Distributionskonzept
Also: Distributionskonzeption, Distributionsstrategie, Distributions-Konzept, Verteilkonzept, Lieferkonzept
AI-generated
A distribution concept describes the overall structure through which goods move from the warehouse or plant to the customer – including location structure, storage tiers, transport network, service levels, and returns logic. It serves as the operational target picture for logistics processes and network decisions.
Key facts
- A distribution concept defines the overall structure of goods distribution from the point of origin to the recipient, including locations, storage tiers, and transport routes.
- It serves as the target picture for operational processes, IT configurations, and service provider contracts in delivery logistics.
- The central trade-off is the relationship between service levels, inventory costs, and transport costs – often assessed within a total landed cost framework.
- In contrast to analytical network design, the distribution concept is the operational implementation document for the logistics network.
- Distribution concepts must be reviewed regularly, as demand structures, cost developments, and regulatory requirements are constantly evolving.
What is a distribution concept?
A distribution concept defines the route and conditions under which goods move from their point of origin – plant, central warehouse, or supplier – to their recipients. It encompasses all structural decisions along the supply chain: the number and location of warehouse sites, storage tiers (such as central warehouses, regional warehouses, and dispatch warehouses), modes of transport used, carrier models, cut-off times, delivery frequencies, packaging logic, and returns handling. The concept thus forms the binding target picture to which operational processes, IT systems, and service provider contracts are aligned.
How does a distribution concept work in practice?
In practice, a distribution concept emerges from the interplay of several analyses: customer segments and their service requirements are assessed, from which differentiated service levels per channel or region are derived. On this basis, decisions are made as to whether a single central location or a decentralized network of regional warehouses is more economical – weighing inventory costs, transport costs, and delivery time requirements against one another.
Typical decision questions in the process include:
- What delivery times are required per customer segment or sales channel?
- Does a regional warehouse pay off, or do the additional inventory costs outweigh the service benefit?
- Which modes of transport – road, rail, parcel services, direct delivery – are suitable for which lanes?
- How is the last mile organized, particularly for B2C deliveries to the curb?
- How does returns management integrate into the network?
The result is not a static document: distribution concepts are reviewed regularly whenever demand structures, transport costs, or regulatory conditions change.
Distinction and selection criteria
The distribution concept must be distinguished from network design: network design is typically the analytically model-based step in which location alternatives are simulated and evaluated. The distribution concept is the resulting operational concept that feeds into tenders, service provider contracts, and WMS configurations.
When selecting or revising a distribution concept, the following aspects are critical:
- Consistency: Service levels, network structure, and cost framework must be aligned with one another.
- Scalability: The concept should be able to accommodate growth and seasonal fluctuations.
- Feasibility: Service provider availability, IT integration, and regulatory requirements must be realistically accounted for.
- Total landed cost: Not only transport costs, but all costs up to handover to the customer must be considered.
Since many decisions within the distribution concept are vendor-dependent or industry-specific, validation through scenarios and pilot projects is recommended before the concept is rolled out across the board.
Related terms
- 3PL
3PL (Third Party Logistics) refers to the outsourcing of operational logistics processes – such as warehousing, order picking, or transportation – to an external service provider. The company retains strategic responsibility, while the 3PL vendor handles operational execution.
- 4PL - Fourth Party Logistics
4PL (Fourth Party Logistics) refers to a logistics model in which an external partner coordinates the entire supply chain and manages multiple 3PL providers and carriers without performing any physical transport or warehousing services itself.
- Absatzlogistik
Distribution logistics encompasses all logistical processes that ensure the flow of goods from the company to the end customer. It includes warehousing, transportation, order fulfillment, and service level management in the outbound area.
- Absatzplanung
Sales planning refers to the systematic forecasting of future sales volumes for defined products, regions, or channels. It forms the foundation for all downstream planning processes in production, procurement, and logistics.
- Carrier
A carrier is a transport service provider that physically moves goods from a point of origin to a destination. It assumes operational responsibility for the actual transport – as opposed to freight forwarders or logistics service providers, who often only coordinate.
- Cost-to-Serve
Cost-to-Serve refers to the total costs incurred to fully serve a specific customer, customer segment, or order. The metric consolidates all relevant cost components along the order fulfillment process and enables cause-based cost allocation.
- Cross-Docking
Cross-docking refers to a goods handling process in which items are transferred directly from inbound receiving to outbound shipping without interim storage. The goal is to reduce throughput times and avoid warehousing costs.
- Cross-Docking
Cross-docking is a logistics method in which goods are transferred directly from inbound to outbound transport at a transshipment point, without going through conventional put-away and storage.
- Cut-off-Zeit
The cut-off time is the latest point by which an order must be received in order to be processed, picked, or shipped on the same day. Orders arriving after this time are generally not considered until the next processing cycle.
- Direktbelieferung
Direct delivery refers to the shipment of goods directly from the vendor to the end customer or production facility, bypassing any intermediate warehouse.
- Disposition
Disposition refers to the operational planning and control of resources, quantities, and orders in logistics – for example in transport or materials disposition. It encompasses capacity assignment, scheduling, prioritization, and response to disruptions.
- Hochregallager
A high-bay warehouse is an automated storage facility with racking from approximately twelve meters in height, where stacker cranes automatically store and retrieve pallets.
- Kommissionierung
Order picking is the process of assembling individual items from warehouse stock to fulfill a specific customer order — the most labor-intensive step in the warehouse.