Cross docking

A logi­stics stra­tegy in which inco­ming goods are diverted directly to out­going goods wit­hout being tem­po­r­a­rily stored in the warehouse. This reduces sto­rage times and improves the effi­ci­ency of the supply chain. The cross-docking pro­cess begins with the deli­very of pro­ducts to the cross-docking centre, where they are imme­dia­tely che­cked for qua­lity and accu­racy. The items are then for­warded directly to the dis­patch area, often with minimal to no inter­me­diate sto­rage. They are either repa­cked or rel­oaded directly onto wai­ting trans­port vehicles to be quickly for­warded to the end cus­tomer or retail loca­tion. Cross docking is often used to reduce sto­rage costs, shorten lead times and opti­mise the supply chain, espe­ci­ally for peri­s­hable goods or high tur­nover items.