Das Logistik-Glossar
Rail transport
Rail-freight transport
Railway bill
Readily purchased products
Real time
Redistribution channel
RegTP
Re-insourcing
Relationship-specific productive goods
Rendezvous transport
Reorder-point system
Replenishment lead time
Residual cycle
Return movement
Returns logistics
Reverse logistics
RFID
Road transport
Roadside
Road-transport telematics
Robot
Roller conveyor
Route planning
Routing
RSI analysis
Radio frequency identification
RFID is a system that uses radio signals to locate and identify goods, load units or means of transport bearing special electronic tags. RFID smart labels are equipped with tags – also called transponders – and enable goods/means of transport to be tracked along the entire supply chain. RFID can help cut administrative costs, increase productivity and optimize warehouse utilization.
Readily purchased products
Readily purchased products are used repeatedly by customers. When the preferred item is out of stock or in short supply, available goods are purchased as substitutes. This means that retailers are able to enhance the delivery service in such cases by offering acceptable substitute goods. Because the unavailable good results in a revenue loss only for the manufacturer, the delivery service becomes a top-priority factor for him.
Redistribution channel
Redistribution channels, serving as elements of reverse logistics, are identical to distribution channels for target products, and integrate distribution agents and helpers into the physical transfer of residuals. The source of residual flow is equivalent to the destination of the target product stream. The residual flow moves in the opposite direction of the target-product stream.
Re-insourcing
Re-insourcing is a process in which a service that was being done on an outsourced basis is taken over by the company that issued the contract. This frequently occurs when the outsourcing contract expires and the customer determines that his company had been able to do the job more efficiently and cost effectively.
Rendezvous transport
Rendezvous transports are an organization concept used in the transport business. Two means of transport meet at an appointed time. At this location, they exchange cargo. Ideally, both have standardized loading units, like containers or swap bodies. Under this principle, the drivers can exchange places or entire tractor-trailers.
This type of supply-chain organization is designed to reduce empty runs, increase vehicle utilization and generally optimize route planning.
Returns logistics
Returns logistics plays a leading role particularly in the mail-order business. If a package is "returned,” the recipient sends the goods back to the retailer. Reasons for the return can include product defects or customer dissatisfaction with the goods (as part of the retailer’s take-back guarantee). Returns logistics creates special challenges for retailers: On one hand, the value of the good should be credited to the customer as rapidly as possible or the product must be quickly repaired or replaced. On the other hand, the returned goods should be rapidly inspected, repacked and returned to inventories. It has been difficult to automate these processes. Another complication is flexible work scheduling. In the future, RFID tags could help improve returns logistics. Initial pilot projects are already being conducted in the United States.
Reverse logistics
Reverse logistics includes collection, transshipment and transport of used, damaged or unneeded products as well as end-of-life products and their packaging. The goods are disposed of, recycled or repaired. Reverse logistics also can include the return of reusable means of transport (pallets, containers, etc) to an upstream point in the supplier chain.
Road transport
Road transport describes the shipment of goods by vehicles that use the freight carrier “road.” A distinction is primarily drawn between private carriage as well as shipments for a company’s own purposes (short-haul road freight) and commercial road transports performed by logistics service providers that specialize in this area (long-haul road freight). Commercial transports are broken down into domestic, cross-border and through shipments. If a shipment crosses one country’s border on its journey to the recipient, it is described as bilateral transport. If it crosses more than one border, it is called a through transport.
Road-transport telematics
Road-transport telematics are electronic management systems designed to optimize transport. As a result, unnecessary traffic tie-ups can be avoided or driven around. Such bottlenecks have a damaging impact on both the environment and the economy, for reasons such as lost work time.
Robot
There are a variety of definitions for robot. The following is one that applies directly to industrial robots: Industrial robots are universally usable moving machines that have multiple axes whose movements are programmable in terms of motion sequences and paths or angles (i.e., without mechanical intervention) and can possibly be sensor controlled. They can be equipped with grippers, tools or other manufacturing instruments and can do application and/or production jobs.
Roller conveyor
Roller conveyors are means of conveyance used to transport load units. They can be either gravity or mechanically powered, and use a roller-equipped system of tracks.
Roller conveyors are widely used thanks to their simple construction, their robustness, and their low investment and operating costs.
Route planning
Route planning is a subsegment of distribution logistics, focusing on the problems of planning, managing and monitoring transport and warehouse systems. In tradition route planning, the key task is to create the best possible allocation of assignments for vehicles – as well as the ideal sequence of customer locations to be served by each vehicle.
RSI analysis
RSI analysis is a process used to optimize inventories of items. The product lines are broken down into three classes in a manner similar to ABC analysis. But the focus is placed on the use of an item. The letters “RSI” stand for regular, seasonal and irregular use – as a result, the product line is divided into R, S and I items. The inventories of R items can be optimized with little effort because their usage is easiest to calculate.
