Logistic Terms - P

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• P.A. - Particular Average.
• P.P.I. - Policy Proof of Interest (honor policy).
• P&I Club - > Protection and Indemnity Club
• Package - 1. Any physical piece of cargo in relation to transport consisting of the contents and its packing for the purpose of ease of handling by manual or mechanical means. 2. The final product of the packing operation consisting of the packing and its contents to facilitate manual or mechanical handling.
• Packaging - Materials used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods and the activities of placing and securing goods in those materials.
• Packing - Any container or other covering in which goods are packed.
• Packing Instruction - Document issued within an enterprise giving instructions on how goods are to be packed.
• Packing List - Document specifying the contents of each individual package. > Container Manifest
• Packing Unit - Type of package where a standard quantity of products of a specific product type can be packed and that requires no additional packaging for storage and shipment.
• Pallet - Low portable platform, usually wooden, on which cargo is stacked for storage or transportation; a skid.
• Pallet Convertor - Superstructure which can be applied to a pallet to convert it into either a box or post pallet.
• Pallet Rack - Skeleton framework, of fixed or adjustable design, to support a number of individual pallet loads.
• Pallet Truck - Pedestrian- or rider-controlled non-stacking lift truck fitted with forks.
• Panamax Size - Maximum measurements and dimensions of a vessel capable of passing the Panama Canal.
• Parcel - > Package
• Part-Participant - Neither a CASS Airline nor a billing participant, which advises the Settlement Office of amounts due to it from agents (air cargo). > CASS Airline
• Participating Carrier - 1. A carrier participating in a tariff and which therefore applies the rates, charges, routing and regulations of the tariff (air cargo). 2. A carrier over whose air routes one or more sections of carriage under the Air Waybill is undertaken or performed (air cargo).
• Particular Average - Abbreviation: P.A. 1. Partial loss or damage to the goods. 2. Fortuitous partial loss to the subject matter insured, proximately caused by an insured peril but which is not a general average. Particular average only relates to damage, loss and/or expenses which are exclusively borne by the owners of a vessel which has sustained damage as a result of e.g. heavy weather or by the owners of the cargo, which has been damaged in transit. > Average > General Average > Free of Particular Average, English Conditions > Free of Particular Average, American Conditions
• Partition - > Divider
• Payee - Party to whom a payment is made or owed.
• Payer - Party who pays or is to pay.
• Payload - Maximum amount of cargo weight which can be loaded on a particular means of transport.
• Payment against Documents - Instructions given by a seller to a bank that the buyer may collect the documents only upon payment of the invoice.
• Performance Indicator - Variable indicating the effectiveness and/or efficiency of a process.
• Performance Measurement - Comparison of the results of business processes with certain standards in order to know the effectiveness of these processes and/or the supportive actions.
• Perils of the Sea - Fortuitous accidents or casualties, peculiar to transportation on a navigable water, such as stranding, sinking, collision of the vessel, striking a submerged object or encountering heavy weather or other unusual forces of nature.
• Perishables - Fresh produce that can spoil in a short amount of time (such as fruits, fish, meat, flowers).
• Physical Distribution - Those activities related to the flow of goods from the end of conversion to the customer.
• Physical Distribution Management - Planning execution and control of those activities which are related to the flow of goods from the end of conversion to the customer.
• PIC - > Pilot in Command
• Pick and Pack - Taking goods out of a stock and packing them according to customer conditions.
• Pick Order - Order to pick certain quantities of goods out of a stock.
• Pick up Service - Carriage of outbound consignments from the shipper's place to the place of departure.
• Pick-up and Delivery - Service concerning the collection of cargo from the premises of the shipper and the delivery to the premises of the consignee.
• Picking - Taking products or components out of a stock.
• Picking List - List used to collect items from stores to fulfil an order. Synonym: Material Issue List, Kitting List
• Pier - > Jetty > Quay
• Piggypack - Carriage of road vehicles and trailers on railway wagons. > Huckepack Carriage
• Pilferage - Theft of part of the contents of a shipping package.
• Pilot in Command - Abbreviation: PIC. Pilot responsible for the operation and safety of the aircraft during flight time (air cargo).
• Pipeline - 1. A method for conveying liquids and gasses. 2. The physical goods flow from a supplying organization to a receiving organization.
• Pipeline Inventory - Amount of goods in a pipeline: the sum of loading stock, goods in transit and receiving stock. > Floating Stock
• Pivot Weight - Minimum chargeable weight of a Unit Load Device (air cargo). > Over Pivot Rate > Over Pivot Weight
• Place of Acceptance - > Place of Receipt
• Place of Delivery - Location where a consignment (shipment) is delivered to the consignee viz. the place where the carrier's liability ends for the transport venture.
• Place of Receipt - Location where a consignment (shipment) is received by the carrier from the shipper viz. the place where the carrier's liability for transport venture commences. > Place of Acceptance
• Placement - Activity of positioning an object or goods in a chosen location or position. > Displacement
• Planning - Setting of goals over a certain time and determining the methods for achieving these goals as well as the resources used.
• Platform - Area on an airport where aircraft are parked for embarkation and/or loading and discharging purposes. > Apron > Ramp
• Platform Body - Truck or trailer with a floor but no ends, sides or top.
• Platform Handling - All activities connected with an aircraft during the time it is on the platform. > Ramp Handling
• Plimsoll Mark - Mark, welded on both sides of the vessel, which gives the limit to which a vessel may be loaded, depending on the specific gravity of the water in which the vessel is situated.
• Point Value - Point value is the relative value of an empty container of a certain size and type in a depot location. The system serves to quantify the imbalance costs resulting from a full container move and are the result of empty optimization calculations. Point values are created on forecasted container flows between depot locations. They are calculated taking into account the forecasted imbalances plus repositioning, storage and container costs for empty moves and expressed in USD. Note: In the various computer systems point values are used to calculate the imbalance charge or credit for a particular container flow. This charge or credit is the difference in point values between start and end depot location.
• Point-to-Point Transport - > House-to House Transport
• Political Risk - In export financing, the risk of loss due to currency inconvertibility, government action preventing entry of goods, expropriation or confiscation, and war.
• Pontoon - Vessel with flat deck and a shallow draft. > Floating Crane
• Pool - Shared use of e.g. equipment by a number of companies that also share the investment required. > European Pallet Pool
• Poop - Aft part of a vessel where the steering engine is located.
• Port - 1. Harbor with facilities for vessels to moor and load or discharge. 2. Left side of a vessel when facing towards the front or forward end.
• Port of Discharge - Port where the cargo is discharged from the ocean- going vessel.
• Port of Loading - Port where the cargo is loaded on board the ocean -going vessel.
• Portal Crane - Type of gantry crane with vertical legs of sufficient height and width to permit vehicles or railroad equipment to pass between the legs.
• Portlog - Record of a vessel's actual arrival and departure time, used tugs, draft, deadweight, quantity of discharged and loaded goods/containers and any other important particulars. > Log Book
• Positioning - Transport of empty equipment from a depot to shipper's premises or from consignee's premises back to a depot as the empty leg of a carrier haulage transport.
• Postal Code - National code maintained by the Postal Authorities designed to indicate areas and accumulated addresses to facilitate sorting and the delivery of mail and other goods. > Zone Improvement Plan
• Pre-Carriage - Carriage of goods (containers) by any mode of transport from the place of receipt to the port of loading.
• Pre-Carrier - Carrier by which the goods are moved prior to the main transport.
• Pre-Shipment Inspection - Abbreviation: PSI. Checking of goods before shipment for the purpose of determining the quantity and/or quality of said goods by an independent surveyor (inspection company). The inspection can also be for the purpose of determining whether the price charged for certain goods is correct, a practice used by some countries.
• Pre-Slinging - Act of placing goods in slings which are left in position and are used for loading into and discharging from a conventional vessel.
• Pre-Trip Inspection - Abbreviation: PTI. Technical inspection of Reefer containers prior to positioning for stuffing.
• Prepaid Charge - Charges entered on the Air Waybill for payment in advance by the shipper (air cargo).
• Prepaid Freight - Freight paid by the shipper to the carrier when merchandise is accepted for shipment. Not refundable even if the merchandise does not arrive at the intended destination.
• Price Quotation/Pro Forma Invoice - Invoice prepared by the seller in advance of shipment that documents the cost of goods sold, freight, insurance and other related charges. It is often used by the buyer to secure a Letter of Credit, an import licence or a foreign currency allocation.
• Principal - Person or entity for whom another acts as agent.
• Principal Carrier - > Responsible Carrier
• Priority Order - Order which is identified as taking precedence over other orders to ensure its completion in the minimum time. Synonym: Urgent Order, Rush Order
• Pro-Forma Invoice - Draft invoice sent to an importer by the exporter prior to order confirmation and shipment to assist in matters relating to obtaining import licenses or foreign exchange allocations, or to advise the value of a consignment so that Letters of Credit can be opened.
• Procurement - Activities which ensure the availability of the material and/or services in the desired quantity, quality, place and time from the supplier.
• Procurement Logistics - Control of the flow of materials up to the manufacturing process.
• Productivity - Relative measure of output of labor hour or machine hour.
• Profit Center - Organizational unit which is held accountable for its own profits and losses.
• Project Cargo - Goods connected to the same project and often carried at different times and from various places.
• Proof of Delivery - Receipt signed by the consignee upon delivery.
• Proportional Rate - Rate which is used in combination with other rates to establish a through rate.
• Prorate - Portion of a joint rate or charge obtained by proration.
• Proration - Division of a joint rate or charge between the carriers concerned on an agreed basis. > Prorate > Rate Proration
• Protection and Indemnity Club - Abbreviation: P&I Club. Mutual association of shipowners which provides protection against liabilities by means of contributions.
• Protest - Sworn statement made by a ship's captain following an accident.
• Protocol - Statement drawn up to attest certain events.
• Proximate Cause - Most direct cause of loss, that is, the most effective, but not necessarily the last, in a series of events.
• PSI - > Pre-Shipment Inspection
• PTI - Pre-Trip Inspection
• Public Authorities - Agencies or officials in a country responsible for the application and enforcement of the laws and regulations of that state.
• Public Warehouse - Warehouse which is available to all companies and individuals who wish to make use of the services offered.
• Published Charge - Charge, the amount of which is specifically set forth in the carrier's rates tariff. > Published Rate
• Published Rate - > Published Charge
• Pull Distribution System - System to provide warehouses with new stock on request of the warehouse management.
• Purchase Order - Definite order for one or more deliveries by the supplier to the customer of a specific quantity of goods, materials, services or products under agreed terms of delivery and prices.
• Purchasing Agent - Agent that purchases goods in their own country on behalf of foreign importers such as government agencies and private companies.
• Push Distribution System - System to provide warehouses with new stock upon decision of the supplier of the goods.