilisé pour décrire de multiples articles qui sont produits simultanément au cours d'un cycle de production. Les coproduits sont souvent utilisés pour augmenter les rendements dans les opérations de coupe, comme la découpe ou le sciage, lorsqu'il est constaté que la ferraille peut être réduite en combinant des produits de plusieurs dimensions dans un seul cycle de production. Les coproduits sont également utilisés pour réduire la fréquence des configurations de machines requises dans ces mêmes types d'opérations. Les coproduits, également connus sous le nom de sous-produits, sont également courants dans la fabrication de procédés, comme dans les usines chimiques. Bien que le concept des coproduits soit assez simple, la logique de programmation requise pour assurer la planification et le traitement des coproduits est très compliquée et la plupart des logiciels de fabrication disponibles sur le marché auront des problèmes avec le traitement des coproduits. La méthode d'établissement des coûts se réfère aux calculs utilisés pour déterminer le coût d'inventaire. Voir aussi le coût moyen, le coût actuel, le coût standard, le coût réel, le coût débarqué, le premier arrivé premier sorti, le dernier arrivé dernier. Coût des marchandises vendues Terme comptable utilisé pour décrire la valeur totale (le coût) des produits vendus au cours d'une période donnée. Étant donné que l'inventaire est un atout, il n'est pas comptabilisé en charges au moment de son achat ou de sa production. Il va plutôt dans un compte d'actif (généralement appelé inventaire). Lorsque le produit est vendu, la valeur du produit (le coût, et non le prix de vente) est transférée du compte d'actif à un compte de dépenses appelé coût des marchandises vendues ou CPV. COGS apparaît sur le compte de profits et pertes et est également utilisé pour calculer les tours d'inventaire. Échelle de comptage Une échelle spéciale utilisée pour déterminer les quantités (plutôt que juste le poids). La fonction échelle de base est la même que d'autres types d'échelles, mais une échelle de comptage aura la fonctionnalité pour calculer un poids pièce basé sur un échantillon, puis utiliser ce poids pièce pour compter le produit basé sur le poids total. Le processus de base avec une échelle de comptage consiste à placer un récipient vide sur la balance, appuyer sur le bouton de tare pour mettre à zéro l'échelle, compter un échantillon et le placer dans le récipient, indiquer à l'échelle la taille de l'échantillon, compter un autre échantillon Pour vérifier l'exactitude, puis dump le reste du produit dans le conteneur pour obtenir le nombre total. Je couvrir l'utilisation des échelles de comptage dans plus de détail dans mon livre Inventaire de précision: les gens, les processus, les ampères CPG Consumer Packaged Goods (voir la liste séparée) Courroie de triage convoyeur système de tri qui utilise une série de dispositifs (transporteurs) montés sur un Convoyeur pour trier les matériaux. Chaque dispositif est muni d'un petit convoyeur à courroie monté au-dessus de celui-ci et perpendiculaire à la direction du convoyeur principal. Lorsqu'il arrive à un point de tri, le convoyeur sur le support tourne, en déplaçant les matériaux sur le côté du convoyeur principal (habituellement sur un autre convoyeur, en descendant une goulotte ou dans un récipient). Le cross-docking sous sa forme la plus pure est l'action de décharger des matériaux d'une remorque ou d'un wagon entrant et de charger immédiatement ces matériaux dans des remorques ou des wagons sortants, éliminant ainsi le besoin d'entreposage. En réalité, le cross-docking pur est rare en dehors des centres de transport et des réseaux de distribution de type hub-and-spoke. De nombreuses opérations de cross-docking nécessitent de grandes zones de transit où les documents entrants sont triés, consolidés et stockés jusqu'à ce que l'expédition sortante soit terminée et prête à être expédiée. Cette mise en scène peut prendre des heures, des jours ou même des semaines, auquel cas la zone de transit est essentiellement un entrepôt. CRP Planification des besoins en capacité (voir liste séparée) Cube une mesure du volume d'objets ou d'espaces tridimensionnels en forme de rectangle. Cube est calculé mon multipliant la longueur fois la largeur fois la hauteur de l'objet ou l'espace. Terme logique de cube utilisé dans les systèmes de gestion d'entrepôt. La logique de cube est souvent incorporée mais rarement utilisée dans les systèmes WMS en raison de sa tendance à traiter votre produit comme liquide (montage d'une cheville ronde dans un trou carré). Voir l'article sur Warehouse Management Systems. Cubed out décrit une condition où tout l'espace dans une remorque ou un conteneur a été complètement rempli. Le terme cube est souvent utilisé lorsque vous avez complètement rempli la remorque ou le conteneur, mais sont toujours en dessous de la capacité de poids. Voir aussi Pondéré. Utilisation du cube dans l'entreposage et la logistique, l'utilisation du cube se réfère à l'utilisation de l'espace dans la zone de stockage, remorque ou conteneur. L'utilisation du cube est généralement calculée en pourcentage de l'espace total ou de l'espace total utilisable. Vitesse cubique une mesure utilisée dans l'emmagasinage d'entrepôt pour déterminer la taille appropriée de l'emplacement. La vitesse cubique mesure généralement le volume (pouces cubiques cubiques) qui se déplace hors d'un endroit pendant une période prédéfinie de temps (jours, semaines, etc.). Ceci est principalement utilisé avec les emplacements de cueillette, de sorte que vous multipliez les unités moyennes vendues au cours d'une période par le cube de chaque unité pour déterminer la vitesse cubique. Méthode d'établissement du coût d'inventaire du coût actuel qui applique le coût du récépissé le plus récent à tous les stocks d'un article spécifique. Le nombre de cycles se réfère au processus de comptage des stocks régulièrement planifié (généralement tous les jours) qui parcourt votre inventaire. L'utilisateur détermine la fréquence à laquelle certains éléments sont comptabilisés. Lisez mon article sur le comptage des cycles et consultez mon livre sur le comptage des cycles. Copy Droits d'auteur. Le contenu d'InventoryOps est protégé par le droit d'auteur et n'est pas disponible pour la réédition. Collecte de données Voir Centre de distribution DC de collecte automatisée de données (ADC) Demandez la nécessité d'un article spécifique dans une quantité spécifique. Voir la demande dépendante et la demande indépendante. Demande dépendante de la demande générée par la production prévue d'autres articles. Poids dim. Voir Poids dimensionnel Formule de poids dimensionnel utilisée pour déterminer les frais de transport lorsque le rapport poids / volume minimal n'est pas respecté. Le poids réel et le poids faible sont comparés, et le poids plus important est utilisé pour le calcul du fret. Le poids faible a toujours été calculé par: Poids faible (Longueur x Largeur x Hauteur) 194 (Toutes les mesures dimensionnelles sont en pouces) et à l'origine ne s'appliquait qu'aux envois aériens. Toutefois, récemment, les transporteurs ont été la création de politiques plus complexes dim poids. Ainsi, selon le transporteur, la destination et le service, vous pouvez utiliser un autre diviseur. Par exemple, à partir de 2011, UPS utilise 166 (au lieu de 194) pour les expéditions aériennes, et 139 pour les exportations, puis a commencé à utiliser 166 pour les expéditions terrestres, mais seulement si elles sont plus de 5 184 pouces cubes (il semble qu'en 2015, ils élimineront L'exclusion pour les colis de 5,184 pouces cubes ou moins). Le but des poids dimensionnels est de permettre aux transporteurs d'appliquer plus efficacement les frais de transport lorsque des envois très légers mais encombrants se produisent. Ces paquets légers mais volumineux peuvent remplir rapidement un avion ou une remorque, mais ne fournissent pas suffisamment de revenus (basés sur les frais basés sur le poids) pour couvrir les coûts. A. k.a. Poids faible Le transport direct direct par navire et le transport par mer sont deux termes généralement utilisés de façon interchangeable. Ils décrivent un processus par lequel trois parties interagissent avec la transaction de vente (l'acheteur, le vendeur et le fournisseur). L'acheteur initie un achat auprès du vendeur qui s'arrange avec le fournisseur pour expédier le produit directement à l'acheteur. Le vendeur ne réalise pas l'inventaire du produit et le fournisseur n'a pas de communication directe avec l'acheteur. L'acheteur paie le vendeur et le vendeur paie le fournisseur. Dans le cas d'une livraison directe aveugle, les informations du fournisseur sont intentionnellement cachées à l'acheteur. Bien que les deux termes (navire direct et navire de chute) sont généralement utilisés pour décrire le même processus, Ive toujours considéré une petite distinction entre les deux qui se rapporte à l'endroit où vous êtes dans la chaîne d'approvisionnement. Pour le vendeur, l'expédition directe décrit à la fois le processus et une stratégie inventorysales, mais le fournisseur utilisera fréquemment le terme drop ship pour décrire le processus par lequel il expédie le produit à une adresse autre que celle de son client (l'entreprise qui Le paie pour le produit). Parfois, le terme drop ship décrit également le processus d'expédition à n'importe quel emplacement qui est différent de l'emplacement de livraison normal des clients. Cette distinction subtile est parfois évidente dans la terminologie utilisée dans la documentation du logiciel. Expédition directe, expédition de baisse. La livraison directe au magasin La livraison directe au magasin (DSD) décrit une méthode de distribution utilisée principalement dans l'épicerie où le fournisseur livre le produit directement aux magasins. Cela contourne le réseau de distribution des détaillants. Dans certains cas, il s'agit plus que d'une méthode de livraison, mais aussi d'une méthode d'inventaire gérée par le fournisseur qui permet au fournisseur de gérer le processus d'inventaire, de livrer physiquement et de stocker le produit sur les rayons des magasins. La fabrication discrète décrit la fabrication d'articles distincts (articles que vous pouvez facilement compter, toucher, voir) comme un crayon, une ampoule, un téléphone, une bicyclette, une pompe à carburant, etc. Voir aussi Process Manufacturing. La distribution décrit le processus de stockage, d'expédition et de transport des marchandises. Décrit également les installations (opérations de distribution, centres de distribution) qui mènent ces activités. Dans l'analyse statistique, décrit la mesure d'un groupe d'événements ou d'occurrences (voir Distribution normale). Processus de planification des besoins de distribution pour déterminer les besoins d'inventaire dans un environnement de plusieurs usines. Le DRP peut être utilisé à la fois pour la distribution et la fabrication. Dans la fabrication, DRP travaillera directement avec MRP. La DRP peut également être définie comme Planification des ressources de distribution qui comprend également la détermination des besoins en main-d'œuvre, en équipement et en entrepôt. Dispositif de nivellement de quai qui fournit un pont à la remorque ainsi qu'une rampe pour faciliter la transition en hauteur du quai à la remorque. Dock levelers are rated by weight capacity and by the service range. The service range, also known as the height differential, rates the safe range above and below dock level you can use the leveler to transition to the trailer height. See also article Dock Safety Dock to stock dock-to-stock has numerous meanings depending on the industry and context. Dock to stock often describes a program where materials are received into stock without any incoming inspection. This often requires certification of suppliers to ensure they can adequately meet quality standards. Dock to stock may also describe a performance measurement where you track the time it takes for inbound receipts to get from the dock, through the receiving process, and to their stocking location with all transactions completed. These are the two most common uses I have run into, but I have encountered other uses of the term. Double-deep rack a type of pallet rack designed to be used with double-deep reach trucks that allow storage of palletized loads 2-deep in rack. Double-deep rack may be a unique design (designed specifically for double-deep storage) or may just be a double-deep configuration of standard selective pallet rack. Also see Reach truck and check out article on Aisle Widths. DRP Distribution requirements planning (see separate listing) Drive-in rack racking system designed to allow a lift truck to drive into the bay creating very high density storage for non-stackable loads. Useful for operations with limited SKUs and high quantities of pallets per SKU. FIFO is difficult to maintain in drive-in racking systems. a. k.a. Drive-thru Rack. Also see Racking Pics Page. Drop ship see Direct ship. Drum-handling attachments describes the various designs of lift-truck attachment used to handle 55 gallon drums. Some are smaller versions of a paper roll clamp while others may engage the upper rim of the drum, or the lower rings. Some drum attachments are capable of picking up multiple drums at the same time. Dry storage though dry storage can have other meanings in different industries, in warehousing it is typically used to describe non-refrigerated storage of food products (canned goods, dry goods, etc). See also Cold storage DSD Direct store delivery (see separate listing) Dunnage fill material. Types of dunnage include loose fill (packing peanuts), papar, bubble wrap, foam, and air pillows. Duty Duties are fees collected by customs authorities upon entry into a county. Duties are not the same as taxes, which may also be collected by the customs authority. Dynamic slotting this is a term sometimes used by WMS providers to describe a higher level of slotting functionality. Unfortunately, there is not a standard definition for this, but it usually refers to the ability to change slotting recommendations as item profiles, order profiles, or other operational characteristics change. In some cases it involves temporary slotting to support known orders (items with many picks will be moved into a temporary slot by the order picker). Each each or eaches refers to the units you are using (either in physical processes or in your inventory system). In most cases eaches implies you are using the smallest possible unit of measure (the individual pieces). Economic order quantity result of a calculation that determines the most cost effective quantity to order (purchased items) or produce (manufactured items). The formula basically finds the point at which the combination of order cost and carrying cost is the least. The standard formula is EOQ Square Root 2 (Annual Usage) (Order Cost) (Annual Carrying Costunit). The difficult part of implementing the formula is getting accurate values for order cost and carrying cost. For more info on EOQ see my article Optimizing EOQ or check out my book on inventory management. EDI Electronic Data Interchange (see separate listing). Effective lead time effective lead time represents a period of time that includes the lead time (see Lead time), plus additional time factors that may occur between the time the need for an order in known, and the inventory is in stock and available. For example, a fixed ordering schedule (orders are only placed on specific days for specific vendors) may add some time to the lead time, as may some internal processing. Electronic product code EPC is the RFID version of the UPC barcode. EPC is intended to be used for specific product identification. However, EPC goes beyond UPC by not only identifying the product as an SKU, but also providing access to additional data about the origin and history of the specific units. The EPC tag itself identifies the manufacturer, product, version, and serial number. Its the serial number that takes EPC to the next level. This is the key to data related to specific lotsbatches as well as potentially tracking the specific units history as it moves through the supply chain. This data is stored somewhere else (the internet or other network) but a standardized architecture allows you to access the data much like you would access a web page (though this would be happening automatically behind the scenes). See my article on RFID for more info. Electronic data interchange As the name implies, EDI is an electronic means of exchanging data. In inventory management, EDI is often used to exchange data such as purchase order details and advanced shipment notifications. See Wikipedia page for EDI Enterprise resource planning describes software systems designed to manage most or all aspects of a manufacturing or distribution enterprise (an expanded version of MRP systems). ERP systems are usually broken down into modules such as Financials, Sales, Purchasing, Inventory Management, Manufacturing, MRP, DRP. The modules are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the system and should provide a consistent user interface between them. These systems usually have extensive set-up options that allow you to customize their functionality to your specific business needs. Unfortunately, in the real world, ERP systems rarely are sufficient to meet all business needs and a myriad of other software packages such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transportation Management Systems (TMS) are being sold to make up for these deficiencies. EOQ Economic order quantity (see separate listing). EPC Electronic product code (see separate listing) ERP Enterprise resource planning (see separate listing) ESFR Early suppression fast response. Sprinkler system technology that executes faster and with a substantially greater volume of water. ESFR sprinklers may eliminate the need for in-rack sprinkler systems in many warehouses, thus reducing the cost of installation and, more importantly, the risk of water damage caused by damage to in-rack sprinklers. Retrofitting ESFR into older warehouses is not always feasible due to limited water pressure in old systems. Event management software functionality that triggers specific actions based upon the occurrence of a specific event or combination of events. This is another one of those terms used primarily by software vendors and consultants to push new technology. In reality, business software has been providing event-management functionality for years. If inventory dropping below a predetermined level (reorder point) triggers a message to a planner (or even a listing on a reorder report), this is essentially event management. Excess Inventory inventory quantities above a specific need. Some businesses may designate excess inventory as inventory beyond a certain time period of demand. For example, any inventory greater than 60 days demand. Others may designate it as inventory beyond their current safety stock plus lot size (order quantity). The second method assumes you have formulas for adjusting safety stock and lot sizes as demand changes. This method basically calculates how much more inventory you have than you would have if you started with nothing and stocked based on current demand and ordering practices. You will generally use tolerances with the 2nd method. See also Obsolete Inventory Explosion-proof lift trucks lift trucks designed to work in hazardous environments where highly combustible materials are present. Vehicles are designed to avoid sparks and components reaching combustible temperatures. Special electrical systems and materials are used to achieve this. Exponential smoothing forecasting method that is essentially a variation of a weighted moving average. The data inputs to the exponential smoothing include the previous periods demand, the previous periods forecast, and a smoothing factor. The smoothing factor is a number between zero and one (0.01, 0.02. 0.99) that is used to weight the most recent periods demand against the forecast for that period to produce the next periods forecast. The calculation is Next period forecast(Previous periods demandSmoothing factor)(Previous periods forecast(1-Smoothing factor See article on Exponential Smoothing. Extrusion generally describes an item made of metal or plastic that is produced by forcing the raw material through a die (extruding). The result being a long item with a uniform shape throughout the length. Extrusions will often (though not always) require cutting and other machining processes to turn them into a finished item. Fast Charging Method for quickly recharging lift truck batteries on the vehicle during short periods where the vehicle is not being used (lunches, breaks, shift changes, etc). This process for opportunity charging eliminates the need to change batteries in multi-shift operations. Fast charging requires special chargers (called fast chargers). Fast chargers are significantly more expensive than standard battery chargers and there is still debate as to whether or not fast charging causes any harm to the batteries. The cost of the fast chargers can be offset by labor and equipment savings related to the elimination of changing batteries. Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) description of common high volume products such as food, hygiene product, or cleaning supplies. These would be products that the average consumer would frequently purchase such as soda, toothpaste, or dish soap. Fast pick refers to fast moving items, or the locations designated for fast moving items. FIFO First-in-first-out. In warehousing describes the method of rotating inventory to used oldest product first. Actually an accounting term used to describe an inventory costing method. See LIFO Fill rate Sales order processing measurement that quantifies the ability to fill orders. There are various ways of measuring fill rate. Line fill compares the number of line items shipped complete to the total number of lines ordered ( 95 line items shipped complete out of 100 lines ordered would result in a 95 line fill rate). Order fill compares the number of orders shipped complete to the total number of orders shipped. Other examples of fill rates would include dollar fill rate (comparing dollars shipped to dollars ordered), unit fill rate (comparing units shipped to units ordered). In fulfillment operations and some distribution operations where orders are generally shipped within 24 hours of receipt of order, fill rates reflect the ability to immediately ship from stock. In manufacturing operations and distribution operations that have lead-times for products, fill rates reflect the ability to ship to an agreed-to date. In these environments fill rate measurements are sometimes called On-time-and-Complete (OTC) or On-time Delivery (OTD) measurement. Tolerances are sometimes used in fill rate measurements to allow lines or orders that are not shipped complete but are within the tolerance to be considered as shipped complete. The tolerances may be based on units, dollars, lines, or dates (shipped within certain tolerance of required date). Fixed lead time a set lead time that doesnt change. Also see Lead time, Variable Lead time. Flex conveyor portable conveyor that can be expanded, contracted, and flexed around curves. See Conveyer Pics. Floor load a method of loading trucks, trailers, or containers where you load the goods directly on the floor rather than using pallets or other containers. Floor loading tends to be very labor intensive, but provides the greatest opportunity for utilizing the full cube of the truck, trailer, or container. Floor stock inventory that is consumed in production but is not tracked in the perpetual inventory system. Floor stock is different from non-stock inventory since it does actually have an SKU number and item master record, but rather than tracking quantities in the inventory system, the materials are expensed as they are received Flow rack racking system that incorporates sections of conveyor to allow the cartons or pallets to flow to the face of the rack. Stocking is performed from the rear of the rack. Also see Racking Pics Page. Flue space See Longitudinal flue space and Transverse flue space. FMCG Fast Moving Consumer Goods (see separate listing) Food-grade warehouse A Food-grade warehouse is a warehouse that meets specific requirements for the storage of edible products or materials that will make up edible products (ingredients or even packaging). To my knowledge, food grade is not a single designation or certification, but instead is a broad designation used to describe these types of facilities. And while there may be governmental requirements for food storage based on the location of the facility, actual certification of food grade is usually completed by private (non-government) organizations, and required based on the specific customer base being served. For example, the industry you serve may require inspections and certification from AIB (the American Institute of Baking). The most visually notable feature of a typical food-grade warehouse is the 18-inch wide white line painted on the floor following the entire perimeter of all walls in the facility. This area must be kept clear and clean at all times (primarily related to pest control). Food-grade facilities may be made up of dry storage andor cold storage. Forecast A Forecast is an estimation of future demand. Most forecasts use historical demand to calculate future demand. Adjustments for seasonality and trend are often necessary. Forecasting is all about turning unknowns into knowns (or reasonable approximations). For more info on forecasting, check out my book on inventory management. Forecast consumption describes the method(s) your inventory management software uses to reduce forecasted demand by the actual demand that occurs during the forecast period. Incorrectly set up forecast consumption parameters or lack of functionality related to forecast consumption can often create serious problems with planning systems. Forecast error the difference between the forecast quantity for a period and the actual demand experienced during that period. Forecast error is calculated after the period has passed and is used to evaluate the forecast and make adjustments. Forging generally describes an unfinished item made of metal that is produced through a process that heats the metal (not to melting point) then uses pressure or hammering to change the shape of the metal into a shape that closely resembles the finished item that will ultimately be made (through machining processes) from the forging. Forklift a. k.a Fork Lift. See Lift Trucks. Forklift-free plants a strategy to eliminate or reduce forklift use in operations. Used mainly in manufacturing operations, forklift-free usually involves finding ways to eliminate forklift use in specific areas (mainly the production areas). A key benefit is the safety of workers, but other benefits such as better space utilization and reduction of costs associated with lift trucks may also be factors. Fork positioner lift truck attachments that allow the operator to adjust the distance between the forks without getting off of the truck. Used primarily in high volume operations where there is a great variety of pallet and crate sizes handled. Forward pick location these are locations in a warehouse used specifically for order picking. When you use forward pick locations it is assumed that you also have reserve storage locations. Also see Reserve Storage Locations. Free lift in lift truck specifications, free lift describes the distance the forks can travel vertically before the mast starts to extend. Free lift is important if you need to stack or unstack loads within an area with a low ceiling, such as in trailers or containers. FTZ Foreign Trade Zone (also known as Free Trade Zone), is similar to a Bonded Warehouse in that it has a special status that allows products to be imported into it without taxes or duties being paid. However, a Foreign Trade Zone actually has less restrictions placed upon it than a standard bonded warehouse and activities such as manufacturing can occur within an FTZ. Here is a nice link to a site that explains these difference in greater detail inzone. orgampsectionbasicsampsubsectionbonded. Also see Bonded Warehouse Fulfillment the activity of processing customer shipments. Though most manufacturig and warehouse operations will process customer shipments, this term usually refers to operations that ship many small orders (usually parcels) to end users as opposed to operations that process larger shipments to other manufacturers, wholesalers, or resellers. Examples of fulfillment operations would include operations that process shipments for mail-order catalogs, internet stores, or repair parts. copy Copyright. Content on InventoryOps is copyright-protected and is not available for republication. Gaylord a large corrugated container usually sized to match the length and width dimensions of a pallet. Gaylord is actually a trade name that has become synonymous with this specific type of container. Alright Beavis, you can stop snickering now. GMA pallet Also known as a Grocery Pallet, a GMA pallet is made to the specifications of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. It is basically a 4-way pallet that is 40 inches wide, by 48 inches deep, by 5 inches in height and has the deck boards and bottom boards mounted flush with with the outside stringers (more detailed specs are available from the Grocery Manufacturers Association ). Also see Pallet GMROII Gross Margin Return on Inventory Investment. Calculation that shows your margin relative to your average inventory investment. Calculated by dividing your annual gross margin (dollars) by your average inventory (dollars). Particularly useful in determining which items provide the greatest profit potential relative to your investment in inventory. As with all calculations that use gross margin as an input, the output may be flawed if other costs not included in the gross calculation may vary significantly from one item to another. Guidance systems guidance systems are used to guide automated guided vehicles through plants, guide lift trucks in very-narrow-aisle storage areas. Wire-guided and Rail-guided tend to be the most common guidance systems, but others including laser, optical systems, and magnetic tape are also available. See also Wire-guided, Rail-guided, Laser-guided, Optical-guided. Gravity conveyor types of conveyor that use gravity to move materials. Skatewheel conveyer and roller conveyor are the most common types of gravity conveyor used, however, even a simple steel chute is essentially a gravity conveyor. High-density storage describes storage methods where unitized loads are stored more than one unit deep andor high. Stacked bulk floor storage, drive-indrive-thru rack, push-back rack, flow rack, and, to a lesser extent, double-deep rack, are examples of high-density storage. High-piled combustible storage term used in fire codes to refer to codes relating to floor or racked storage exceeding 12 feet in height or high-hazard commodity storage exceeding 6 feet in height. See article Warehouse Fire Safety. Honeycombing refers to the unused pallet positions in high-density storage that result when the number of unit-loads for an item does not completely fill the storage lane. Since mixing SKUs in high-density storage is normally not done, these unused pallet positions are not available to store other materials. Impact alarm a. k.a shock alarm, shock switch. Impact alarms are devices that can be attached to lift trucks to sense impacts (collisions). The reality of impact alarms is not near as wonderful as the concept. See my article on Lift Truck Safety for more details. Inching pedal on lift trucks with internal combustion (gasoline, liquid propane, diesel) engines it is necessary to rev the engine in order to get the power needed to lift a load with the hydraulics. An inching pedal acts like a combination of a clutch pedal and brake pedal. When slightly depressed, it puts the transmission in neutral allowing the operator to rev the engine. When completely depressed it engages the brakes. An inching pedal may be a separate pedal from the brake pedal or be part of the main brake pedal. Independent Demand demand generated from forecasts, customer orders or service parts. Industrial Truck vehicles used for industrial purposes. Generally used to transport materials and personnel within industrial facilities. Lift trucks (forklifts) are the most well known type of industrial truck. Inner pack an additional level of multi-unit packaging within a case, carton, or other larger packaging. For example, you may have a case that contains 600 units of an item, but within that case you have 24 smaller boxes or bags that each contain 25 units. These smaller packages are called inner packs. Intermodal transportation term describing the use of multiple modes of transportation for a shipment. Ocean containers that are picked up by a truck, delivered to port, transported by ship, and then picked up by another truck are a common example of intermodal transportation. In the trucking industry, intermodal usually refers to the combination of trucking and rail transportation. Inventory any quantifiable item that you can handle, buy, sell, store, consume, produce, or track can be considered inventory. This covers everything from office and maintenance supplies, to raw material used for manufacturing, to semi-finished and finished goods, to fuel used to power equipment used in the business. Inventory management the direction and control of activities with the purpose of getting the right inventory in the right place at the right time in the right quantity in the right form at the right cost. Inventory Turn number of times inventory is consumed or sold during a one year period. Generally calculated by dividing the average inventory level (or current inventory level) into the annual inventory usage (annual Cost of Goods Sold). In my opinion, Inventory Turns is probably the most overused, misused, and abused inventory metric. Thats primarily because it doesnt really tell you a hell of a lot, yet companies insist on building order policies on it. Item see SKU Item Profile data that describes the characteristics of an item. May include physical characteristics such as size and weight, transactional characteristics such as times soldconsumed and units soldconsumed, or group characteristics such as sales channel, commodity, hazardous classification, etc. Item profiles are used in warehouse design and slotting. Jackpot Line this is one of those funky terms that has somehow achieved widespread acceptance in the material handling industry. Usually used with automated systems such as automated conveyor systems, a Jackpot Line refers to an area where exceptions are routed. Exceptions may include orders that could not be completed (shortages or WMS error), orders requiring special processing, or weight or size exceptions. The terms Jackpot Lane, or Jackpot Area are also used to describe similar exception areas. JIT Just-in-time. Term usually thought of as describing inventory arriving or being produced just in time for the shipment or next process. Actually, JIT is a process for optimizing manufacturing processes by eliminating all process waste including wasted steps, wasted material, excess inventory, etc. Job Shop a manufacturing slang term that can have a variety of meanings, but generally refers to a manufacturing operation that does primarily custom fabrication to a customers specs. These are often smaller machine-shop type operations, but the term can be used to describe larger operations. It basically comes down to a process whereby a customer orders a quantity of something built to a certain spec, this becomes a job. That item built to that spec may or may not have been run before or may or may not be repeated in the future. Just-in-sequence A combination of just-in-time delivery with production line sequencing of delivered items. A customer will notify a supplier of the items needed and the sequence based on the customers manufacturing schedule, the supplier will then put together the shipment with the items in the appropriate sequence and deliver them to the customer (sometimes directly to the assembly line). This is most common in the automotive and similar assembly line industries where each unit on the assembly line can be configured differently (component options). Kanban used as part of a Just-In-Time production operation where components and sub-assemblies are produced based upon notification of demand from a subsequent operation. Historically, Kanban has been a physical notification such as a card (kanban cards) or even an empty hopper or tote sent up the line to the previous operation. Kanban is actually a simplistic means of both signaling the need for inventory as well as controlling the inventory levels (by limiting kanban cards or containers). Landed Cost inventory costing method that includes the purchased cost plus transportation costs, import fees, duties, taxes, and other costs incurred in obtaining the inventory. Laser-guided guidance system used with AGVs that uses a rotating laser (mounted on top of the vehicle) to determine the vehicles location. Reflective targets need to be strategically placed along the vehicles route. Must always maintain clear line-of-site to reflective targets for the system to work properly. Laser scanner device that uses a moving laser to read bar codes. Devices can be portable hand-held units, or fixed units. Lead time amount of time required for an item to be available for use from the time it is ordered. Lead time should include purchase order processing time, vendor processing time, in transit time, receiving, inspection, and any prepack times. However, based on the way many inventory systems work, there may be problems incorporating internal factors such as post-receipt processing in Lead-time, so in many systems, the lead time just represents the period of time from which the item is ordered to the time it arrives at your dock. Also see Effective lead time, Fixed lead time, Variable lead time. Lead-time demand forecasted demand during the lead-time period. For example, if your forecasted demand is 3 units per day and your lead time is 12 days, your lead-time demand would be 36 units. Lean manufacturing alternate term used to describe the philosophies and techniques associated with Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing. Legacy system implies a business computerinformation system that is old or outdated. Often used to describe home-grown (custom built) mainframe systems, however, software companies will use the term legacy system to define any system that is not based on the current version of a business software package. Less-than-truckload transportation term that describes shipments that are less than a trailer load in size. LTL also is used to describe the carriers that handle these loads. LTL carriers generally use strategically placed hubs to sort and consolidate LTL shipments into full-truck-load shipments. License Plate License plates are often used with warehouse management systems. They are basically an ID number placed on a pallet, tote, carton or other container, and are used to track the contents of that container as it moves through the warehouse. The license plate will almost always have a bar code that contains this ID number. So by scanning a single bar code on the pallet you can initiate or complete movement transactions for all items and quantities on that pallet. LIFO, Last-in-first-out in warehousing, describes the method for using the newest inventory first (Ive never seen an operation that uses this). In accounting, its a term used to describe an inventory costing method. See FIFO Lift truck vehicles used to lift, move, stack, rack, or otherwise manipulate loads. Material handling workers use a lot of terms to describe lift trucks some terms describe specific types of vehicles, others are slang terms or trade names that people often mistakenly use to describe trucks. Terms include, industrial truck, forklift, reach truck, motorized pallet trucks, turret trucks, counterbalanced forklift, walkie, rider, walkie rider, walkie stacker, straddle lift, side loader, order pickers, high lift, cherry picker, Jeep, Towmotor, Yale, Crown, Hyster, Raymond, Clark, Drexel. See Lift Truck Pics and articles on Lift Truck Basics and Lift Truck Safety for more info. Lights-out warehouse a. k.a. Lights-out facility. Describes fully-automated facilities. The idea being that if the facility requires no human operators, you can run it with no lights. Use of ASRS units, AGVs, automated conveyors, robots, etc makes this possible. Line item a single detail record. The term line item is most commonly used to describe the detail (each line that reflects an item and a quantity) on sales orders or purchase orders. For example, if a customer orders 20 red pens, 50 black pens, and 10 green pens, this equates to an order with three line items. Load in manufacturing, describes the amount of production scheduled against a plant or machine. In warehousing, describes the materials being handled by a piece of equipment. In transportation, describes the materials being transported. Load locks adjustable support bars used inside trailers to prevent movement of the load. a. k.a Load bars, Cargo bars Locator system locator systems are inventory-tracking systems that allow you to assign locations to your inventory to facilitate greater tracking and the ability to store product randomly. Prior to locator systems, warehouses needed to store product in some logical manner in order to be able to find it (stored in item number sequence, by vendor, by product description, etc.) By using locator systems you can increase space utilization by slotting your product by matching the physical characteristics of the product to a location whose physical characteristics match that of the product. You can also increase productivity by locating fast moving product to closer, more accessible locations, and increase accuracy by separating similar items. Location functionality in software can range from a simple text field attached to an item that notes a single location, to systems that allow multiple locations per item and track inventory quantities by location. Warehouse management systems (WMS) take locator systems to the next level by adding functionality to direct the movement between locations. See article on Warehouse Management Systems. also check out My book on inventory accuracy which covers locator systems in more detail. a. k.a. Location system, Bin locations Lockout Tagout the process of disabling (lockout) and identifying (tagout) equipment and energy sources during maintenance or service to prevent injury of personnel from an unexpected startup or power up. Longitudinal flue space term used by fire codes to describe the space between the rows of back-to-back racking. Flue spaces allow the water from an overhead sprinkler system to reach lower levels of the rack, and also provide the fire a means or rising towards the sprinklers rather than spreading. Normally a longitudinal flue space of at least 6 inches is used though this requirement may vary based on rack height and Transverse Flue spacing. It is important to note that the flue space is measured as the distance between the loads, not the distance between the racks. Also see Transverse Flue Space See article Warehouse Fire Safety. Lot for lot an order method that is driven by forecast periods. Order quantities will match demand in each specific forecast period. Lot size also known as order quantity, lot size represents the quantity of an item you order for delivery on a specific date, or manufacture in a single production run. For more info on lot sizing. check out my book on inventory management. LTL Less-than-truckload (see separate listing) copy Copyright. Content on InventoryOps is copyright-protected and is not available for republication. Maintenance, repair, and operating inventory (MRO). Inventory used to maintain equipment as well as miscellaneous supplies such as office cleaning supplies. Man-up term used to describe lift trucks designed to raise the operator with the load. Order selectors and turret trucks are the most common types of man-up vehicles. Manufacturing execution system software systems designed to integrate with enterprise systems to enhance the shop-floor-control functionality that is usually inadequate in ERP systems. MES provides for shop floor scheduling, production and labor reporting, integration with computerized manufacturing systems such as automatic data collection and computerized machinery. Master production schedule (MPS) Production schedule specifying specific items, quantities, and dates at which production is expected to take place. The primary purpose of an MPS is to manage capacity when you have some time periods where demand is expected to exceed capacity. You will then use MPS to produce some products in advance of demand (forecasted or actual orders) during periods when capacity exceeds demand. MES Manufacturing execution system (see separate listing) Mezzanine a tiered structure within a building used to provide worker access to various levels. Mezzanines can be free-standing structures supported by posts and trusses, or can be a series of walkways supported by storage equipment (rack-supported mezzanine). Milk run Ive encountered may variations on the definition of this term but basically a milk run consists of a pickup andor delivery route where several stops are made. Usually it refers to a regularly run route, but it may also refer to a one-time run where several stops are made. Some consider a milk run to mean a route where shipments are delivered and inbound materials picked up in the same run. Min-max a simplistic inventory system in which a minimum quantity and maximum quantity are set for an item. When the quantity drops below Min you order up to the Max. Also see Optional replenishment. Motorized pallet truck motorized pallet trucks are the motorized version of the pallet jack. They come in Walkie versions or Rider versions. As you would expect, the walkie is designed for the operator to walk along with the truck as they move loads, while the rider has a small platform that the operator stands on. The riders work great for frequent moving of loads over extended distances within warehouses and manufacturing operations. a. k.a. Walkie, Walkie-rider, Rider. Also see Lift Truck Pics and Lift Truck Basics for more info MPS Master production schedule (see separate listing) MRPMRPII, Manufacturing resource planning process for determining material, labor and machine requirements in a manufacturing environment. MRPII is the consolidation of Material Requirements Planning (MRP), Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP), and Master Production Scheduling (MPS). MRP was originally designed for materials planning only. When labor and machine (resources) planning were incorporated it became known as MRPII. Today the definition of MRPII is generally associated with MRP systems. MRP generation term used to describe the running of the programs that convert demand into planned orders. Depending on the operation, MRP Generation may be run daily, weekly, or even monthly. Since this processing requires a lot of system resources it is generally confined to off hours or weekend processing. MRO Maintenance, repair, and operating inventory (see separate listing) Multimodal in transportation, multi-modal describes a single shipment that uses two or more forms of transportation via a single contract (bill of lading). For example a combination of truck and rail, or truck and ocean freight. Multimodal data collection using two or more data collection technologies together to perform tasks. For example, using a voice directed order picking system combined with a barcode scanner. Read my article on Multimodal Data Collection. Narrow aisle describes lift trucks that operate in aisles of 8 to 10. Narrow-aisle trucks are generally stand-up vehicles such as reach trucks. Also see Vary Narrow Aisle (VNA) and read article The Aisle Width Decision Negative inventory an inventory system (computer) condition whereby the on-hand inventory balance is listed as a quantity less than zero. Check out my article on negative inventory Non-stock inventory also called non-inventory, this is inventory that is not tracked within your perpetual inventory system. Non-stock inventory will not have an item-master record or internal SKU number. Normal distribution term used in statistical analysis to describe a distribution of numbers in which the probability of an occurrence, if graphed, would follow the form of a bell shaped curve. This is the most popular distribution model for determining probability and has been found to work well in predicting demand variability based upon historical data. Obsolete Inventory inventory that has had no sales or usage activity for a specific period of time. The period of time varies by company and industry and may even vary by product line within a specific company and may range from weeks to years. a. k.a. Dead Inventory. See also Excess Inventory Open Source Software that has the source code freely available for modification. In most cases, open source software is also Free software in that it requires no licensing fees. The Linux operating system, Apache web server, PHP programming language, MySQL database, and OpenOffice office suite are among the best known free open source products. However, when in comes to business software (such as ERP systems), Ive noticed that some of the products that advertise (thats a clue) as open source, are not exactly free. Some have licensing fees, while others are built on databases or other programs that have licensing fees. Operation I use the term operation frequently in my writings with two very distinct meanings. At a general level, an operation is the overall work environment that includes the facility(s) and all activities that occur within it. When discussing MRP and related topics, an operation is a specific step that exists in the routing of a manufacturing process. Optional replenishment the action of ordering or producing up to the Max in a Min-Max system even though inventory has not reached the Min. May be used to avoid down time on machines etc. Optical-guided guidance system that uses a special strip (taped or painted) on the floor to guide an AGV. Order cost also known as purchase cost or set up cost, order cost is the sum of the fixed costs that are incurred each time an item is ordered. These costs are not associated with the quantity ordered but primarily with physical activities required to process the order. For purchased items, these would include the cost to enter the purchase order andor requisition, any approval steps, the cost to process the receipt, incoming inspection, invoice processing and vendor payment, and in some cases a portion of the inbound freight may also be included in order cost. In manufacturing, the order cost would include the time to initiate the work order, time associated with picking and issuing components excluding time associated with counting and handling specific quantities, all production scheduling time, machine set up time, and inspection time. Order cost is used as part of most cost-based order quantitylot sizing calculations. See article on EOQ for more detailed info on order cost. Order cycle also called replenishment cycle, order cycle refers to the time between orders of a specific item. Most easily calculated by dividing the order quantity by the annual demand and multiplying by the number of days in the year. Order point see Reorder point Order profile data describing the characteristics of inbound, outbound, or internal orders (outbound is most common). Examples of characteristics incorporated into an order profile could include: line items per order, pieces per order, weight per order, cube per order, time of day, destination, shipment method, order type, etc. Characteristics are often broken into logical groups such as breaking line items per order into groups of 1 line item, 2-4 line items, 5-10 line items, 11- 25, 26. Order selector a. k.a. Order Picker. Lift truck designed specifically for manual handling of less than pallet load quantities in racking. Man-up design has fixed forks attached to a platform that elevates the load and the operator to facilitate manual loading and unloading from racking. Order selectors are very-narrow-aisles vehicles that operate in aisles of less than 6 Also see Lift Truck Pics. Lift Truck Basics. and The Aisle Decision for more info. Outside operation term describing a step in the manufacturing process that is performed by an outside vendor. System setup for outside operations can get fairly complicated and generally requires linking a purchase order for the outside processing to a specific operation in the routing. The integration of the purchase order process and the work order process to ensure accounting, production planning, and inventory managements needs are met can be confusing and is often problematic copy Copyright. Content on InventoryOps is copyright-protected and is not available for republication. Paperless when referring to processing in the warehouse (paperless picking, paperless receiving) or on the shop floor, paperless generally suggests that the direction of tasks and execution of transactions are conducted electronically without the use of paper documents. This is usually accomplished through the use of fixed or portable computers, bar code scanners, RFID readers, light-signaling technology (pick-to-light), or voice technology. Or maybe it just means you ran out of paper. Paper-roll clamp designed specifically for the handling of large paper rolls, the paper roll clamp is a lift truck attachment that clamps around the roll and also allows for a full 360 degree rotation. Pallet a portable platform designed to allow a forklift or pallet jack to lift, move, and store various loads. Most pallets are made from wood. but pallets are also made from plastic, steel, and even paper-based materials. Specing a wood pallet involves identifying wood type (hardwood or softwood), overrall pallet size, number and size and spacing of stringers, whether stringers are to be notched for 4-way use, number and size and spacing of deckboards, number and size and spacing of bottom boards, whether deck boards and bottom boards are attached flush with outside stringers or overhang outside stringers. Other options include using a solid deck (rather than separate deck boards), chamfering the deck boards, using treated wood (for international shipments). 2-way pallets allow entry by a forklift from the front or back of the pallet, 4-way pallets have the stringers notched (or use a blocking system instead of stringers) so a forklift can also enter the pallet from either side. The most common sized pallet is the GMA (Grocery Manufacturers Association ) pallet, also called a grocery pallet. It is a 4-way pallet that is 40 inches wide, by 48 inches deep, by 5 inches in height and has the deck boards and bottom boards mounted flush with with the outside stringers. Also see Skid. Pallet inverter a type of stationary equipment used to transfer product between different types of pallets such as transferring from wood to plastic pallets, or from pallets to slipsheets. A load on a pallet is placed in the pallet inverter and the entire load is rotated 180 degrees allowing you to remove the original pallet and replace it with another. Period order quantity an order method that uses a fixed period of time to calculate order quantities. Period order quantity is generally stated in days and will be compared to the forecast at time of reorder to calculate the appropriate order quantity. Phantom bill of material a fictitious bill of material created for common subassemblies or kits that you do not want to produce as separate items. For example, if you have a number of products that all use the same hardware kit you can create a phantom bill for the hardware kit and then just put the phantom item on the bills for all products that use it. Your MRP system will treat the phantom bill components as though they were part of the bill for the higher level item (rather than treating it as a separate item that needs to be produced). Phantom items never actually exist, they are just a means for simplifying the management of your bills of materials. Physical inventory refers to the process of counting all inventory in a warehouse or plant. Operations are usually shut down during a physical inventory. See physical inventory page at accuracybook for more information, also read my article on physical inventories. Pick-and-pass see Zone Picking Pick face this is the portion of our storage area that is immediately accessible to the order picker. Think of it as the front (face) of your storage. If you were to measure a pick face, your measurement would contain width and height, but not depth. Pick module can describe anything from a large area of a warehouse designated for order picking (such as a multi-level mezzanine picking area) to the individual sections of flow rack or other storage media that make up the picking area. I think the implication here is that a pick module somehow has a level of sophistication above that of a warehouse area used for order picking. Its really just a marketing term used by equipment suppliers and consultants to try to impress their clients. Pick path the route a picker follows through the picking area to complete his picking tasks. Pick paths can be a fixed path that flows through the aisles in the warehouse, or can be unique to the specific order(s) being picked at the time. Pick-to-clear method often used in warehouse management systems that directs picking to the locations with the smallest quantities on hand. Pick-to-carton for parcel shippers, pick-to-carton logic uses item dimensionsweights to select the shipping carton prior to the order picking process. Items are then picked directly into the shipping carton. When picking is complete, dunnage is added and the carton sealed eliminating a formal packing operation. This logic works best when pickingpacking products with similar sizeweight characteristics. In operations with a very diverse product mix its much more difficult to get this type of logic to work effectively. Pick-to-light pick-to light systems consist of lights and LED displays for each pick location. The system uses software to light the next pick and display the quantity to pick. Pick-to-light systems have the advantage of not only increasing accuracy, but also increasing productivity. Since hardware is required for each pick location, pick-to-light systems are easier to cost justify where very high picks per SKU occur. Carton flow rack and horizontal carousels are good applications for pick to light. In batch picking, put-to-light is also incorporated into the cart or rack that holds the cartons or totes that you are picking into. The light will designate which order you should be placing the picked items in. See article on Order Picking. also check out My book on inventory accuracy. Piece picking also known as broken case picking, piece picking describes a process where individual items are picked for orders. See article on Order Picking. Pinwheel see Pinwheeling Pinwheeling refers to a method for loading trailers where you alter the direction of every other pallet. Basically you use pinwheeling to load more pallets on a trailer when the depth of the pallet is longer than half the trailer width, but the depth plus the width is less than the trailer width. You can also use it as a productivityspace utilization compromise or to reduce load shifting when loading pallets where the depth of the pallet is less than half the trailer width. See article on Trailer Loading Techniques. PLC Programmable logic controller. Computerized device used to control functions of machines. PLCs are used in automation of manufacturing equipment and material handling equipment such as automated conveyor systems. Planned order term used within MRP and DRP systems for system-generated planned order quantities. Planned orders only exist within the computer system and serve multiple functions. One function is to notify the materialsplanner or buyer to produce or order materials, which is done by converting a planned order into an purchase order, shop order, or transfer order. Another function is used by the MRP or DRP system to show demand which is used by subsequent MRP and DRP programs to generate additional planned orders. (MRPDRP systems sometimes run several programs in a specific sequence to generate all planned orders, one program may convert forecasts or customer orders into planned orders which creates the demand the next program uses this demand to create additional planned orders). Planning bill see Planning bill of material Planning bill of material a fictitious bill of material used to group options of a family of products. For example, you may have a line of notebook computers whereby most of the components are the same, but some will have different hard drives, processors, memory, etc. Rather than creating separate bills for each possible combination and then forecasting each possible combination, you create one large planning bill that contains all possible components but uses the quantity per to manage the options. If you expect half of the computers to have 40 GB drives, 25 to have 60GB drives, and 25 to have 80 GB drives, you would set up each drive on the bill and use 0.50, 0.25, and 0.25 respectively as the quantity per. You would then proceed to do the same for all other options. Your higher level forecast would be for the total demand for all computers in this family. Planning bills are sometimes referred to as Super Bills or Pseudo Bills. Plugging plugging is used with electric industrial vehicles to reduce speed, stop, or change direction, without using the brake. Most commonly used with vehicles with hand throttles such as motorized pallet trucks and order selectors, the operator simply switches between forward and reverse to control speed. Though this sounds like something you shouldnt be doing, many electric trucks are designed to allow for this. Pop-up sorter sorting equipment integrated into conveyor to move materials off of conveyor at fixed points. Pop-up sorters are installed in fixed positions and may consist of a series of wheel or small belts that are normally located slightly below the conveyor rollers. The wheels or belts are momentarily raised (pop up) to enable diverting materials off of the conveyor. Postponement a Manufacturing Distribution strategy where specific operations associated with a product are delayed until just prior to shipping. Storing product in a generic state and then applying custom labels or packaging before shipping is an example of postponement. Powered industrial truck according to OSHA, a powered industrial truck is defined as a mobile, power-driven vehicle used to carry, push, pull, lift, stack, or tier material. Pretty much covers any type of lift truck as well as vehicles used to tow materials. See Lift Truck Private warehouse as opposed to public warehouse (see separate listing), a private warehouse simply means the warehouse is ownedleased and operated by the private company whose warehouse operations are conducted within that building. For example, if a manufacturer or distributor has their own warehouse that they operate out of. that is a private warehouse. Also see article Public Warehouses, Contract Warehouses, and 3PLs Explained. Pro forma invoice basically a fake invoice created to show a buyer what the details of the actual invoice will look like. You can think of it as a draft invoice. Pro forma invoices are commonly used with international transactions to provide the buyer with the information they will need to pay for the goods (prepayment is common with international transactions) and arrange for import. Process manufacturing type of manufacturing where a product is produced or transformed through mixing, chemical reactions, etc. Examples of process manufacturing would be refining crude oil into gasoline, extracting copper from ore, combining materials to make paint. Process as opposed to discrete manufacturing. Also see Discrete manufacturing. Production plan generally used to describe a long-term plan of what will be produced at a family level. Program generator program generators are software programs that generally provide graphical user interfaces and tools that allow a user to create a program without having to write actual computer code. Currently these programs are more frequently referred to as Development Tools and are usually designed to write code for specific applications such as data-collection programs for portable computers. While a user does not need to be a programmer to use this software, the user does need to have a higher level of technical skills than that of most standard software users. a. k.a. Code generator, Development tools Proprietary used to describe equipment or technologies that do not follow an open standard design that would allow them to easily integrate with other equipment or technologies. Proprietary equipment and technologies are usually patented or otherwise protected making it difficult or impossible for other companies to offer similar or complementary products. Psuedo bill of material see Planning bill of material Purchase order a document used to approve, track, and process purchased items. A purchase order is used to communicate a purchase to a supplier. It is also used as an authorization to purchase. A purchase order will state quantities, costs, and delivery dates. The purchase order is also used to process and track receipts and supplier invoicespayments associated with the purchase. Push-back rack racking system that incorporates a carriage or other sliding device to allow you to feed multiple pallets into the same location pushing back the previous pallet. Also see Racking Pics Page. Push sorter a very simple fixed-position sorting device used with conveyor systems. A push sorter may use a swinging arm or a simple piston-type pushing device to push materials across the conveyor. Put-to-light technology similar to pick-to-light, however, the light modules are used do direct which tote, bin, or carton, the item is to be picked into, rather than directing which locations to pick from. Also see Put Wall and Pick-to-light Put wall term used to describe a group of divided shelves used with put-to-light technology. Its basically a manual sortation system where someone uses put-to-light technology to tell them which slot to place the item in (they often scan the item barcode to initiate the put-to-light). Also see Put-to-light Public warehouse a business that provides short or long-term storage to a variety of businesses, usually on a month-to-month basis. A public warehouse will generally use their own equipment and staff, however, agreements may be made where the client either buys or subsidizes equipment. Public warehouse fees are usually a combination of storage fees (per pallet or actual sq. footage) and transaction fees (inbound and outbound). Public warehouses are most often used to supplement space requirements of a private warehouse. Also see Contract Warehouse and 3PL and article on Public Warehouses and 3PLs Quantity There are various quantity elements in perpetual inventory systems. Below are definitions of the most common. Be aware that these definitions are fairly generic and that specific inventory systems may use completely different definitions or terminology. Quantity on hand also known as onhand quantity, in stock, store quantity Quantity on hand describes the actual physical inventory in the possession of the business. When inventory is received or produced, it is added to quantity on hand, when inventory is sold or consumed, it is removed from quantity on hand. Quantity on order includes quantity on open purchase orders or manufacturing orders. May or may not include quantities on transfer orders from other branches. Quantity in transit in multi-branch environments, quantity in transit reflects the quantity that has been shipped from one branchfacility to another branchfacility, but has not yet been received by that branchfacility. In operations that use advanced tracking of receipts, it may reflect quantities that have been shipped by outside vendors, but not yet received. Inbound and outbound quantities in multi-branch environments, inbound and outbound quantities reflect open quantities on interbranch transfer orders. Quantity allocated also known as committed quantity, commitments, or allocations. Quantity allocated is the quantity that is on current open sales orders or production orders (as components), and may be relative to a specific time period. Also see Allocations Quantity available is the result of a calculation that takes quantity on hand and reduces it by allocations (for sales orders, manufacturing orders, etc). Quantity available may or may not be date specific and therefore take into account future receipts. Quantity available calculations are sometimes very complicated and vary from one software product to another. Queue time amount of time a job waits at an operation prior to set up or processing. Part of manufacturing lead time. Rack-supported building warehouse design that uses structural pallet rack to support the roof of a building, eliminating the need for posts. Rack-supported buildings are usually designed for ASRS systems or turret truck systems where racking is 40 to 100 ft in height. Radio frequency in warehousing, refers to the portable data collection devices that use radio frequency (RF) to transmit data to host system. Radio frequency identification see RFID Rail-guided guidance system used with very-narrow-aisle vehicles such as order selectors and turret trucks. A steel rail is mounded on each side of the aisle, and rollers are mounted on the lift truck to guide it between the rails. Random location storage refers to storage method where a product may be stored in any location. Random storage has higher space utilization and generally lower accuracy than fixed location storage Reach truck a. k.a. Stand-up reach, Straddle reach. Double-deep reach. The reach truck is a narrow-aisle (8-10) lift truck designed specifically for racked pallet storage. It consists of outriggers in front and telescoping forks that use a hydraulic scissors-type mechanism that allow you to pick up the load and retract it over the outriggers reducing the overall truck and load length, allowing you to turn in a narrower aisle. Double-deep reach trucks use an extended reach mechanism that allows you to store pallets two-deep in specially designed double-deep rack. Reach trucks are designed for racking areas only and do not work for loading trucks or quickly moving loads over distances. Also see Lift Truck Pics and Lift Truck Basics for more info. Real-time locator system real-time locator system (RTLS) uses RFID technology that provides the objects they are attached to the ability to transmit their current location. System requires some type of RFID tag to be attached to each object that needs to be tracked, and RF transmittersreceivers located throughout the facility to determine the location and send information to computerized tracking system. While it sounds like a great way to eliminate lost inventory, the systems are still too costly for most inventory tracking operations and are more likely to be used to track more valuable assets. Reorder point The inventory level set to trigger reorder of a specific item. Reorder point is generally calculated as the expected usage (demand) during the lead time plus safety stock. Fixed reorder point implies the reorder point is a static number plugged into the system. Dynamic reorder point implies there is some system logic calculating the order point. Generally this would be comparing current inventory to the forecasted demand during the lead time plus safety stock. Replenishment cycle see Order Cycle Reserve storage refers to locations used to store additional inventory that will eventually replenish forward pick locations. Also called overflow storage, reserve locations, backup storage. See also Forward Pick Locations. Reverse logistics fancy term for Returns. Reverse Logistics covers activities related to returned product, returned pallets and containers, returned materials for disposal or recycling. RFID Radio frequency identification. Refers to devices attached to an object that transmit data to an RFID receiver. These devices can be large pieces of hardware the size of a small book, like those attached to ocean containers, or very small devices inserted into a label on a package. RFID has advantages over barcodes, such as the ability to hold more data, the ability to change the stored data as processing occurs, does not require line-of-site to transfer data and is very effective in harsh environments where bar code labels wont work. Read my articles ADC Basics and RFID Update. also check out My book on inventory accuracy and its related RFID Updates and RFID Links. Roller conveyor type of conveyor that uses rollers to move materials. Roller conveyor may be automated (live roller) or simply use gravity (gravity roller) to move materials. See Conveyor Pics. Rough-cut capacity used to determine estimated load on key pieces of equipment or resources. May use production plan or master production schedule. Rough-cut capacity is usetd as a check to verify that manufacturing resources are adequate to execute the production plan. Routing used in conjunction with the bill of material in manufacturing operations. While the BOM contains the material requirements, the routing will contain the specific steps required to produce the finished items. Each step in the routing is called an operation, each operation generally consists of machine and labor requirements. RTLS Real-time locator system (see separate listing) copy Copyright. Content on InventoryOps is copyright-protected and is not available for republication. Safety stock quantity of inventory used in inventory management systems to allow for deviations in demand or supply. Safety stock calculations will take into account historic deviations and use a required service level multiplier to determine the optimal safety stock level. For more info on safety stock. check out my book on inventory management and my article on safety stock. Safety lead time safety lead time is a way to represent your safety stock as a number of days demand. Safety lead time can be beneficial when you want to pad your lead-time to compensate for supplier variability, transportation variability, or internal process variability. For example, if can take 2 or 3 days to get incoming materials processed through your receiving process, you may want to set your safety lead time to 2 or 3 days. This will calculate the requested dates for your purchase orders 2 or 3 days earlier than actual need. This is much cleaner than adding the 2 to 3 days to the suppliers lead time (which can be confusing when the suppliers stated lead-time is different from what is in your system). Screen mapping software that provides the functionality to change the arrangement of data fields on a computer screen that accesses a mainframe computer program. Screen Mapping is frequently used in combination with terminal emulation software to Remap data fields from a standard mainframe program to be used on the smaller screen of a portable handheld device. a. k.a. Screen scraping Seasonality fluctuations in demand that repeat with the same pattern over equivalent time periods. Seasonality index consists of a number for each specific forecast period that describes the relationship of each periods demand to the average demand (level) over the complete seasonal cycle. A seasonality index is used to adjust the forecast to account for these cyclical changes in demand. The average demand is represented by the number 1. If seasonality for a period results in demand greater than the average demand, it will be represented by a number greater than 1. For example, if Decembers sales were, on average, 30 greater than the average monthly sales for the year, you would have a seasonality index of 1.3 ( 1 plus .30) for December. If Januarys sales were, on average, 20 less than the average monthly sales for the year, you would have a seasonality index of 0.8 (1 minus .20). Selective pallet rack the term selective pallet rack implies standard single-deep pallet rack configurations (and rack designs) where each pallet is immediately accessible from an aisle. In contrast to double-deep rack, drive-in or drive-thru rack, or push-back rack where some loads will be stored behind other loads. See Equipment Pics: Racking page for examples. Service factor factor used as a multiplier with the Standard Deviation to calculate a specific quantity to meet the specified service level. See article on safety stock for more information on service factor Shipping manifest system software used to associate shipments with carrier, service, rate, etc. Shipping manifest systems will produce a report (physical or electronic) that is sent to the carrier to be used for billing purposes. Shipping systems will usually produce shipping documents such as compliance shipping labels, bill of ladings, Export documents, and Hazmat documentation. They may also have functionality related to rate shopping, freight policy execution, freight cost management. Also see Transportation Management System. Sideshift a very common lift truck attachment, the sideshift device allows the fork carriage to slide left and right to allow more accurate placement of the load. Sideshifts will increase productivity and safety as well as reduce product damage by allowing the operator more flexibility in load placement. Skatewheel conveyor type of conveyor that uses small wheels (usually made of steel) to move materials. See Conveyor Pics. Skid a portable platform designed to allow a forklift, pallet jack, or other material handling equipment lift, move, and store various loads. A skid is similar to a pallet but does not have bottom deck boards. A skid is preferred over a pallet when used with equipment that would have problems with the bottom deck boards. The down side is that a skid usually needs beefier materials (more expensive and heavier) in order to meet the strength requirements of a comparable pallet. Though not technically correct, the terms Skid and Pallet are often used interchangeably. Also see Pallet SKU, Stock keeping unit referring to a specific item in a specific unit of measure. For xample, if you distributed thirty-weight motor oil in both quarts and gallons you would maintain the inventory as two SKUs even though they are both thirty-weight motor oil. Also refers to the identification assigned to each SKU. Slap-and-ship term used to describe an approach to complying with customer requirements for physical identification of shipped goods. Most recently, slap-an-ship has been used to describe complying with RFID requirements (such as those from Wal-Mart), however, it is also applicable to any compliance labeling requirement (such as compliance bar code labels). Slap-and-ship implies you are meeting the customers requirement by applying the bar code labels or RFID tags, but are not utilizing the technology internally. Slide-shoe sorter type of conveyor sorting equipment that uses a series of sliding shoes to move materials off of the connveyor. The sliding shoes are part of the conveyor and travel with the materials, when the sorting point is reached, a several shoes will slide accross the conveyor, pushing the materials onto another conveyor or down a chute. Slip-sheet attachment lift truck attachment used where slip sheets (a sheet of cardboard, paperboard, or plastic) are used rather than pallets. The slip-sheet attachment has a pushpull mechanism that clamps onto the slip sheet and pulls the load onto a thin platform and then pushes the load off of the platform when the truck reaches the destination. Slot the physical space where an item is stored. Examples of slots would include a parts bin on a shelf, a pallet location in pallet rack, or a storage lane where multiple pallets of an item are stacked on the floor. Slotting the activities associated with optimizing product placement in pick locations in a warehouse. There are software packages designed just for slotting, and many WMS packages will also have slotting functionality. Slotting decisions will generally use item velocity (times picked), cube usage (cubic velocity), and minimum pick face dimensions to determine best location, but there are numerous other factors that may need to be considered in a given environment. See article on Slotting Speech-based technology also known as voice technology is actually composed of two technologies: Voice directed, which converts computer data into audible commands, and Speech recognition, which allows user voice input to be converted into data. Portable voice systems consist of a headset with a microphone and a wearable computer. See article on ADC for more info, also check out My book on inventory accuracy which provides greater detail on speech-based systems. SSCC Serial Shipping Container Code (also called Serialized Shipping Container Code). An SSCC is a unique number (code) assigned to a shipping container. The shipping container could be a single carton, a palletized load, or even a full shipping container. Typically used with Advanced Shipment Notifications and EDI, the SSCC is the key to that shipping container and the information that describes the shipping container and its contents. SSCCs are usually printed on a compliance shipping label as a bar code allowing the destination to scan the bar code to automatically receive information about the shipment (often times scanning the bar code will automatically receive the contents of the shipment into inventory). The SSCC could also be incorporated into and RFID tag or any other means of applying a readable (machine or human) code on the shipment. Stamping generally describes an unfinished item made of metal that is produced through a process that uses pressure to form discrete units from larger raw materials. Also describes the process used to produce stampings. In some cases, stampings may also be referred to as blanks. Standard cost inventory costing method used in manufacturing environments that uses the materials costs in the bill of materials combined with the labor costs (based on standard labor hours and rates per operation) and machine costs in the routing to calculate the cost of the finished or semi-finished item. Standard deviation used to describe the spread of the distribution of numbers. Standard deviation is calculated by the following steps: determine the mean (average) of a set of numbers. determine the difference of each number and the mean square each difference calculate the average of the squares calculate the square root of the average. You can also use Excel function STDDEVPA or STDEVP to calculate standard deviation. The above calculation reflects calculating the standard deviation of a population. In many cases we use a sampling of data (rather than the entire population). When calculating the standard deviation of a sample, rather than calculating the true average of the set of numbers, we will divide the sum of the set of numbers by the total count of numbers minus one (1). This allows us to artificially inflate our standard deviation to account for the fact were are not using the entire population. Excel function STDEV calculates the standard deviation of a sample. In safety stock calculations the forecast quantity is often used instead of the mean in determining standard deviation. Straddle trucks lift trucks that incorporate outriggers set wide enough to allow a pallet to fit between them. Common examples would include straddle reach trucks and straddle stackers. Straight truck delivery trucks that do not have a separate tractor and trailer. Straight trucks (also called box vans, or box trucks) usually only have 2 axles and generally have box lengths of between 12 and 30 feet (as opposed to tractor trailers that have 5 axles and trailer lengths of 45 to 53 feet). Structural pallet rack racking system that uses bolts or other mechanical fasteners (as opposed to Boltless Pallet rack). Structural Pallet Rack is sometimes used to support the roof of the structure (Rack-supported buildings), eliminating the need for posts. Super bill of material type of planning bill of material that is created at a very high level tying together a larger and more complex family of products than a typical planning bill. see Planning bill of material Tandems Refers to the rear tandem axles (the back 8 wheels on an 18 wheeler) on a trailer that can be adjusted forward or backward on the trailer to even out load weights or make for more stable loading (tandems all the way back). Tare Weight Tare weight is the weight of the container or packaging (basically the weight of everything on the scale that is not actually the product being weighed). Most industrial scales allow you to input tare weight (either through actually weighing the packaging or container, or by manually inputting the weight) so the weight displayed on the scale is the weight of the product (total weight minus tare weight). For example, if you are using a counting scale to count small parts, you may have a small tub or container that you dump the parts into. First you would place the empty tub on the scale and press the tare button. This will zero out the scale at the weight of the tub. Then you move on to putting your counted sample into the tub. Task interleaving term used in describing functionality of Warehouse Management Systems to mix tasks to reduce travel time. Sending a forklift driver to put away a pallet on his way to his next pick is an example of task interleaving. Terminal emulation software used on desktop and portable computers that allows the computer to act like a terminal connected to a mainframe system. If you have a networked desktop PC and are accessing mainframe programs ( a. k.a. green screen programs) you are using terminal emulation. Terminal emulation is also a common method used to connect portable computers (as in warehouse bar code data collection systems) to mainframe software. Also see Screen Mapping Third-party logistics (abbreviated 3PL) describes businesses that provide one or many of a variety of logistics-related services. Types of services would include public warehousing, contract warehousing, transportation management, distribution management, freight consolidation. A 3PL provider may take over all receiving, storage, value added, shipping, and transportation responsibilities for a client and conduct them in the 3PLs warehouse using the 3PLs equipment and employees, or may manage one or all of these functions in the clients facility using the clients equipment, or any combination of the above. Another term, 4PL is sometimes used to describe businesses that manage a variety of logistics related services for clients by using 3PLs. Also see article on Public Warehouses and 3PLs or visit International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) site. Tilt-tray sorter conveyor sorting system that uses a series of tilting devices (carriers) to sort materials. Each tilting carrier has a tray and is mounted on a conveyor, as the carrier passes the drop-off point, it will tilt allowing the materials to fall onto another conveyor, down a chute, or into some type of container. a. k.a. Tilt-tray conveyor Time buckets term sometimes used to describe forecast periods. Time fence period of time prior to the scheduled production date beyond which changes can be made without significant adverse effects. TMS Transportation management system (see separate listing). Towline Conveyor material handling system that uses a towline (usually a chain) recessed beneath the floor to pull wheeled carts along a fixed path. Towline conveyors have been used for more than 50 years in manufacturing facilities. Trailer a. k.a. Semi Trailer, Tractor Trailer. Generally describes enclosed trailers used to transport materials between locations. Standard lengths for trailers are 45, 48, and 53, with standard internal width of 98 to 99 and internal height of 105 to 110. Refrigerated trailers, also known as reefers, have smaller internal widths of between 90 and 96 and heights of 96 to 100. Other types of trailers include flatbeds, low boys, and container chassis. Also see Container Trailer creep no, this isnt referring to the strange dude that lives in the trailer park or the guy that hangs around truck stops. Trailer creep (also known as trailer walk, dock walk) occurs when the lateral and vertical forces exerted each time a lift truck enters and exits the trailer cause the trailer to slowly move away from the dock resulting in separation from the dock leveler. Factors that affect trailer creep are the weight and speed of the lift truck and load, the grade of the drive the trailer is parked on, the softness of the suspension, the type of transition (dock levelers, dock boards) being used, and whether the trailer has been dropped off (spotted) or if it is still connected to the tractor. Read my article on Dock Safety. Transportation management system Category of operations software that may include products for shipment manifesting, rate shopping, routing, fleet management, yard management, carrier management, freight cost management. Also see Shipping Manifest System. Transverse flue space term used by fire codes to describe the space to either side of pallet in racked storage. Flue spaces allow the water from an overhead sprinkler system to reach lower levels of the rack. Normally a transverse flue space of at least 3 inches is required (6 inches may be required under some circumstances). Also see Longitudinal Flue Space. See article Warehouse Fire Safety. Turret truck turret trucks are a man-up lift truck similar to an order selector with the exception that rather than fixed forks the forks are mounted on an additional mast and carriage that operates as a turret, turning 90 degrees in either direction facilitating picking and stocking on either side of the aisle. The man-up design makes it easer to handle loads in very tall racking. Very-narrow-aisle trucks are generally recommended to be used in conjunction with a guidance system (wire, rails, optical) within the aisles to increase safety and reduce property damage. Also Turret Trucks require that the floor be perfectly flat and level to operate correctly. Also see Lift Truck Pics. Lift Truck Basics. and The Aisle Width Decision for more info. Tugger an industrial vehicle used to tow carts through a warehouse of production facility. Tuggers are typically used when materials need to be moved over long distances, and will typically tow multiple carts (connected similarly to rail cars) at a time. Tuggers may also be called Tow Vehicles, Tow Tractors, etc. Unit load material handling term that describes any configuration of materials that allow it to be moved by material handling equipment as a single unit. While smaller manually handled configurations could be considered unit loads, the term generally defines larger configurations that would be moved by a lift truck such as palletized loads, crates, bales, etc. a. k.a. unitized load Unit of measure (abbreviated UM) describes how the quantity of an item is tracked in your inventory system. The most common unit of measure is eaches (EA), which simply means that each individual item is considered one unit. An item that uses cases (CA or CS) as the unit of measure would be tracked by the number of cases rather than by the actual piece quantity. Other examples of units of measure would include pallets (PL), pounds (LB), ounces (OZ), linear feet (LF), square feet (SF), cubic feet (CF), gallons. thousands, hundreds, pairs, dozens. Also see Unit-of-measure Conversion. Unit-of-measure conversions a unit-of-measure conversion is needed whenever you work with multiple units of measure. For example, if you purchased an item in cases (meaning that your purchase order stated a number of cases rather than a number of pieces) and then stocked the item in eaches, you would require a conversion to allow your system to calculate how many eaches are represented by a quantity of cases. This way, when you received the cases, your system would automatically convert the case quantity into an each quantity. Variable lead time a lead time that changes (not fixed). When describing supplier lead time, variable lead time means that the lead time from the supplier changes based on his current workload and capacity. Within the context of manufacturing and MRP, variable lead time means the system calculates lead time based on the run quantity and times (setup time, run time, queue time) set up in the routing. Also see Lead time, Fixed Lead time. Vehicle restraint systems devices that prevent trailers from moving away from the loading dock. One of the most popular is the ICC bar type restraint system. These systems incorporated a device that engages the ICC bar (rear impact guard) on the rear of the trailer preventing it from moving away from the dock. These devices may be mechanically or hydraulically operated and may vary in design and functionality from one manufacturer to another. There are also other types of restraints such as those that automatically engage the rear wheels of the trailer. As with the ICC bar restraints, the wheel engagement restraints also vary significantly from one manufacturer to another. There is not a one-system-fits-all solution for vehicle restraints, ICC bar systems may not work with damaged ICC bars, lift gates, and low-boy trailers. Wheel engagement systems are more expensive and may have problems in northern climates due to snow or ice. See article on Dock Safety and Dock Equipment Pics for more info. Very narrow aisle Lift trucks that operate in aisles less than six feet and often use guidance systems (wire, rail, or optical) to travel within the aisles. Types of VNA trucks include order selectors, swing mast, pivot, mast, and turret trucks. See also article The Aisle Width Decision Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) phrase used to describe the process of a supplier managing the inventory levels and purchases of the materials he supplies. This process can be very low tech, such as an office supplies supplier or maintenance supplies supplier coming into your facility once per week to visually check stock levels and place a re-supply order, or high tech, such as an electronic component supplier having remote access to your inventory management and MRP system and producing and automatically shipping to meet your production schedule. Vendor-managed inventory reduces internal costs associated with planning and procuring materials and enables the vendor to better manage his inventory through higher visibility to the supply chain. Vendor-managed inventory may be owned by the vendor (consignment inventory) or the customer. Voice directed see Speech-based technology VNA Very narrow aisle (see separate listing) Walkie or Walkie-rider see Motorized Pallet Truck Wave picking variation on zone picking where rather than orders moving from one zone to the next for picking, all zones are picked at the same time and the items are later sorted and consolidated into individual ordersshipments. Wave picking is the quickest method for picking multi item orders however the sorting and consolidation process can be tricky. Picking waves are often designed to isolate shipments to specific carriers, routes, etc. See also batch picking, zone picking A more general definition of wave picking would simply be a method where a group of orders is released to the warehouse for picking and the next group (wave) is not released until the first wave has processed through the pick area. See article on Order Picking. Warehouse Control System software used to control automated systems such as sortation systems, ASRS, AGVs, and carousells in the warehouse. A WCS may also have functionality similar to a WMS just as some WMSs have WCS functionality. Warehouse management system computer software designed specifically for managing the movement and storage of materials throughout the warehouse. WMS functionality is generally broken down into the following three operations: Putaway, Replenishment, and Picking. The key to these systems is the logic to direct these operations to specific locations based on user defined criteria. WMSs are often set up to integrate with data-collection systems. Read my article on Warehouse Management Systems. Smoothing factor also called a smoothing constant, a smoothing factor is a number between zero and one (0.01, 0.02. 0.99) that is used to weight the most recent periods demand against the forecast for that period to produce the next periods forecast in an exponential smoothing calculation. See article on Exponential smoothing. WCS Warehouse control system (see separate listing) Weighted moving average forecasting method similar to a moving average, however different weights can be applied to the historical periods (the weights must add up to 1). Each previous periods demand is multiplied by the respective weight, then the results are added up to get your forecast. So where a four-period moving average used the same weight for all periods ( 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 1), a weighted moving average allows a variety of weights to be used, provided they total 1. For example, 0.15 for the first period, 0.20 the second, 0.30 the third, and 0.35 the fourth (0.15 0.20 0.30 0.35 1). Weighted out Describes a condition where the weight capacity of a trailer or container has been met. The term weighted out is most likely used when you have met the weight capacity of the trailer or container but still have physical space left in the trailer or container. Also see Cubed out. Wire-guided term used to describe vehicles that use a wire embedded in the floor to guide the vehicles. Wire guidance systems are frequently used with order selectors and turret trucks in very narrow aisle applications. They are also used with automated guided vehicles. WMS Warehouse management system (see separate listing) Work-in-process (WIP) generally describes inventory that is currently being processed in an operation, or inventory that has been processed through one operation and are awaiting another operation. WIP is actually an inventory account that represents the value of materials, labor, and overhead that has been issued to manufacturing but has not yet produced a stockable item. Depending on how your accounting and inventory systems are set up, it may also include components picked for production usage or finished products awaiting final inspection. See articles on Work-In-Process (WIP) and Reconciling WIP. Zone picking order picking method where a warehouse is divided into several pick zones, order pickers are assigned to a specific zone and only pick the items in that zone, orders are moved from one zone to the next (usually on conveyor systems) as they are picked (also known as pick-and-pass). See also batch picking, wave picking See article on Order Picking. Zone skipping also called zone jumping, zone skipping is a method of shipping parcels (primarily) or LTL shipments (not as common), where rather than delivering the shipments directly to the carrier, you consolidate shipments going to a region and ship them together as a single larger shipment (typically truckload or LTL for parcels) to get them closer to the delivery point before handing them off to the delivery carrier. For example, if I have a distribution center in New York, I may consolidate all my west coast parcel shipments and put them on a truck to get them across the country, then hand them off to a parcel carrier (USPS, Fedex, UPS) for final delivery. My rate with the parcel carrier will be based on the point where I hand them off to them, therefore Ill pay a lower zone rate to them. copy Copyright. Content on InventoryOps is copyright-protected and is not available for republication. Dave Piasecki. is owneroperator of Inventory Operations Consulting LLC. a consulting firm providing services related to inventory management, material handling, and warehouse operations. He has over 25 years experience in operations management and can be reached through his website (inventoryops ), where he maintains additional relevant information. My Business Inventory Operations Consulting LLC provides Fast, Affordable, Expert assistance with Inventory Management and Warehouse Operations. Tizanidine Tizanidine is a central alpha-2-adrenergic agonist indicated for the management of spasticity. Because of the short duration of therapeutic effect, treatment with Tizanidine should be reserved for those daily activities and times when relief of spasticity is most important see Dosage and Administration (2.1 ) . Tizanidine Dosage and Administration Dosing Information Tizanidine tablets may be prescribed with or without food. Once the formulation has been selected and the decision to take with or without food has been made, this regimen should not be altered. Food has complex effects on Tizanidine pharmacokinetics, which differ with the different formulations. Tizanidine Capsules and Tizanidine tablets are bioequivalent to each other under fasting conditions (more than 3 hours after a meal), but not under fed conditions (within 30 minutes of a meal). These pharmacokinetic differences may result in clinically significant differences when switching administration of tablet and capsules and when switching administration between the fed or fasted state. These changes may result in increased adverse events, or delayed or more rapid onset of activity, depending upon the nature of the switch. For this reason, the prescriber should be thoroughly familiar with the changes in kinetics associated with these different conditions see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ). The recommended starting dose is 2 mg. Because the effect of Tizanidine peaks at approximately 1 to 2 hours post-dose and dissipates between 3 to 6 hours post-dose, treatment can be repeated at 6 to 8 hour intervals, as needed, to a maximum of three doses in 24 hours. Dosage can be gradually increased by 2 mg to 4 mg at each dose, with 1 to 4 days between dosage increases, until a satisfactory reduction of muscle tone is achieved. The total daily dose should not exceed 36 mg. Single doses greater than 16 mg have not been studied. Dosing in Patients with Renal Impairment Tizanidine should be used with caution in patients with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance lt 25 mLmin), as clearance is reduced by more than 50. In these patients, during titration, the individual doses should be reduced. If higher doses are required, individual doses rather than dosing frequency should be increased see Warnings and Precautions (5.7 ) . Dosing in Patients with Hepatic Impairment Tizanidine should be used with caution in patients with any hepatic impairment. In these patients, during titration, the individual doses should be reduced. If higher doses are required, individual doses rather than dosing frequency should be increased. Monitoring of aminotransferase levels is recommended for baseline and 1 month after maximum dose is achieved, or if hepatic injury is suspected. see Use in Specific Populations (8.7 ) Drug Discontinuation If therapy needs to be discontinued, particularly in patients who have been receiving high doses (20 mg to 36 mg daily) for long periods (9 weeks or more) or who may be on concomitant treatment with narcotics, the dose should be decreased slowly (2 mg to 4 mg per day) to minimize the risk of withdrawal and rebound hypertension, tachycardia, and hypertonia see Drug Abuse and Dependence (9.3 ). Dosage Forms and Strengths Tizanidine tablets 2 mg are white to off-white, round, flat, bevel edged uncoated tablets debossed with U and 168 on one side and bisecting score on other. Tizanidine tablets 4 mg are white to off-white, round, flat, bevel edged uncoated tablets debossed with U and 169 on one side and quadrisecting score on other. Contraindications Tizanidine is contraindicated in patients taking potent inhibitors of CYP1A2, such as fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin see Drug Interactions (7.1. 7.2 ). Warnings and Precautions Hypotension Tizanidine is an alpha 2 - adrenergic agonist that can produce hypotension. Syncope has been reported in the post marketing setting. The chance of significant hypotension may possibly be minimized by titration of the dose and by focusing attention on signs and symptoms of hypotension prior to dose advancement. In addition, patients moving from a supine to fixed upright position may be at increased risk for hypotension and orthostatic effects. Monitor for hypotension when Tizanidine is used in patients receiving concurrent antihypertensive therapy. It is not recommended that Tizanidine be used with other alpha 2 - adrenergic agonists. Clinically significant hypotension (decreases in both systolic and diastolic pressure) has been reported with concomitant administration of either fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin and single doses of 4 mg of Tizanidine. Therefore, concomitant use of Tizanidine with fluvoxamine or with ciprofloxacin, potent inhibitors of CYP1A2, is contraindicated see Contraindications (4) and Drug Interactions (7.1. 7.2 ) . Risk of Liver Injury Tizanidine may cause hepatocellular liver injury. Tizanidine should be used with caution in patients with any hepatic impairment. Monitoring of aminotransferase levels is recommended for baseline and 1 month after maximum dose is achieved, or if hepatic injury is suspected. see Dosage and Administration (2.3 ) and Use in Specific Populations (8.7 ) Tizanidine can cause sedation, which may interfere with everyday activity. In the multiple dose studies, the prevalence of patients with sedation peaked following the first week of titration and then remained stable for the duration of the maintenance phase of the study. The CNS depressant effects of Tizanidine with alcohol and other CNS depressants (e. g. benzodiazepines, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants) may be additive. Monitor patients who take Tizanidine with another CNS depressant for symptoms of excess sedation. see Drug Interactions (7.5. 7.6 ) HallucinosisPsychotic-Like Symptoms Tizanidine use has been associated with hallucinations. Formed, visual hallucinations or delusions have been reported in 5 of 170 patients (3) in two North American controlled clinical studies. Most of the patients were aware that the events were unreal. One patient developed psychosis in association with the hallucinations. One patient among these 5 continued to have problems for at least 2 weeks following discontinuation of Tizanidine. Consider discontinuing Tizanidine in patients who develop hallucinations. Interaction with CYP1A2 Inhibitors Because of potential drug interactions, Tizanidine is contraindicated in patients taking potent CYP1A2 inhibitors, such as fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin. Adverse reactions such as hypotension, bradycardia, or excessive drowsiness can occur when Tizanidine is taken with other CYP1A2 inhibitors, such as zileuton, fluoroquinolones other than ciprofloxacin (which is contraindicated), antiarrythmics (amiodarone, mexiletine, propafenone), cimetidine, famotidine, oral contraceptives, acyclovir, and ticlopidine ). Concomitant use should be avoided unless the necessity for Tizanidine therapy is clinically evident. In such a case, use with caution. see Drug Interactions (7.3 ) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) Hypersensitivity Reactions Tizanidine can cause anaphylaxis. Signs and symptoms including respiratory compromise, urticaria, and angioedema of the throat and tongue have been reported. Patients should be informed of the signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions and instructed to discontinue Tizanidine and seek immediate medical care should these signs and symptoms occur. see Contraindications (4 ) Increased Risk of Adverse Reactions in Patients with Renal Impairment Tizanidine should be used with caution in patients with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance lt 25 mLmin), as clearance is reduced by more than 50. In these patients, during titration, the individual doses should be reduced. If higher doses are required, individual doses rather than dosing frequency should be increased. These patients should be monitored closely for the onset or increase in severity of the common adverse events (dry mouth, somnolence, asthenia and dizziness) as indicators of potential overdose. see Dosage and Administration (2.2 ) and Use in Specific Populations (8.6 ) Withdrawal Adverse Reactions Withdrawal adverse reactions include rebound hypertension, tachycardia, and hypertonia. To minimize the risk of these reactions, particularly in patients who have been receiving high doses (20 to 28 mg daily) for long periods of time (9 weeks or more) or who may be on concomitant treatment with narcotics, the dose should be decreased slowly (2 to 4 mg per day). see Dosage and Administration (2.2 ) Adverse Reactions The following adverse reactions are described elsewhere in other sections of the prescribing information: Hypotension see Warnings and Precautions (5.1 ) Liver Injury see Warnings and Precautions (5.2 ) Sedation see Warnings and Precautions (5.3 ) HallucinosisPsychotic-Like Symptoms see Warnings and Precautions (5.4 ) Hypersensitivity Reactions see Warnings and Precautions (5.6 ) Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. Three double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled - clinical studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of Tizanidine on spasticity control. Two studies were conducted in patients with multiple sclerosis and one in patients with spinal cord injury. Each study had a 13-week active treatment period which included a 3-week titration phase to the maximum tolerated dose up to 36 mgday in three divided doses, a 9-week plateau phase where the dose of Tizanidine was held constant and a 1-week dose tapering. In all, 264 patients received Tizanidine and 261 patients received placebo. Across the three studies patient ages ranged from 15ndash69 years and 51.4 percent were women. The median dose during the plateau phase ranged from 20ndash28 mgday. The most frequent adverse reactions reported in multiple dose, placebo-controlled clinical studies involving 264 patients with spasticity were dry mouth, somnolencesedation, asthenia (weakness, fatigue andor tiredness) and dizziness. Three-quarters of the patients rated the events as mild to moderate and one-quarter of the patients rated the events as being severe. These events appeared to be dose related. Table 1 lists signs and symptoms that were reported in greater than 2 of patients in three multiple dose, placebo-controlled studies who received Tizanidine where the frequency in the Tizanidine group was greater than the placebo group. For comparison purposes, the corresponding frequency of the event (per 100 patients) among placebo treated patients is also provided. Table 1: Multiple Dose, Placebo-Controlled StudiesmdashFrequent (gt2) Adverse Reactions Reported for Which Tizanidine Tablets Incidence is Greater than Placebo (weakness, fatigue, andor tiredness) In the single dose, placebo-controlled study involving 142 patients with spasticity due to multiple sclerosis (Study 1) see Clinical Studies (14 ). the patients were specifically asked if they had experienced any of the four most common adverse reactions: dry mouth, somnolence (drowsiness), asthenia (weakness, fatigue andor tiredness) and dizziness. In addition, hypotension and bradycardia were observed. The occurrence of these reactions is summarized in Table 2. Other events were, in general, reported at a rate of 2 or less. Table 2: Single Dose, Placebo-Controlled StudymdashCommon Adverse Reactions Reported (weakness, fatigue, andor tiredness) Tizanidine Tablet. 8 mg. N 45 Tizanidine Tablet. 16 mg. N 49 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of Tizanidine. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Certain events, such as somnolence, dry mouth, hypotension, decreased blood pressure, bradycardia, dizziness, weakness or asthenia, muscle spasms, hallucinations, fatigue, liver function test abnormality and hepatotoxicity, have been observed in post marketing and clinical trials and are discussed in previous sections of this document. The following adverse reactions have been identified as occurring in the post marketing experience of Tizanidine. Based on the information provided regarding these reactions, a causal relationship with Tizanidine cannot be entirely excluded. The events are listed in order of decreasing clinical significance severity in the post marketing setting is not reported. Stevens Johnson Syndrome Anaphylactic Reaction Exfoliative Dermatitis Ventricular Tachycardia Hepatitis Convulsion Depression Arthralgia Paresthesia Rash Tremor Drug Interactions Fluvoxamine Concomitant use of fluvoxamine and Tizanidine is contraindicated. Changes in pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine when administered with fluvoxamine resulted in significantly decreased blood pressure, increased drowsiness, and increased psychomotor impairment. see Contraindications (4 ) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) Ciprofloxacin Concomitant use of ciprofoxacin and Tizanidine is contraindicated. Changes in pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine when administered with ciprofloxacin resulted in significantly decreased blood pressure, increased drowsiness, and increased psychomotor impairment see Contraindications (4 ) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) CYP1A2 Inhibitors other than Fluvoxamine and Ciprofloxacin Because of potential drug interactions, concomitant use of Tizanidine with other CYP1A2 inhibitors, such as zileuton, fluoroquinolones other than strong CYP1A2 inhibitors (which are contraindicated), antiarrythmics (amiodarone, mexiletine, propafenone, and verapamil), cimetidine, famotidine, oral contraceptives, acyclovir, and ticlopidine) should be avoided. If their use is clinically necessary, therapy should be initiated with 2 mg dose and increased in 2ndash4 mg steps daily based on patient response to therapy. If adverse reactions such as hypotension, bradycardia, or excessive drowsiness occur, reduce or discontinue Tizanidine therapy. see Warnings and Precautions (5.5 ) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) Oral Contraceptives Concomitant use of Tizanidine with oral contraceptives is not recommended. However, if concomitant use is clinically necessary, initiate Tizanidine with a single 2 mg dose and increase in 2ndash4 mg steps daily based on patient response to therapy. If adverse reactions such as hypotension, bradycardia, or excessive drowsiness occur, reduce or discontinue Tizanidine therapy. see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) Alcohol increases the overall amount of drug in the bloodstream after a dose of Tizanidine. This was associated with an increase in adverse reactions of Tizanidine. The CNS depressant effects of Tizanidine and alcohol are additive. see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) Other CNS Depressants The sedative effects of Tizanidine with CNS depressants (e. g. benzodiazepines, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants) may be additive. Monitor patients who take Tizanidine with another CNS depressant for symptoms of excess sedation. see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) a2-adrenergic agonists Because hypotensive effects may be cumulative, it is not recommended that Tizanidine be used with other alpha 2 - adrenergic agonists. see Warnings and Precautions (5.1 ) USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS Pregnancy Category C Tizanidine has not been studied in pregnant women. Tizanidine should be given to pregnant women only if the benefit outweighs the risk to the unborn fetus. Reproduction studies performed in rats at a dose of 3 mgkg, equal to the maximum recommended human dose on a mgm 2 basis, and in rabbits at 30 mgkg, 16 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mgm 2 basis, did not show evidence of teratogenicity. Tizanidine at doses that are equal to and up to 8 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mgm 2 basis increased gestation duration in rats. Prenatal and postnatal pup loss was increased and developmental retardation occurred. Post-implantation loss was increased in rabbits at doses of 1 mgkg or greater, equal to or greater than 0.5 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mgm 2 basis. Nursing mothers It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Tizanidine is administered to a nursing woman. Pediatric use Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established. Geriatric use Tizanidine is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney, and the risk of adverse reactions to this drug may be greater in patients with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to monitor renal function. Clinical studies of Tizanidine did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently than younger subjects. Cross-study comparison of pharmacokinetic data following single dose administration of 6 mg Tizanidine showed that younger subjects cleared the drug four times faster than the elderly subjects. In elderly patients with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance lt25 mLmin), Tizanidine clearance is reduced by more than 50 compared to healthy elderly subjects this would be expected to lead to a longer duration of clinical effect. During titration, the individual doses should be reduced. If higher doses are required, individual doses rather than dosing frequency should be increased. Monitor elderly patients because they may have an increased risk for adverse reactions associated with Tizanidine. Impaired Renal Function Tizanidine is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney, and the risk of adverse reactions to this drug may be greater in patients with impaired renal function. In patients with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance lt 25 mLmin) clearance was reduced by more than 50. In these patients, during titration, the individual doses should be reduced. If higher doses are required, individual doses rather than dosing frequency should be increased. These patients should be monitored closely for the onset or increase in severity of the common adverse events (dry mouth, somnolence, asthenia and dizziness) as indicators of potential overdose. see Dosage and Administration (2.2 ), Warnings and Precautions (5.7 ) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ) Impaired Hepatic Function The influence of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine has not been evaluated. Because Tizanidine is extensively metabolized in the liver, hepatic impairment would be expected to have significant effects on pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine. see Dosing and Administration (2.3 ), Warnings and Precautions (5.2 ), and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3 ). Drug Abuse and Dependence Abuse potential was not evaluated in human studies. Rats were able to distinguish Tizanidine from saline in a standard discrimination paradigm, after training, but failed to generalize the effects of morphine, cocaine, diazepam, or phenobarbital to Tizanidine. Dependence Tizanidine is closely related to clonidine, which is often abused in combination with narcotics and is known to cause symptoms of rebound upon abrupt withdrawal. Three cases of rebound symptoms on sudden withdrawal of Tizanidine have been reported. The case reports suggest that these patients were also misusing narcotics. Withdrawal symptoms included hypertension, tachycardia, hypertonia, tremor, and anxiety. Withdrawal symptoms are more likely to occur in cases where high doses are used, especially for prolonged periods, or with concomitant use of narcotics. If therapy needs to be discontinued, the dose should be decreased slowly to minimize the risk of withdrawal symptoms see Dosage and Administration (2.2 ). Monkeys were shown to self-administer Tizanidine in a dose-dependent manner, and abrupt cessation of Tizanidine produced transient signs of withdrawal at doses gt 35 times the maximum recommended human dose on a mgm 2 basis. These transient withdrawal signs (increased locomotion, body twitching, and aversive behavior toward the observer) were not reversed by naloxone administration. Overdosage A review of the safety surveillance database revealed cases of intentional and accidental Tizanidine overdose. Some of the cases resulted in fatality and many of the intentional overdoses were with multiple drugs including CNS depressants. The clinical manifestations of Tizanidine overdose were consistent with its known pharmacology. In the majority of cases a decrease in sensorium was observed including lethargy, somnolence, confusion and coma. Depressed cardiac function is also observed including most often bradycardia and hypotension. Respiratory depression is another common feature of Tizanidine overdose. Should overdose occur, basic steps to ensure the adequacy of an airway and the monitoring of cardiovascular and respiratory systems should be undertaken. Tizanidine is a lipid-soluble drug, which is only slightly soluble in water and methanol. Therefore, dialysis is not likely to be an efficient method of removing drug from the body. In general, symptoms resolve within one to three days following discontinuation of Tizanidine and administration of appropriate therapy. Due to the similar mechanism of action, symptoms and management of Tizanidine overdose are similar to that following clonidine overdose. For the most recent information concerning the management of overdose, contact a poison control center. Tizanidine Description Tizanidine hydrochloride is a central alpha 2 - adrenergic agonist. Tizanidine HCl is a white to off-white, fine crystalline powder, which is odorless or with a faint characteristic odor. Tizanidine is slightly soluble in water and methanol solubility in water decreases as the pH increases. Its chemical name is 5-chloro-4-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole monohydrochloride. Tizanidines molecular formula is C 9 H 8 ClN 5 S-HCl, its molecular weight is 290.2 and its structural formula is: Tizanidine tablets are supplied as 2 mg and 4 mg tablets for oral administration. Tizanidine tablets contain the active ingredient, Tizanidine hydrochloride (2.288 mg equivalent to 2 mg Tizanidine base and 4.576 mg equivalent to 4 mg Tizanidine base), and the inactive ingredients, colloidal silicon dioxide, stearic acid, microcrystalline cellulose and anhydrous lactose. Tizanidine - Clinical Pharmacology Mechanism of action Tizanidine is a central alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist and presumably reduces spasticity by increasing presynaptic inhibition of motor neurons. The effects of Tizanidine are greatest on polysynaptic pathways. The overall effect of these actions is thought to reduce facilitation of spinal motor neurons. Pharmacokinetics Absorption and Distribution Following oral administration, Tizanidine is essentially completely absorbed. The absolute oral bioavailability of Tizanidine is approximately 40 (CV 24), due to extensive first-pass hepatic metabolism. Tizanidine is extensively distributed throughout the body with a mean steady state volume of distribution of 2.4 Lkg (CV 21) following intravenous administration in healthy adult volunteers. Tizanidine is approximately 30 bound to plasma proteins. Differences between Tizanidine capsules and Tizanidine tablets Tizanidine capsules and Tizanidine tablets are bioequivalent to each other under fasting conditions, but not under fed conditions. A single dose of either two 4 mg tablets or two 4 mg capsules was administered under fed and fasting conditions in an open label, four period, randomized crossover study in 96 human volunteers, of whom 81 were eligible for the statistical analysis. Following oral administration of either the tablet or capsule (in the fasted state), peak plasma concentrations of Tizanidine occurred 1.0 hours after dosing with a half-life of approximately 2 hours. When two 4 mg tablets were administered with food, the mean maximal plasma concentration was increased by approximately 30, and the median time to peak plasma concentration was increased by 25 minutes, to 1 hour and 25 minutes. In contrast, when two 4 mg capsules were administered with food, the mean maximal plasma concentration was decreased by 20, the median time to peak plasma concentration was increased 2 to 3 hours. Consequently, the mean C max for the capsule when administered with food is approximately 66 the C max for the tablet when administered with food. Food also increased the extent of absorption for both the tablets and capsules. The increase with the tablet ( 30) was significantly greater than with the capsule ( 10). Consequently when each was administered with food, the amount absorbed from the capsule was about 80 of the amount absorbed from the tablet. Administration of the capsule contents sprinkled on applesauce was not bioequivalent to administration of an intact capsule under fasting conditions. Administration of the capsule contents on applesauce resulted in a 15ndash20 increase in C max and AUC of Tizanidine and a 15 minute decrease in the median lag time and time to peak concentration compared to administration of an intact capsule while fasting. Figure 1: Mean Tizanidine Concentration vs. Time Profiles For Tizanidine Tablets and Capsules (2 times 4 mg) Under Fasted and Fed Conditions Metabolism and Excretion Tizanidine has linear pharmacokinetics over the doses studied in clinical development (1ndash20 mg). Tizanidine has a half-life of approximately 2.5 hours (CV33). Approximately 95 of an administered dose is metabolized. The primary cytochrome P450 isoenzyme involved in Tizanidine metabolism is CYP1A2. Tizanidine metabolites are not known to be active their half-lives range from 20 to 40 hours. Following single and multiple oral dosing of 14 C-Tizanidine, an average of 60 and 20 of total radioactivity was recovered in the urine and feces, respectively. No specific pharmacokinetic study was conducted to investigate age effects. Cross study comparison of pharmacokinetic data following single dose administration of 6 mg Tizanidine showed that younger subjects cleared the drug four times faster than the elderly subjects. Tizanidine has not been evaluated in children. see Use in Specific Populations (8.4. 8.5 ) The influence of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine has not been evaluated. Because Tizanidine is extensively metabolized in the liver, hepatic impairment would be expected to have significant effects on pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine. Tizanidine is not recommended in this patient population see Use in Specific Populations (8.7 ) Tizanidine clearance is reduced by more than 50 in elderly patients with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance lt 25 mLmin) compared to healthy elderly subjects this would be expected to lead to a longer duration of clinical effect. Tizanidine should be used with caution in renally impaired patients see Warnings and Precautions (5.7 ) and Use in Specific Populations (8.6 ). No specific pharmacokinetic study was conducted to investigate gender effects. Retrospective analysis of pharmacokinetic data, however, following single and multiple dose administration of 4 mg Tizanidine showed that gender had no effect on the pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine. Pharmacokinetic differences due to race have not been studied. The interaction between Tizanidine and either fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin is most likely due to inhibition of CYP1A2 by fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin. The effect of fluvoxamine on the pharmacokinetics of a single 4 mg dose of Tizanidine was studied in 10 healthy subjects. The C max. AUC, and half-life of Tizanidine increased by 12- fold, 33-fold, and 3-fold, respectively. The effect of ciprofloxacin on the pharmacokinetics of a single 4 mg dose of Tizanidine was studied in 10 healthy subjects. The C max and AUC of Tizanidine increased by 7-fold and 10-fold, respectively. see Contraindications (4 ) Although there have been no clinical studies evaluating the effects of other CYP1A2 inhibitors on Tizanidine, other CYP1A2 inhibitors, such as zileuton, other fluoroquinolones, antiarrythmics (amiodarone, mexiletine, propafenone and verapamil), cimetidine, famotidine oral contraceptives, acyclovir and ticlopidine, may also lead to substantial increases in Tizanidine blood concentrations see Warnings and Precautions (5.5 ) . In vitro studies of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes using human liver microsomes indicate that neither Tizanidine nor the major metabolites are likely to affect the metabolism of other drugs metabolized by cytochrome P450 isoenzymes. No specific pharmacokinetic study was conducted to investigate interaction between oral contraceptives and Tizanidine. Retrospective analysis of population pharmacokinetic data following single and multiple dose administration of 4 mg Tizanidine, however, showed that women concurrently taking oral contraceptives had 50 lower clearance of Tizanidine compared to women not on oral contraceptives see Warnings and Precautions (5.5 ). Tizanidine delayed the T max of acetaminophen by 16 minutes. Acetaminophen did not affect the pharmacokinetics of Tizanidine. Alcohol increased the AUC of Tizanidine by approximately 20, while also increasing its C max by approximately 15. This was associated with an increase in side effects of Tizanidine. The CNS depressant effects of Tizanidine and alcohol are additive. Nonclinical Toxicology Carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, impairment of fertility Tizanidine was administered to mice for 78 weeks at oral doses up to 16 mgkgday, which is 2 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) on a mgm 2 basis. Tizanidine was administered to rats for 104 weeks at oral doses up to 9 mgkgday, which is 2.5 times the MRHD on a mgm 2 basis. There was no increase in tumors in either species. Tizanidine was negative in in vitro (bacterial reverse mutation Ames, mammalian gene mutation, and chromosomal aberration test in mammalian cells) and in vivo (bone marrow micronucleus, and cytogenetics) assay. Impairment of fertility Oral administration of Tizanidine resulted in reduced fertility in male and female rats following doses of 30 and 10 mgkgday, respectively. No effect on fertility was observed at doses of 10 (male) and 3 (female) mgkgday, which are approximately 8 and 3 times, respectively, the MRHD on a mgm 2 basis). Clinical Studies Tizanidines capacity to reduce increased muscle tone associated with spasticity was demonstrated in two adequate and well controlled studies in patients with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury (Studies 1 and 2). Single-Dose Study in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis with Spasticity In Study 1, patients with multiple sclerosis were randomized to receive single oral doses of drug or placebo. Patients and assessors were blind to treatment assignment and efforts were made to reduce the likelihood that assessors would become aware indirectly of treatment assignment (e. g. they did not provide direct care to patients and were prohibited from asking questions about side effects). In all, 140 patients received placebo, 8 mg or 16 mg of Tizanidine. Response was assessed by physical examination muscle tone was rated on a 5 point scale (Ashworth score), with a score of 0 used to describe normal muscle tone. A score of 1 indicated a slight spastic catch while a score of 2 indicated more marked muscle resistance. A score of 3 was used to describe considerable increase in tone, making passive movement difficult. A muscle immobilized by spasticity was given a score of 4. Spasm counts were also collected. Assessments were made at 1, 2, 3 and 6 hours after treatment. A statistically significant reduction of the Ashworth score for Tizanidine compared to placebo was detected at 1, 2 and 3 hours after treatment. Figure 2 below shows a comparison of the mean change in muscle tone from baseline as measured by the Ashworth scale. The greatest reduction in muscle tone was 1 to 2 hours after treatment. By 6 hours after treatment, muscle tone in the 8 and 16 mg Tizanidine groups was indistinguishable from muscle tone in placebo treated patients. Within a given patient, improvement in muscle tone was correlated with plasma concentration. Plasma concentrations were variable from patient to patient at a given dose. Although 16 mg produced a larger effect, adverse events including hypotension were more common and more severe than in the 8 mg group. There were no differences in the number of spasms occurring in each group. Figure 2: Single Dose StudymdashMean Change in Muscle Tone from Baseline as Measured by the Ashworth Scale plusmn 95 Confidence Interval (A Negative Ashworth Score Signifies an Improvement in Muscle Tone from Baseline) Seven-Week Study in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury with Spasticity In a 7-week study (Study 2), 118 patients with spasticity secondary to spinal cord injury were randomized to either placebo or Tizanidine. Steps similar to those taken in the first study were employed to ensure the integrity of blinding. Patients were titrated over 3 weeks up to a maximum tolerated dose or 36 mg daily given in three unequal doses (e. g. 10 mg given in the morning and afternoon and 16 mg given at night). Patients were then maintained on their maximally tolerated dose for 4 additional weeks (i. e. maintenance phase). Throughout the maintenance phase, muscle tone was assessed on the Ashworth scale within a period of 2.5 hours following either the morning or afternoon dose. The number of daytime spasms was recorded daily by patients. At endpoint (the protocol-specified time of outcome assessment), there was a statistically significant reduction in muscle tone and frequency of spasms in the Tizanidine treated group compared to placebo. The reduction in muscle tone was not associated with a reduction in muscle strength (a desirable outcome) but also did not lead to any consistent advantage of Tizanidine treated patients on measures of activities of daily living. Figure 3 below shows a comparison of the mean change in muscle tone from baseline as measured by the Ashworth scale. Figure 3: Seven Week StudymdashMean Change in Muscle Tone 0.5ndash2.5 Hours After Dosing as Measured by the Ashworth Scale plusmn 95 Confidence Interval (A Negative Ashworth Score Signifies an Improvement in Muscle Tone from Baseline) How SuppliedStorage and Handling Tizanidine Tablets Tizanidine (Tizanidine hydrochloride) tablets USP are available as white to off-white, round, flat, bevel edged uncoated tablets containing 2 mg or 4 mg of Tizanidine. Tizanidine tablets USP 2 mg are debossed with U and 168 on one side and bisecting score on other side. Bottles of 150: NDC 29300-168-15 Bottles of 500: NDC 29300-168-05 Bottles of 1000: NDC 29300-168-10 Tizanidine tablets USP 4 mg are debossed with U and 169 on one side and quadrisecting score on other side. Bottles of 150: NDC 29300-169-15 Bottles of 300: NDC 29300-169-03 Bottles of 500: NDC 29300-169-05 Bottles of 1000: NDC 29300-169-10 Store at 20deg to 25degC (68deg to 77degF) see USP Controlled Room Temperature. Dispense in tight, light-resistant container see USP. Patient Counseling Information Serious Drug Interactions Advise patients they should not take Tizanidine if they are taking fluvoxamine or ciprofloxacin because of the increased risk of serious adverse reactions including severe lowering of blood pressure and sedation. Instruct patients to inform their physicians or pharmacists when they start or stop taking any medication because of the risks associated with interaction between Tizanidine and other medicines. Tell patients to take Tizanidine exactly as prescribed (consistently either with or without food) and not to switch between tablets and capsules. Inform patients that they should not take more Tizanidine than prescribed because of the risk of adverse events at single doses greater than 8 mg or total daily doses greater than 36 mg. Tell patients that they should not suddenly discontinue Tizanidine, because rebound hypertension and tachycardia may occur. Effects of Tizanidine Warn patients that they may experience hypotension and to be careful when changing from a lying or sitting to a standing position. Tell patients that Tizanidine may cause them to become sedated or somnolent and they should be careful when performing activities that require alertness, such as driving a vehicle or operating machinery. Tell patients that the sedation may be additive when Tizanidine is taken in conjunction with drugs (baclofen, benzodiazepines) or substances (e. g. alcohol) that act as CNS depressants. Remind patients that if they depend on their spasticity to sustain posture and balance in locomotion, or whenever spasticity is utilized to obtain increased function, that Tizanidine decreases spasticity and caution should be used. UNICHEM LABORATORIES LTD. Pilerne Ind. Estate, Pilerne, Bardez, Goa 403511, India Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
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