Unit of Measure (UOM)
A unit of measure (UOM) defines how a product is counted and sold, such as each, case, pallet, pound, or gallon. Orders, catalogs, and inventory must agree on UOM or quantities go wrong. A buyer ordering cases while the supplier reads eaches is a classic source of over- and under-shipments.
UOM hierarchy
Most distributed products have a hierarchy: eaches in a case, cases on a pallet. The same item carries a different GTIN at each level. An order specifies both the quantity and its unit of measure, and the conversions between levels have to be exact or the picked quantity will be wrong.
UOM and order errors
A mismatch in unit of measure is one of the most expensive quiet errors in order entry, because the totals still look plausible. Validating each line's UOM against the item master catches a case-versus-each slip before it becomes a wrong shipment.
Related Terms
Related Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
UOM stands for Unit of Measure, the way a product is counted and sold, such as each, case, pallet, pound, or gallon.
A UOM conversion translates a quantity from one unit to another, such as eaches to cases, using the item's pack hierarchy. Getting it wrong causes over- or under-shipments.
How to Answer "Are You EDI Capable?"
A buyer asked, and you need to answer this week. The four things they are checking, what you can say yes to today, and a realistic date for the rest.
- What a buyer is really asking when they ask this
- The minimum set-up that makes the answer yes
- What you can answer today versus what needs building
- Rough timelines, so you can give a date rather than a maybe
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