A distribution system in which freight moves in and out of a distribution center or pointwithout ever being stored there is referred to as:

Cross-docking is a logistics procedure where products from a supplier or manufacturing plant are distributed directly to a customer or retail outlet with minimal to no handling or storage time. Inbound freight arrives at a distribution center, is sorted, and immediately loaded onto outbound vehicles. This practice eliminates the need for warehouse storage, directly matching the system described in the question where freight moves in and out of a point without being stored. This strategy is designed to increase velocity and reduce inventory holding costs within the supply chain.

A. Mild-wharfing: This is not a recognized term in logistics or supply chain management literature; it is a distractor.

B. Water-fronting: This term is not a standard logistics concept and does not describe the process of transferring goods without storage.

D. Disembarking: This term refers to the act of leaving a vehicle, typically by people, and is not the specific term for this logistics system.

1. Apte

U. M.

& Viswanathan

S. (2000). Effective cross docking for improving distribution efficiencies. International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications

3(3)

291-302. (Defines cross-docking as a practice to distribute products with minimal handling or storage time).

2. Boysen

N.

& Fliedner

M. (2010). Cross-docking: A survey of recent research

literature

and applications. European Journal of Operational Research

202(1)

1-13. (Provides a comprehensive definition and overview of cross-docking as a logistics strategy that bypasses storage).

3. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2014). SCM.260J Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Fall 2014. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved from https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-772j-d-lab-supply-chains-fall-2014/ (Course materials on logistics systems frequently define cross-docking as a key strategy for reducing storage and transit time).