The Material Handling Industry: Acronyms to Know
By Alex Batty, MHI Marketing Communications Coordinator |@mhi_alex
Okay, so this series, of which this is part the fourth and the final bookend, is all about getting to know MHI and how we can help you out. If you missed the first post, you can find our post here on What is MHI and the second, two-part topic starts at MHI: Departments, Programs, and All That Jazz. Last week I talked about Membership Benefits that you get from belonging to MHI, but this week, I just wanted to share something that is more about the spirit of MHI: to support the industry, facilitate solutions, and provide education.
I’ll be honest, this is less of a story-telling blog and more of a resource post. When I first got started at MHI, I had no experience with the supply chain and material handling industry, and all of a sudden all these acronyms were being thrown around and I only understood every third word of the conversations at work. After much Googling, I finally figured most of them out. You can learn from my hard fought past and use this handy dandy Supply Chain Acronym Guide to some of the topics, organizations, and jargon associated with our industry.
3PL – Third Party Logistics
ACH – Automated Clearinghouse
AGV(S) – Automatic Guided Vehicle (Systems)*
ANSI – American National Standards Institute
AS/RS – Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems*
ASG – Automation Solutions Group*
B2B – Business-to-Business
CASE – Computer-Aided System Engineering
CICMHE – College – Industry Council on Material Handling Education
CMAA – Crane Manufacturers Association of America*
CRM – Customer Relationship Management
CSCMP – Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
CSS – Conveyor and Sortation Systems*
DC – Distribution Center
DRP – Distribution Resources Planning
EASE – Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment Council*
ECMA – Electrification and Controls Manufacturers Association*
FMCSA – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
HMI – Hoist Manufacturers Institute*
ICE – Internal Combustion Engine
ICWM – Institute of Caster and Wheel Manufacturers*
IoT – Internet of Things
IPR – Intellectual Property Rights
IQR – Inventory Quality Ratio
ISSG – Information Systems Solutions Group*
KPI – Key Performance Indicator
LIFT – Lift Manufacturers Group*
LODEM – Loading Dock Equipment Manufacturers*
MHEDA – Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association
MHEFI – Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc.
MHICTE – Career and Technical Education Program
MMA – Monorail Manufacturers Association*
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
OFS – Order Fulfillment Solutions Group*
ORM – Other Regulated Material
PLM – Product Lifecycle Management
ProGMA – Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association*
RMI – Rack Manufacturers Institute*
ROI – Return on Investment
RPI – Raw Product Inventory
SCM – Supply Chain Management
SMA – Storage Manufacturers Association*
WERC – Warehousing Education and Research Council
WMS – Warehouse Management System
*denotes an topic that has an MHI Industry Group associated with it.
