Cross-Docking Distribution
Eliminate inventory by flowing goods directly from inbound to outbound—like the Etruscan shrew that starves within hours without food because it cannot store energy.
Flow-through processing without storage mirrors the metabolic constraints of the Etruscan shrew, which must eat 1.5-2x its body weight daily and would starve within 2-4 hours without food. Like cross-docking, it cannot maintain inventory—everything must flow through immediately.
Business Application of Cross-Docking Distribution
Walmart pioneered cross-docking distribution - goods arrive at distribution centers from suppliers, are immediately sorted and reloaded onto trucks destined for stores, without entering warehouse inventory. Products spend hours rather than days in distribution centers. This requires extraordinary centralized coordination.