M

Mafi Trailer
German brand name of a roll trailer used for RoRo purposes.

Maiden Trip
First voyage of a vessel or aircraft after delivery from new-building to her owner(s).

Main Carriage
The primary stage in the movement of cargo from the point of origin to the intended final destination.
EDIFACT el.8051

Main-line Operator
Abbreviation: MLO
A carrier employing vessel(s) in the main or principal routes in a trade but not participating within a consortium.

Maintenance Chain
A sequence of events in a goods flow which preserves and/or restores the value of a specific good. This may include repairs.

Manifest
Document, which lists the specifications of goods, loaded in a means of transport or equipment for transportation purposes. As a rule cargo the agents in the place of loading draw up manifests.

Manufacturers Plate
A plate indicating the name and address of the container manufacturer and particulars of the container.

Manufacturing Process
The producing of goods or wares by manual labour or machinery, often on a large scale and with division of labour.

Manufacturing Resource Planning
Abbreviation: MRP-II
A method for the effective planning of a manufacturing company, being a direct out-growth and extension of MRP-I.

Marine Insurance Policy
An insurance policy protecting the insured against loss or damage to his goods occurred during ocean transport.

Market Analysis
Systematic investigation of the growth and the composition of a market.

Marketing
The process of organising and directing all the company activities which relate to determining the market demand and converting the customers buying power into an effective demand for a service and bringing that service to the customer.

Marks
See Shipping Marks

Master Data
The set of data that is needed to establish sufficient reference material to support the maximum use of pre-coded, pre-agreed information enabling more efficient transaction messaging.

Master Production Schedule
Abbreviation: MPS
A realistic, detailed, manufacturing plan for which all possible demands upon the manufacturing facilities (such as available personnel, working hours, (management) policy and goals) have been considered and are visualised. The MPS is a statement of what the company expects to produce and purchase expressed in selected items, specific quantities and dates.

Mate's Receipt
A document signed by the chief officer of a vessel acknowledging the receipt of a certain consignment on board of that vessel. On this document, remarks can be made as to the order and condition of the consignment.

Material Requirements Planning
Abbreviation: MRP-I
An inventory and purchasing planning system that integrates product components, lead times and deadlines.

Materials Handling
The activities of loading, unloading, placing and manipulating material and of in-process movement.

Materials Management
The planning and control of the activities related to the materials flow from the suppliers up to the end of the conversion/production process.

Means of Transport
Type of vehicle used for the transport of goods (e.g. aircraft, barge, truck, vessel or train).

Measurement Ton
A ton of one cubic metre water.

Mechanics Lien
The legal enforceable claim, which a person who has performed work or provided materials is, permitted to make against title to the property or as a preferential person in the event the estate or business is liquidated.

Medical First Aid Guide
Abbreviation: MFAG
Instructions to be consulted in case of accidents involving dangerous goods.

Memo Bill
See Service Bill of Lading

Merchant
For cargo carried under the terms and conditions of the Carrier's Bill of Lading and of a tariff, it means any trader or persons (e.g. Shipper, Consignee) and including anyone acting on their behalf, owning or entitled to possession of the goods.

Merchant Haulage
Inland transport of cargo in containers arranged by the Merchant.
It includes empty container-moves to and from hand-over points in respect of containers released by the Carrier to Merchants. Note: Carrier's responsibility under the Bill of Lading does not include the inland transport stretch under Merchant Haulage.

Meta-centric Height
The distance between the centre of gravity of a vessel and a fictitious point. If the metra- centric height is zero or negative, the vessel will heel or capsize.

Minimum Charge
The lowest amount which applies to the transport of a consignment, irrespective of weight or volume.

Minimum Inventory
The planned minimum allowable inventory for an independent demand item.

Minor Unit
Unit of recorded value (i.e. as recorded by banks) which is a division of the respective unit of currency.
Examples are the cent being a one hundredth part of the US Dollar.

Note: Some countries have minor units that are used in low-value coinage within a country or locality, but which are not used by the international banking system in making formal records of value. Examples: Belgium, Greece and Spain.

Mixed Consignment
A consignment of different commodities, articles or goods, packed or tied together or contained in separate packages.

Mode of Transport
Method of transport used for the conveyance of goods, (e.g. by rail, by road, by sea).

Model
A representation of a process or system that attempts to relate the most important variables in the system in such a way that analysis of the model leads to insights into the system.

Module
A separate and distinct unit of hardware or software that may be used as a component in a system.

Movement
The act or process of changing the position of an object and or people.

Movement Inventory
The inventory during a production process caused by the time required to move goods from one place to another.

Multi Purpose Carrier
See Multi Purpose Vessel

Multi Purpose Vessel
Vessel designed for the carriage of different types of cargo: general, bulk, heavy and/or containerised cargo.

Multimodal Transport
The carriage of goods (containers) by at least two different modes of transport.

Multimodal Transport Document
See Combined Transport Document

Multimodal Transport Operator/Carrier
Abbreviation: MTO/Carrier
The person on whose behalf the transport document or any document evidencing a contract of multimodal carriage of goods is issued and who is responsible for the carriage of goods pursuant to the contract of carriage.

Multiple Sourcing
Selecting of and working with more than two equivalent suppliers for a certain product.