Storage and distribution glossary

These are short explanations of the terms that come up most when people talk about storing and distributing medicines and medical products. Where a term has its own article, the definition ends with a link to it.

3PL

Third-party logistics: a company hands its storage, order fulfilment and often transport management to a specialist logistics provider under a contract. More in What is 3PL?

Batch (lot)

A quantity of product made in the same production run and carrying the same batch number. Receipt, stock and dispatch are tracked by it in the warehouse.

Calibration

Checking the readings of a measuring device against a traceable reference. Temperature loggers are calibrated at set intervals.

CAPA

Corrective and preventive action: the measures taken once the root cause of a deviation is known, so that it does not happen again, and the follow-up of their effect.

Cold chain

The storage, transport and handover links that keep a temperature-sensitive product within its label range from manufacture to use. More in What is the cold chain?

Cross-docking

Moving incoming goods straight to outbound vehicles after a short sort, without putting them into stock.

Cut-off time

The latest time an order can reach the warehouse to be shipped the same day.

Data logger

A device that measures and records temperature, and sometimes humidity, at set intervals; used in storage and in transport.

Deviation

A departure from a defined condition or procedure. Deviations are recorded, investigated and, where needed, lead to a CAPA.

Excursion

Exposure of a product to a temperature outside its label condition. Whether the product can still be used is decided by its owner, based on stability data. More in Evaluating temperature excursions in transport

Expiry date

The last date on which a product keeps its specified quality, as long as it is stored under its label condition.

FEFO

First expiry, first out: the batch with the nearest expiry date is shipped first. The rule medicine stock rotates by. More in FEFO and batch traceability

FIFO

First in, first out: the stock that arrived first is shipped first.

GDP

Good Distribution Practice: the rules that protect a medicine’s quality in storage and transport after it leaves the manufacturer. More in What is Good Distribution Practice?

GMP

Good Manufacturing Practice: the rules that assure quality in the manufacture of medicines and similar products; the manufacturing counterpart of GDP.

İTS

Türkiye’s medicine tracking system (İlaç Takip Sistemi), run by TİTCK, in which every pack is traced by its DataMatrix code. More in İTS in the warehouse

KPI

Key performance indicator: a measure defined in writing in advance, such as order accuracy, on-time dispatch or inventory accuracy. More in How to measure warehouse performance

Mock recall

A test of the recall arrangements in which a chosen batch is traced through the records without a real recall.

Order line

A line on an order for one product or batch; a common unit for measuring picking work.

Pallet position

The space one pallet takes on a rack; a common unit for storage charges.

Quarantine

Keeping stock that awaits a decision on use or sale in a separate area and blocked in the system.

Recall

Withdrawing a batch with a quality or safety problem from the market. How fast it goes depends on complete batch records. More in Recall readiness

Serialisation

Marking each saleable unit, for example each pack, with its own serial number. Türkiye’s İTS for medicines is built on it.

SLA

Service level agreement: the written agreement between provider and client on which services are delivered and how they are measured.

Temperature mapping

Measuring how temperature is distributed across a storage area; it decides where permanent sensors go. More in How is temperature mapping done?

UDI

Unique Device Identification: the system that gives each medical device an identity carrying model and production data. More in Storing medical devices

ÜTS

Türkiye’s product tracking system (Ürün Takip Sistemi), in which medical devices are registered and their movements reported.