Common words to know when working with Amazon, McKenzie Services & other Prep Centers.
AM: Short for Client Account Manager
ASIN: The Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) is a 10-character alphanumeric unique identifier assigned by Amazon.com and its partners for product identification within the Amazon organization.
ASN: Advanced Shipping Notice. A form submission that tells prep centers what the client is shipping to them.
Baler: A machine for making paper or cardboard into bales.
BOL: Bill of Lading – a detailed list of a shipment of goods in the form of a receipt given by the carrier to the person consigning the goods. Once we receive the BOL, a pallet(s) is ready to be shipped.
Box: Generic term for packages in inbound or outbound shipments.
Bundling: Taking two or more products and packaging them together to create a brand new product/SKU.
Carton: See Box. A carton is a case-packed box of a client’s items.
Carton Forwarding: When we have a carton forwarding job, Items inside the cartons are already labeled. We do not open the cartons unless there is a special request. AM provides a pick list and shipping labels. Once cartons are scanned out of EPIC, a shipping label is applied to each one. Then, the cartons are staged for shipping.
Client: Our customers.
CID#: Short for Client ID #.
Commingled Amazon Inventory: Items in Clients’ inventory that are identified and tracked using manufacturer barcodes (UPC), and NOT the FNSKU, are commingled with items of the same products from other sellers who also use manufacturer barcodes for those items.
Consignee: The person or company to whom goods or documents are officially sent or delivered: A freight forwarder is an intermediate consignee – that is, they take possession of the goods before delivering them to the ultimate consignee.
Container: Storage receptacle delivered on a truck that is filled with cartons.
Cross-docking: a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming truck and loading these materials directly into outbound trucks, with little or no storage in between, and no handling of the cartons or products.
Dimensions: Measurement taken of the Length x Width x Height of a box/package/container.
Distributed inventory placement: By default, when you create a shipping plan, the shipment may be divided into multiple shipments, each directed to a different fulfillment center. This division is called distributed inventory placement. The destination fulfillment centers are selected based on the products you’re shipping and where you are shipping from. By having the inventory spread across multiple fulfillment centers across the country, the person who buys the product will receive it faster than they would if the inventory was in a single fulfillment center farther away from the buyer.
EAN: European Article Number is a barcode standard, a 12- or 13-digit product identification code. Each EAN uniquely identifies the product, manufacturer, and its attributes; typically, the EAN is printed on a product label or packaging as a barcode.
EBO: Electronic Billing Overview. This is filled out when a team member has finished working on a job, and is sent to Accounting for review and final billing.
EIN: Employer Identification Number – EIN’ A unique identification number that is assigned to a business entity so that they can easily be identified by the Internal Revenue Service. The Employer Identification Number is commonly used by employers for the purpose of reporting taxes.
EMS: EMS is Express Mail Service (EMS) – an international express postal service offered by postal-administration members of the Universal Postal Union (UPU)
EPIC: The MKZS database. Stands for Efficient Processing of Inventory for Clients
FBA: Fulfillment By Amazon. Where Amazon ships the orders to the end customer, and handles all customer service.
FBA Label: Label containing product information, box dimensions, carton number, and box weight for FBA shipments.
FBM: Fulfillment By Merchant. Where the merchant ships the orders to the end customer, and handles all customer service.
FIFO: “FIFO” stands for first-in, first-out, meaning that the oldest inventory items must ship first.
FNSKU (Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit): – This is different from your merchant sku, which is unique to your inventory. The FNSKU is unique among Amazon’s warehouses while keeping your merchant sku attached to the listing.
Forklift: A vehicle with a pronged device in front for lifting and carrying heavy loads. Requires certification to drive.
Gaylord: A pallet-size box used for storage and shipping of bulk quantities.
GPMC: A rolling cart with locking bars that holds packages or dunnage. Used primarily for USPS outbound & storage.
Importer of Record: The party responsible for ensuring that imported goods comply with all customs and legal requirements of the country of import. This is usually the owner of the goods, but may also be a designated individual or customs broker.
Inbound: Shipments that are on the way to McKenzie Services
Intake: The process of scanning items into our inventory via EPIC.
Intake Staging Area: Area near receiving in the warehouse where pallets are left before intake has taken place.
Inventory Placement Service: By default, when you create a shipping plan, your shipment may be divided into multiple shipments, each directed to a different fulfillment center. This division is called distributed inventory placement. If a Seller signs up for the Inventory Placement Service, Amazon will assign the Seller a single Amazon fulfillment center to which they can send all units of a specific ASIN in a shipment. A per-item service fee applies.
Job: Specific project performed by Warehouse Production Team as directed by Client Account Management.
Labeling: placing a sticker onto either a product or multipack/bundle of products that communicates various pieces of important information about the item being stickered.
LCL: Less-than-Container-Load. Please go to the following link to learn more:
https://www.ups-scs.com/transportation/lcl.html
LTL: Less than truckload shipping or less than load (LTL) is the transportation of relatively small freight.
LTSF: stands for Long Term Storage Fees. Amazon sellers get dinged if/when they keep unsold inventory in an Amazon warehouse for more than 6 months. The fees are very high.
Masher: Term used for larger sized UPS truck that is able to pick up multiple pallets worth of UPS small parcel outbound.
MFN: Merchant Fulfilled Network. The same as FBM. Where the merchant ships the orders to the end customer, and handles all customer service.
MKZS: McKenzie Services
Multipack: a package of several of the same product (5 white crew-neck t-shirts, for example) or versions of a product with the same SKU (5 crewneck t-shirts in 5 different colors).
OA: Short for Online Arbitrage.
Online Arbitrage: When clients purchase discounted products from an online store with the intent of reselling it on Amazon. These are usually high sku, low quantity orders.
Outbound: Shipments that are leaving McKenzie Services
Outbound Shipment Holding Area: Location for pallets due to ship soon.
Pallet: A flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader, work saver, or other jacking device, or a crane. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies.
Pallet Racking (PR): Vertical racks located in the warehouse to store many additional pallets in a smaller space. Requires forklift to put pallets up/move them back down for the production team to work on.
Pick and Pack: A process by which the individual components of an order are gathered from master cartons (Picked) and then placed into a box or envelope addressed to a specific recipient.
Pick List: Also called the Shipping Plan. This is the sheet that will tell you which items to pick and pull for a shipment and any prep that is needed.
PID: A number used to identify products in our system.
PL: short for Private Label
Placard: A colored laminated sheet that is used to label storage locations in our warehouse.
Prep Center: A third-party service provider that helps Amazon sellers by preparing, packaging, and shipping their products to Amazon fulfillment centers.
Private Label: a retailer’s name, as used on a product sold by the retailer but manufactured by another company.
Product: Any item sent in to MKZS by a client for a particular job.
Production: Physical handling of Client’s products.
Production Area: Located in the southern area of the MKZ building near receiving. The area where the production process takes place for client jobs.
Receiving: The area of the warehouse where the dock is to receive inbound shipments and send out outbound shipments. Also referred to when talking about pallet locations that are not in an official storage space.
Retail Arbitrage: Also known as RA. When clients physically go to a discount store, such as Big Lots, and buy discounted merchandise with intent of reselling it on Amazon.
Shipment/Shipping Plan: Verbiage used to describe the Amazon shipping plan or pick list for a job.
Suffocation Warning: Poly bags with a 5″ opening or larger (measured when flat) are required to have a suffocation warning, either printed on the bag itself, or attached as a label.
Suppliers: The companies from which our Clients ship us Products.
TC: Short for Traffic Controller.
Temporary Holding (TH): This term refers to temporary space we create in the warehouse for shipments that don’t need a more permanent storage location. This is usually used in a particular area so the team will know where to find the items in this location.
UPC: Universal Product Code. Consists of 12 numerical digits, that are uniquely assigned to each trade item.
Wholesale: Ordering large quantities of a few SKUs, usually from one manufacturer.
WP: Short for Warehouse Production.
WPL: Short for Warehouse Production Lead.
WS: Short for Warehouse Supervisor