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Acronymity

In the logistics industry, it’s possible to have an entire conversation without ever saying a word. Instead, we tend to opt for acronyms. 3PL. WMS. FIFO. The always popular RORO. It makes for easy short hand for those in the know. It also makes things a bit baffling for those that aren’t. That can be tough to remember.

Like any industry, the logistics field has its own language, a language that doesn’t always translate easily into conversational English. It’s something we strive to remember and avoid when talking to partners that know what they want to accomplish, but may not understand the shorthand that has developed around the logistics culture. That’s why we take nothing for granted when talking with a client about solutions that may work best for their given situation. So while 3PL, or even Third Party Logistics might seem alien, explaining that a third party logistics provider takes the tasks associated with getting products from supplier to manufacturer to customer and streamlines them is something everyone understands.

What’s interesting is how quickly, once comfortable, people adopt our acronyms. Once they understand that RORO has nothing to do with boat propulsions (it stands for roll on-roll off transport), they find it slides off the tongue without even the smallest grin or giggle.

Most of the time.