A milk run is a popular way to supply materials to multiple locations. It can easily be combined with a pull system like kanban, where it merely replenishes what was consumed. But what are the best uses for milk runs? And when do you use them, and when would another logistics system be better? This post points out where the milk run shines and where you should consider alternatives.
Milk Run
External Milk Runs
In my previous posts I talked a lot about internal milk runs. However, you can also have milk runs externally across multiple suppliers and plants. There are a few things to consider that are different from the internal milk runs. Let me elaborate …
Frequently Asked Questions for Milk Runs
After discussing a lot about the milk run, its use, and its calculations, here is a post on a number of remaining frequently asked questions. Many of them are pitfalls, where it is easy to make a quick wrong guess (e.g., two milk runs on the same route will not halve your inventory at the assembly locations). Let’s get into more details.
Milk Run Layout
In this post I will discuss the layout of the milk run as well as the space on the milk-run train, and other topics. It is a continuation of the previous post on the milk-run calculation. Let’s continue.
Calculating the Material for Your Milk Run
After all the theory on how a milk run works, it is finally time to calculate the quantitative details of the milk run. Since this takes a bit longer, I have split the calculations into two separate posts. Well, here we go!
Milk Run Basics
In this second post on the topic of milk runs, I will look at the organizational issues around the milk run: what kind of transport can you use, and what should the source warehouse be like. I will also talk about optional extras like repacking or kitting. Let’s start.
Introduction to Milk Runs
Milk runs are a popular concept for material delivery within a plant and even across multiple plants. It is very much based on the philosophy of pull, keeping inventories down, and making material supply easier.
However, it is only suitable for mass-produced goods, or more precisely for identical components and identical parts, even if they go into different product variants. Additionally it can also be used with kitting. This post starts a series on the topic of milk run with an introduction to the topic.