WMS — warehouse management, explained term by term

Every core warehouse-management term: picking, putaway, replenishment, slotting, FEFO, lot traceability — with definitions, examples and software links.

What this cluster covers

A WMS (Warehouse Management System) coordinates every goods movement in the warehouse: receiving, putaway, front replenishment, order picking, packing and shipping. The terms below are the operational vocabulary of a modern warehouse.

Each definition includes a real example and links to the matching Azuvio module so you can see the concept applied in practice.

19 terms in this cluster

Picking — The process of retrieving products from warehouse locations to fulfil an order — the most costly warehouse activity.
Putaway — The process of storing received goods in optimal locations immediately after receipt.
Goods receipt — The process of checking and recording goods entering the warehouse, matched against the purchase order and delivery note.
Replenishment — Automatically refilling picking locations from reserve stock to prevent stockouts during picking.
Wave picking — Grouping orders into planned waves to sync picking with routes, carriers and shipping deadlines.
Batch picking — Picking several orders in one warehouse pass, grouped by common SKUs.
Zone picking — Dividing the warehouse into zones where each operator picks only in their zone, with orders passing between zones.
Slotting — Strategically assigning products to warehouse locations based on rotation, size and affinity to minimise picking effort.
FEFO (First Expired, First Out) — The rule of shipping the batch with the nearest expiry date first, essential for perishable products.
Batch traceability — The ability to track a product batch across the whole chain, from supplier to end customer, for recall and compliance.
Serialisation (serial number tracking) — Assigning a unique identifier to each product unit for individual tracking, warranty and anti-counterfeiting.
Bin location — The unique physical address of a storage slot (aisle-rack-level-position), the foundation of warehouse organisation.
Kitting — Combining several individual products into a single set (kit) with its own SKU, before or at order time.
Inventory accuracy — The degree of match between book stock (in the system) and physical stock (in the warehouse) — the operation's health metric.
Inventory turnover — How many times stock is fully sold and replenished in a period — a measure of capital efficiency.
Dead stock — Goods unsold for a long period that lock capital and space, with little prospect of selling at normal price.
Pick-to-light / Voice picking — Technologies guiding picking via shelf lights or voice commands, for maximum speed and accuracy.
RF scanning (mobile warehouse terminal) — Using mobile barcode-scanning terminals to validate every warehouse operation in real time.
GS1-128 logistics label (SSCC label) — The standardised pallet label carrying the SSCC and logistics data, mandatory for retailer deliveries.