Milk run

A method of accelerating the flow of materials between different plants by scheduling vehicle routes so that they pick up and deliver materials at many different locations. By having vehicles make frequent stops to pick up and deliver materials at a number of different locations rather than waiting until an entire car is full for direct delivery from one plant to another, it is possible to reduce inventories and response times within a value stream. Milk runs between facilities are similar in concept to material handling routes within facilities (see illustration).