Term

Definition

Supplier ID

(aka Vendor 6, 6-digit Vendor Number)

The 6-digit number used to identify a supplier in Walmart systems.

9-digit agreement

(aka Vendor 9, 9-digit Vendor Number)

The 9-digit number, which consists of the 6-digit vendor number, 2-digit department number, and 1-digit sequence number (for suppliers with more than one agreement in a department).

Term

Definition

Collect

An agreement between Walmart and a supplier where Walmart will schedule and pay for transportation of the product from a ship point to a Walmart destination.

Lane

Describes a connection between a single supplier ship point and a Walmart destination.

• Usually defined as a Vendor 9/9-digit vendor number and a Distribution Center (DC) number. Many settings in Walmart systems are set up by lane.

Load Sheets

Documents provided by Walmart Transportation that indicate which purchase orders should be loaded on specific trailers to ship to Walmart.

Pallet

A structure (usually wood or plastic) that holds a supplier’s shipping product, usually in a layered configuration.

Prepaid

An agreement between Walmart and a supplier where the supplier will schedule and pay for transportation of the product from a ship point to a Walmart destination.

Receiving Hours of Operation

The time period within which a supplier can accept a purchase order from Walmart.

Ship Point

A supplier-managed facility from which the product is shipped to Walmart.

Ship Point Type / Freight Terms

Terms for a lane regarding which entity (Walmart or a supplier) pays for transportation. In the U.S., this value can either be Collect or Prepaid.

Shipping Hours of Operation

The time period within which a supplier can ship the product from their ship point.

Third-Party Logistics (often abbreviated as 3PL)

An agreement between a supplier and another party, where the other party ships the supplier’s product together with other suppliers’ product to Walmart.

Term

Definition

DC

(i.e., Distribution Center)

A Walmart-managed facility that distributes product to other Walmart facilities.

• This usually has a 4- or 5-digit number designation.

DC Type / Network Type

A group of Walmart DCs that serve a similar group or group(s) of products.

• Common DC types include Regional, Grocery, Fashion, Jewelry, Import, and Fresh.

Destination

A Walmart-managed facility that receives product from suppliers.

FC

(i.e., Fulfillment Center)

A Walmart-managed facility that distributes product to customers ordering through Walmart’s eCommerce platforms.

Term

Definition

Constraint (Value)

A numerical value that determines the minimum or maximum limits for a single truck on a lane.

Constraint Type

A unit of measure for a constraint.

• Walmart uses the following constraint types in ordering:
  • Weight (lb)
  • Volume (ft)
  • Cases
  • Pallets
  • Units
  • Cost ($)
  • Order size factor, which is a user-defined value attached to each item (provided by suppliers)

Destination Pool

One or more lanes that have their orders grouped to ship on the same truck to the same destination (usually a consolidation facility).

• The goal is to combine loads for multiple destinations/DCs onto the same truck.

Max Value

The maximum constraint value per truck.

• Walmart’s systems will interpret any product exceeding this constraint as requiring a new truck.

Min Value

The minimum acceptable constraint value per truck that Walmart’s replenishment systems tries to order to.

Vendor Pool

One or more Vendor 9s/9-digit supplier numbers that have their orders grouped to ship on the same lane from the same ship point.

• The goal is to combine multiple suppliers’ items on the same truck.

Term

Definition

Available

A day of the week that a supplier could accept an order, but Walmart does not currently review.

• This information helps Walmart know when rescheduling an order would be acceptable to a supplier:
  • For ship pattern, this is offset by the processing time.
  • For delivery pattern, this is offset by processing time + transit time.

Calendar

A schedule for when Walmart reviews orders for a supplier. This is built from a combination of a “default” weekly order pattern, factoring in overrides (such as holidays, operational shutdowns, and other changes).

Calendar Override

A temporary change to a supplier’s order pattern to address holidays or other operational shutdowns.

Delivery Pattern

The days of the week a supplier should expect purchase orders to arrive at a Walmart destination, based on the order pattern, processing time, and transit time.

Event

A set of overrides applied on a date or a series of sequential dates for one or more lanes.

In-transit Days / Transit Time

The number of days between when an order is expected to ship and when an order is expected to arrive at a Walmart destination.

• For prepaid lanes, suppliers provide this value to Walmart.
• For collect lanes, this value is calculated by Walmart Transportation.

Lead Time

The total number of days from order generation to Must Arrive By Date (MABD).

• Process time and transit time are components of lead time.

Order Pattern

(aka DoW, Days of Week)

The days of the week in which Walmart’s replenishment systems review forecasted demand and current inventory and may place an order.

• Order generation is not guaranteed, especially if demand and current inventory does not warrant.

Preferred

A day of the week that Walmart will review a supplier’s forecast and inventory for an order.

• An order is not guaranteed:
  • For ship pattern, this is offset by the processing time.
  • For delivery pattern, this is offset by processing time + transit time.

Processing Days / Time

The number of days between when an order is generated and when the order is expected to ship.

• This value is provided to Walmart by a supplier.

Ship Pattern

The days of the week that a supplier should expect to ship purchase orders, based on the order pattern and processing time.

Ship Point ID

A user-defined name for a supplier ship point.

Unavailable

A day of the week that a supplier cannot accept an order:

• For ship pattern, this is offset by the processing time.
• For delivery pattern, this is offset by processing time + transit time.