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Logistics & Supply Chain vocabulary · Distribution and Delivery

Distribution center

Meaning in logistics & supply chain, with examples

nounCore term

In logistics & supply chain, distribution center means: A warehouse designed to move goods quickly on to stores, customers or other locations rather than to store them for a long time.

In Turkish: dağıtım merkezi, aktarma merkezi

How it is used

Often shortened to DC. Retailers and e-commerce companies run regional and national DCs, with goods flowing in from suppliers and out to stores every day. The British spelling is 'distribution centre'.

Example sentences

  1. All stores in the Aegean region are supplied from our distribution center in Manisa.

  2. The new distribution centre will let us offer next-day delivery across the country.

Common collocations

  • regional distribution center
  • national distribution center
  • DC operations
  • run a distribution center
  • warehouseA large building where goods, materials or products are received, stored and prepared for shipment.
  • cross-dockingA method in which incoming goods are unloaded and moved straight to outgoing trucks with little or no storage in between, usually within a day.
  • last mileThe final stage of delivery, from a local depot or hub to the customer's door, often the most expensive and complex part of the journey.
  • fulfillmentAll the steps needed to get an order to the customer, from receiving the order and picking and packing it to shipping it and handling returns.
  • dispatchTo send goods or a vehicle off to a destination, usually after the order has been picked, packed and checked.

More terms: Distribution and Delivery

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