Inland Port

An inland port is a site located away from traditional land, air, and coastal borders. It facilitates and processes international trade through strategic investments in multimodal transportation assets and by promoting value-added services as goods move through the supply chain.

Insourcing

The opposite of outsourcing, that is, a service performed in-house.

Inspection Certificate

A document certifying that merchandise, such as perishable goods, was in good condition immediately prior to shipment.

In-store Implementation (ISI)

Refers to the collective physical and informational actions performed at retail to actualize merchandising, marketing, and media plans in the store. ISI encompasses compliance, measurement, and communications activities and is defined by a Plan-Do-Measure process cycle that controls implementation plans and work and communicates implementation signals.

Integrated Carrier

A company that offers a blend of transportation services such as land, sea, and air carriage, freight forwarding, and ground handling.

Integrated Logistics

A comprehensive, system-wide view of the entire supply chain as a single process, from the supply of raw materials through the distribution of finished goods. All functions that make up the supply chain are managed as a single entity, rather than managing individual functions separately.

Integrated Product Teams (IPT)

To ensure a collaborative environment is maintained among all stakeholders, the U.S. DoD acquisition, capability needs, financial, and operational stakeholders shall maintain continuous and effective communication with each other through Integrated Product Teams (IPTs).

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

A computer term describing the networks and equipment for integrated broadband transmissions of data, voice, and images, ranging from rates of 144 Kbps to 2 Mbps. ISDN allows the integration of data, voice, and video over the same digital links.

Integrated TowBarge

A series of barges that are connected together to operate as one unit.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Property of an enterprise or individual, which is typically maintained in a digital form, may include software program code or digital documents, music, videos, etc.

Interchange

In EDI, the exchange of electronic information occurs between companies. Additionally, it refers to the group of transaction sets transmitted from one sender to one receiver at one time, delineated by interchange control segments.

Intercoastal carriers

Water carriers transport freight between East and West Coast ports, usually by way of the Panama Canal.

Intercorporate hauling

A private carrier hauls the goods of a subsidiary and charges the subsidiary a fee. This is legal if the subsidiary is wholly owned (100%) or if the private carrier has common carrier authority.

Interim Contract Support (ICS)

Generally, the initial level of effort contract is for support during System Development and Demonstration. It involves producing and supporting initial operational test and evaluation, as well as providing initial spares and maintenance training.

Interleaving

The practice of assigning an employee multiple tasks, which are to be performed concurrently, is known as multitasking. This technique is frequently used to define the practice of assigning multiple picking orders to a single picker who will pick them concurrently as he/she moves down the aisle.

Interline

Two or more motor carriers work together to haul the shipment to a destination. Carrier equipment may be interchanged from one carrier to the next, but usually the shipment is re-handled without the equipment.

Intermediately Positioned Warehouse

A supply depot is located in a specific region of a country in order to provide a high level of customer service. It distributes commodities only for that area.

Intermittent-Flow, Fixed-Path Equipment

Materials handling devices that include cranes, monorails, and stacker cranes.

Intermodal Container Transfer Facility

A facility where cargo is transferred from one mode of transportation to another, usually from a ship or truck to rail.

Intermodal (INT)

This is a method of moving freight where multiple transportation methods are used. This often calls for specialized containers that can meet the unique requirements of preferred modes. Common examples include transporting cargo by aircraft and truck, or by ship and train.

Intermodal Marketing Company (IMC)

An intermediary that sells intermodal services to shippers.

Intermodal Transportation

Transporting freight by using two or more transportation modes, such as by truck and rail, or truck and oceangoing vessel.

Intermodal Transport Unit (ITU)

Container, swap body, or semi-trailer/goods road motor vehicle suitable for intermodal transport.

Internal customer

An individual or department that is part of the supplying company, as opposed to the company's external customers.

Internal Labor and Overhead

The portion of COGS that is typically reported as labor and overhead, less any costs already classified as 'outsourced.

Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

A rate of return used in capital budgeting to measure and compare the profitability of investments, the IRR is sometimes called the effective interest rate.

Internal Water Carriers

Water carriers that operate over internal navigable rivers, such as the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri.

International Air Transport Association (IATA)

An international air carrier rate bureau for passenger and freight movements.

International Civil Aeronautics Organization

An international agency is responsible for air safety and for standardizing air traffic control, airport design, and safety features worldwide.

International Maritime Bureau (IMB)

A special division of the International Chamber of Commerce.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

A United Nations-affiliated organization represents all maritime countries in matters affecting maritime transportation, including the movement of dangerous goods. The organization is also involved in deliberations on marine environmental pollution.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

This association forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. The various bodies that make up the ISO are responsible for developing industrial and commercial standards to ensure the safety, security, and general quality of a variety of products and services.

International Security, Trust, and Privacy Alliance (ISTPA)

A global alliance of companies and technology providers is working together to clarify and resolve evolving issues related to security, trust, and privacy.

International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS)

Adopted by the IMO and based on the U.S. MTSA, it came into force on July 1, 2004. It is a comprehensive, mandatory security regime for international shipping and port facility operations agreed upon by the members of the IMO. Ships must be certified by their flag states to ensure that mandated security measures have been implemented. Port facilities must undergo security vulnerability assessments that form the basis of security plans approved by their government authorities.

International Standards Organization (ISO)

An organization within the United Nations to which all national and other standard-setting bodies should or do defer, develops and monitors international standards, including OSI, EDIFACT, and X.400.

International Warehouse Logistics Association

IWLA is a trade association of warehouse logistics providers that helps members run high-quality, profitable businesses. IWLA focuses on the warehouse logistics business, providing ideas and information that make it easier for member companies to succeed.

Internet

A computer term that refers to an interconnected group of computer networks from all parts of the world, i.e., a network of networks. Accessed via a modem and an online service provider, it contains a number of information resources and acts as a giant electronic message routing system.

Inter-Service Support Agreement (ISSA)

An agreement between two DoD entities, by which one or both agree to provide assistance to the other, is called an ISSA. Funds transferred in connection with an ISSA are normally transferred by a 'MIPR' (Military Inter-Departmental Procurement Request).

Interstate Commerce

The transportation of persons or property between states occurs when the shipment crosses a state boundary line during the course of the movement.

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

An independent regulatory agency that implements federal economic regulations controlling railroads, motor carriers, pipelines, domestic water carriers, domestic surface freight forwarders, and brokers.

Interstate System

The National System of Interstate and Defense Highways is a network of 42,000 miles of four-lane, limited-access roads connecting major population centers.

Intra-Manufacturing Re-plan Cycle

Average elapsed time, in calendar days, between the time a regenerated forecast is accepted by the end-product manufacturing/assembly location and the time that the revised plan is reflected in the Master Production Schedule of all the affected internal sub-assembly/component producing plants. (An element of Total Supply Chain Response Time).

In-transit Inventory

Material moving between two or more locations, usually separated geographically, for example, finished goods being shipped from a plant to a distribution center, is referred to as logistics. In-transit inventory is an easily overlooked component of total supply chain availability.

Intrastate Commerce

The transportation of persons or property between points within a state is known as intrastate transportation. A shipment between two points within a state may be considered interstate if the shipment had a prior or subsequent move outside of the state, and the shipper's intent was for an interstate shipment at the time of shipment.

Intrinsic Forecasting

A method of forecasting that looks at known available internal data (sales, usage, etc.) as opposed to the external factors affecting the business (demographics, weather, etc.).

Inventory

Components, raw materials, work in process, finished goods, and supplies are required for the creation of goods and services. It can also refer to the number of units and/or value of the stock of goods held by a company.

Inventory Accuracy

This is when the on-hand quantity is equivalent to the perpetual balance (plus or minus the designated count tolerances). It can often be referred to as a percentage showing the variance between book inventory and actual count. This is a major performance metric for any organization that manages large inventories. Typical minimum and best practice averages would be 95% and 99%.

Inventory Balance Location Accuracy

When the on-hand quantity in the specified locations is equivalent to the perpetual balance (plus or minus the designated count tolerances)