Warehouse
A warehouse is a nodal point of a logistics network where goods are temporarily stored or transferred to another route running through the network.
A warehouse can also be an area of a company where inventories of movable material are located. These materials could be intermediate or finished products as well as replacement parts and raw materials for further processing. In some cases, warehouses are used to age products (e.g., cheese, wine and whiskey). There are numerous types of warehouses along the value chain. Here are a few examples:
Production warehouses – used by companies that manufacture goods. They store finished products and are linked directly to manufacturing.
Central warehouses – locations where items from various production sites are stored before being dis-tributed.
Warehouse management system (WMS)
Warehouse management systems (WM systems) manage, monitor and optimize complex warehouse and distribution systems. In addition to the basic functions of a warehouse management system, including quantity and storage-position administration, as well as management and scheduling of means of conveyance, its tasks include a broad range of methods and means to monitor the condition of the system, and operational and optimization strategies involving the service range.
Warehouse receipt
When a good is warehoused, the warehouse keeper issues the warehouse receipt to confirm the arrival of the item. The warehouse keeper is the person who stores and safeguards goods on a commercial basis. Only authorized warehouses are permitted to issue non-negotiable warehouse receipts. The registered warehouse receipt, which is transferable through a declaration of assignment (transfer), is most frequently used. For international trade, the FIATA warehouse receipt (FWR) was created to serve as a negotiable document.
Waybill
A waybill is the shipping document for freight. The consignor (shipper) issues the waybill and provides it to the carrier. The waybill contains information about the type of freight, its weight and volume as well as the recipient and payment of charges. It also regulates the legal conditions of the freight contract.
World Trade Organization (WTO)
The WTO is considered to be the umbrella organization for international trade agreements. It was established in 1994 and is based in Geneva. Its mission is to dismantle trade barriers or to liberalize world trade. The WTO has 149 member states (as of November 2005).
WTO agreements include the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It also monitors the trade policies of member states and serves as a mediator of disputes.
