What's the difference between lead time and last mile delivery?

Lead time is the time between placing an order and receiving the goods overall. Last mile delivery is specifically the final leg, from a local hub to the customer's door.

Can I practice logistics calls with suppliers in class?

Yes, an English for work class can role-play calls with vendors, carriers or customs brokers using your real shipping process.

Logistics vocabulary in English

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Logistics vocabulary
Term	Meaning	Spanish	Example
supply chain	the full process from raw material to customer	cadena de suministro	A delay anywhere in the supply chain affects delivery.
shipment	a batch of goods being transported	envío	The shipment left the warehouse this morning.
freight	goods being transported, or the cost of transporting them	flete, carga	Freight costs went up this quarter.
inventory	the stock of goods a business holds	inventario	We're low on inventory for that product.
warehouse	a building used to store goods	depósito, almacén	The order is being picked at the warehouse now.
lead time	the time between ordering and receiving goods	tiempo de entrega	The lead time on this part is six weeks.
procurement	the process of obtaining goods or services	adquisiciones, compras	Procurement is negotiating a better rate with the supplier.
vendor	a company that supplies goods or services	proveedor	We switched vendors to cut costs.
backorder	an order that can't be filled immediately	pedido pendiente	The item is on backorder until next month.
customs clearance	the process of getting goods through customs	despacho aduanero	Customs clearance can add a few days to delivery.
tracking number	a code used to follow a shipment	número de seguimiento	I'll send you the tracking number once it ships.
fulfillment	the process of completing a customer order	cumplimiento de pedidos, fulfillment	Our fulfillment center processes 1000 orders a day.
distribution center	a facility that sends goods onward to customers or stores	centro de distribución	The new distribution center opens next month.
stockout	running out of a product	quiebre de stock	A stockout on our best seller hurt sales.
logistics provider	a company that manages transport and storage	operador logístico	We outsource delivery to a logistics provider.
route optimization	planning the most efficient delivery path	optimización de rutas	Route optimization cut our delivery times by 15 percent.
bill of lading	a document listing shipped goods	conocimiento de embarque	The bill of lading lists everything in the container.
demand forecasting	predicting future customer demand	pronóstico de demanda	Demand forecasting helps us avoid overstocking.
just in time	receiving goods only as they're needed	justo a tiempo	We run a just in time model to reduce storage costs.
last mile delivery	the final step of delivery to the customer	última milla	Last mile delivery is the most expensive part of shipping.
freight forwarder	a company that arranges shipping on behalf of others	agente de carga	Our freight forwarder handles the paperwork for exports.
pallet	a flat structure used to move goods in bulk	pallet, tarima	We loaded ten pallets onto the truck.
cross-docking	moving goods directly from inbound to outbound without storage	cross-docking	We use cross-docking to speed up distribution.
carrier	the company that physically transports the goods	transportista	We work with three different carriers.
dispatch	to send out goods or a delivery	despachar	The order was dispatched this morning.

How to use these at work

Actually doesn't mean actualmente. Use currently for current state: this shipment is currently in customs clearance.
Carrier and freight forwarder are often confused: the carrier physically moves the goods, the freight forwarder arranges and coordinates shipping, sometimes using several carriers.
Lead time and last mile delivery both sound similar but cover different parts of the process: lead time is the whole order-to-delivery window, last mile is just the final leg.

Practice

Questions

What's the difference between lead time and last mile delivery?: Lead time is the time between placing an order and receiving the goods overall. Last mile delivery is specifically the final leg, from a local hub to the customer's door.
Can I practice logistics calls with suppliers in class?: Yes, an English for work class can role-play calls with vendors, carriers or customs brokers using your real shipping process.

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