Amazon Acronyms

DPMO

Defect Per Million Opportunities.

Condition 8

Departed

Photoeye

Detects whether there is something passing by or if something is blocking it.

Cubiscan

Device used to capture dimensions of items. Every unique item that comes into an FC gets measured for size and weight. This is used in lots of different ways within an FC. It directly impacts the box size recommendation in Pack, the weight calculated by Auto Check Weight, and the details page on Amazon.com. In automated sites, this is also used for tracking total weight of totes for safety reasons and creating tote profiles to ensure efficient bin space utilization. | A device for measuring the weight and dimensions of an inventory item.

FBA

Fulfilled By Amazon

FRACS

Fulfilling Removals As Customer Shipments.

FCLM

Fulfillment Center Labor Management

Condition 11

Giftwrap not yet scanned by GW packer

Condition 12

Giftwrap scanned by GW packer

SLAM

Hardware and software to apply shipping labels to packed containers and print paperwork to place the container on a truck (Ship Label Apply Manifest).

HRV

High Risk Value

HRA

High value Area

SLUG

A lineup of totes on a conveyor that have been queued up.

Drop Zone

A location (physical or virtual) inventory is located between various processes in flow.

RF Scanner

A hand-held radio-frequency tool used by pickers to locate and track picks.

Untranslatable

"Untranslatable" means that the WCS did not receive a timely response from the Amazon WMS. This can result in kick outs or recirc. The root cause can be vendor or WMS issues.

HITCH Report

A FC specific reporting tool which can be used to obtain details regarding ASINs, containers, shipments, and pick batches in the FC Console.

Router

A collection of conveyance, scan points, lines/diverts, and photo eyes.

Single

A demand with exactly one pick of one unit.

Fast Track

A fast track shipment is one for which the customer has been given a guaranteed delivery date. If we cannot meet it, we refund the shipping charge.

Batch

A group of related units that are handled together. They can be picked by one or more pickers.

Sort

A grouping of order items based on common processing requirements.

Pick Short

A missing inventory item.

Shorted Pick

A missing inventory item.

Priority

A number indicating the order's customer-selected ship option or the fulfillment class; tells APS how quickly the order must be picked to meet customer expectations.

Condition

A numeric code that designates the phase of processing an order is currently in.

P-slip

A packing slip.

HOT Pick

A pick required quickly to meet a CPT.

Flow Process

A process in which items are fed into downstream processes one at a time.

Process Path

A process path determines how a shipment is fulfilled. The process path may have different cycle times, labor costs, and physical constraints. We determine process path using a set of categorization rules configured by the FC.

Batchless process path

A process path that takes items one by one rather than in batches. AFE is a batchless path.

Batchy Process Path

A process path with items picked in batches.

Downstream Process

A process that follows picking (e.g., rebinning, packing, or shipping).

APPH

Actual Pick Rate. The rate at which an associate actually picks items.

Amnesty Bin

Blue bin that items from floor are put into and ICQA follows up on the research of where it belongs.

BMVD

Books, Movies, Videos, and DVD

ACES

Amazon Customer Excellence System. The practical link to customer centricity, A system of engaging all associates to eliminate wasteful activities in a process and create an operational sub-culture of continuous improvement that directly supports Amazon's core culture of customer centricity.

AFE

Amazon Fulfillment Engine. An order sort system that uses Amazon proprietary technology in concert with DEMATIC conveyors. It is similar to the older Kosan Crisplant concept, the biggest difference from which is the addition of a human Rebinner and a more compact mechanical system.

APS

Amazon Picking System. Automated picking software used in Amazon FCs.

ASIN

Amazon Stock Identification Number

Sweeper (transportation)

An additional truck to handle additional volume; schedule/adhoc, should be able to pick up by CPT time.

Andon Card

An alert to a problem. It can be activated manually by a worker using a pull cord or button or activated automatically by the production equipment itself.

Tote buffer

An area where totes are gathered before moving on to their next destination.

Multi

Any demand that includes more than one item.

Batchy

As opposed to Flow. This is a way of processing Multis orders that includes creating and sorting small Batches of customer orders.

ACW

Auto Check Weight. Is a fast scale that weighs every out-going package on an automated SLAM line. This occurs after Pack and before Ship. Every customer order has a total expected weight based on the items ordered. The weight is calculated together with an allowable variation. If a package is within these limits it passes ACW. If the package fails ACW it gets kicked out, meaning pushed off the SLAM line. From there it is researched.

Flow Pause

Automatic slowing or stopping of a flow process path when the number of items placed on it exceeds the tote limit.

Bin (Capacity Term)

Bin is the smallest indivisible storage location. Each bin is identified by a unique bin ID.

CTI

Category/Type/Item

CPT

Critical Pull Time. Drop dead time for departing a truck; +29 minutes

CE

Customer Experience

Date lot

Date lot is where we store items with expiration dates in a way that allows us to sell the oldest item first. Date lot items are stored in bin_items as "Z FCSKUs". The expiration date is stored at the FCSKU level. A cron job makes expired date lot items unsellable.

E-Stop

Emergency stop line on the conveyor, immediately stops the conveyor.

EOS

End of Shift

EPPH

Expected Pickrate. The rate at which an associate is expected to pick, based on the pick process pick rate average and the FC travel time map.

ExSD

Expected Ship Date. The critical pull time associated with a demand, and therefore pick. All outbound processing must be completed by the pick's EXSD>

Date Lot

Expiration date in system for item.

Work Flow

F/C console screen used to manage shift with real-time data.

FUD

Fillable Unfilled Demand

FIFO

First In First Out. A term used for processing oldest inventory first.

FSI

Floor Safety Inspections.

IRDR

Inventory Record Defect Rate. IRDR is the measure of 'bad' records divided by total records, multiplied by one million to present a defects per million (dpm).

IOL

Inventory in Odd Locations.

Merge

Is a type of conveyor, merges totes from multiple conveyor lines into a single line.

4M

Man Machine Material Method

Condition 32

Manifested

MHE

Material Handling Equipment. physical machinery, conveyors, AFE induct stations, AFE rebin stations, etc.

MOS

Middle of Shift

Noncon

Non conveyable. Indicates an item that cannot be placed on a conveyor because it is too large, too heavy, or otherwise inappropriate.

OOPS

Outbound Optimized Problem Solve system. A new unified approach to OB Problem Solve that uses a single web based tool instead of multiple Putty or X-Term windows.

Condition 29

Pending Picking/Ready to Pick

Chasing

Picking items close to ExSD. Picking in chasing mode lowers productivity concerns in favor of getting items as quickly as possible.

Condition 15

Problem Solve

PPR

Process Path Rollup. Tool used to monitor labor during shift.

PLC

Program logic controller. The PLC is primarily used to control machinery. A program is written for the PLC which turns on and off outputs based on input conditions and the internal program. In this aspect, a PLC is similar to a computer. However, a PLC is designed to be programmed once, and run repeatedly as needed. In fact, a crafty programmer could use a PLC to control not only simple devices such as a garage door opener, but their whole house, including switching lights on and off at certain times, monitoring a custom built security system, etc.

RECIRC

Recirculation. Container recirculation

Condition 7

Scanned

Barcode Scanner

Scans the label from container.

SLA

Service Level Agreement

SIOC

Ship In Own Container. Using the supplier's box to ship an item instead of placing the box inside an Amazon box.

C15

Shipment Condition 15. The problem solving shipment condition, usually when shipments are in OOPS this is the shipment condition they'll be in.

Condition 4

Shipment in picking / Waiting to be picked/ Not yet scanned at pack station

Transship

Shipping product between sites to reduce final shipping costs.

Condition 13

Slammed

5S

Sort Straighten Shine Standardize Sustain

Sortable/Nonsortable

Sortable items are small enough to be rebinned using standard rebin carts. Nonsortable items are too large, too oddly shaped, or otherwise unsuitable for sortation.

Gen3

Sorter that routes yellow totes to induct lanes in AFE.

Rebinning

Sorting a collection of picked items into shipments.

SOS

Start of Shift

Target Unit Rate (TUR)

The desired total throughput of a process path, configured on a per-process path basis.

FC Console

The main portal used to access data to manage shift.

Density

The number of picks in an area. Higher density makes more efficient picking.

Process path

The path an inventory item takes in the FC, identified by the destination to which items are routed after picking.

Chuting

The process of removing items from automated sorter chutes and placing them in packing boxes. This the term for "packing" in AFE

Percent to Goal

The ratio of APPH to EPPH. Used to evaluate a picker's efficiency.

Standard Work

The safest, highest quality, most efficient way known to perform a particular process or task.

Virtual

The software representation of something, as opposed to its physical reality.

Premium Ship Options

This refers to a paid ship option that usually has a set transit time expectation (examples, same day/2 day).

TOT

Time on Task. The report used to verify labor is in appropriate function.

ID Premium

Tool to identify the CPT for an order or tote (Identification Premium).

TEKHO

Toys/electronics/kitchen/home/office.

TDR

Trailer Dock Release

S&OP

US Sales and Operating Plan

UPC

Uniform Product Code-standard barcode

UPT

Universal Pack Tool or may also stand for "units per tote".

VDF

Variable Depth Folder. This is a T-shaped corrugate box (most frequently used in Singles Small Pack) that does not require dunnage or tape. Items are placed in the middle of the base, the side flaps fold over to clasp the items, and they are folded up and over. The box is sealed with a self-adhesive strip.

WIP

Work in progress

SL300/RSFlex

a very fast sorter, this is the sorter that routes trays to rebin in AFE

Mission, MissionID

in Dematic WCS, the scannable ID in Amazon's WMS becomes this Mission ID in Dematic's Sort Director.