Warehouse Dictionary

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U

Umbrella Rate

An ICC ratemaking practice that held rates to a particular level to protect another mode’s traffic.

Unattended Delivery

A carrier service or event where neither the customer nor the carrier need both be present in order to enable a successful delivery. Usually used with a postal service or a lockbox service.

Unbundled Payment/Remittance

The process where payment is delivered separately from its associated detail.

UNECE

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Unfinished goods

items that are used to produce finished goods items. Unfinished goods are often called components, ingredients, raw materials, semi-processed materials, and subassemblies.

Uniform Code Council (UCC)

A US association that administrates UCS, WINS, and VICS and provides UCS identification codes and UPC codes. Also, a model set of legal rules governing commercial transmissions, such as sales, contracts, bank deposits and collections, commercial paper, and letters or credit. Individual states give legal power to the UCC by adopting its articles of law.

Uniform Product Code (UPC)

A standard product numbering and barcoding system used by the retail industry. UPC codes are administered by the Uniform Code Council. They identify the manufacturer as well as the item, and are included on virtually all retail packaging.

Uniform Warehouse Receipts Act

The act that sets forth the regulations governing public warehousing. The regulations define a warehouse manager’s legal responsibility and define the types of receipts he or she issues.

Unit Cost

The cost associated with a single unit of product. The total cost of producing a product or service divided by the total number of units. The cost associated with a single unit of measure underlying a resource, activity, product, or service. It’s calculated by dividing the total cost by the measured volume. Unit cost measurement must be used with caution as it may not always be practical or relevant in all aspects of cost management.

Unit load

Either a single unit of an item or multiple units so arranged or restricted that they can be handled as a single entity and maintain their integrity.

Unit Load Device (ULD)

Refers to airfreight containers and pallets.

Unit of Measure (UOM)

The unit in which the quantity of an item is managed, e.g., pounds, each, box of 12, package of 20, or case of 144. Various UOMs may exist for a single item. For example, a product may be purchased in cases, stocked in boxes, and issued in single units.

Unit Train

An entire, uninterrupted locomotive, car, and caboose movement between an origin and destination.

United Nations Standard Product and Service Code (UN/SPSC)

Developed jointly between the United Nations and Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). It has a five-level coding structure (segment, family, class, commodity, business function) for nearly 9,000 products.

United States Railway Association

The planning and funding agency for Conrail; created by the 3-R Act of 1973.

Unitization

In warehousing, the consolidation of several units into larger units into larger units for fewer handlings.

Unitize

To consolidate several packages into one unit; carriers strap, band, or otherwise attach the several packages together.

UPC (Universal Product Code)

The standard barcode for retail items in North America.

Unplanned Order

Orders which are received that do not fit into the volumes prescribed by the plans developed from forecasts.

Unique Parcel Identifier (UPI)

A series of characters that are assigned to a specific parcel that enables it to be tracked throughout delivery by a carrier.

Upsell

The practice of attempting to sell a higher-value product to the customer.

Upside Production Flexibility

The number of days required to complete manufacture and delivery of an unplanned sustainable 20% increase in end-product supply of the predominant product line. The one constraint that is estimated to be the principal obstacle to a 20% increase in end-product supply as represented in days is Upside Flexibility: Principal Constraint. Upside flexibility can affect three possible areas: direct labor availability, internal manufacturing capacity, and key components or material availability.

Utility

perceived value of materials (often considered as place utility when materials are in the right locations and time utility when they are available at the right time)