Lean principles / Milk run
Milk run: a fixed round brings only what is needed to the line
The milk run replaces forklift trips with a round on a fixed schedule: the logistics train passes the same stops, delivers full containers and collects the empties. The mizusumashi, the operator who drives it, reads the kanbans and reorders. Here you will find the trains, dollies and stops we use to implement it on our customers' shop floors.
LiftLiner and Taxi Liner
KLT containers in convoy
Park Station and FIFO lanes
Once the route is stable
Why the milk run cuts costs and forklifts
A forklift carrying one pallet at a time, whenever the driver is free, builds up line-side stock and clogged aisles. The logistics train delivers all the materials for several workstations in a single round, at a pace the line knows.
It works if carts can be loaded and unloaded without tools, if every load has a fixed stop and if the empties return in the same round. These are the three points the products on this page address.
How to spot it on the shop floor
Signal 1
Forklifts on the shop floor among operators, running empty on the way back.
Signal 2
Material delivered "on call": the line waits or fills up with stock.
Signal 3
Carts left wherever, with no marked parking spot.
01
The logistics train: several loads in a single round
Hooks up to the electric tractor and brings pallets, cages, KLTs and kits to the line without forklifts.
The problem
One trip per pallet, with loading and unloading that need a forklift even at the line side.
The solution
LiftLiner® lifts the carts in the bay and sets them down on the floor in a few seconds; Taxi Liner carries 600×400 dollies in separate bays that can be picked in any order.
LiftLiner
Patented tugger train
Up to 8 carts per round, 1,000 kg per bay, lifts the cart in under 3 seconds; also with an AGV tractor.
LL cart
Pallets and cages
Push it into the bay and the LiftLiner lifts it; off the train it is pushed by hand. Capacity up to 1,000 kg, three sizes.
LL Taxi cart
KLTs, boxes and kits on 3 shelves
1200×800 mm base, 500 kg capacity; loads and unloads from both sides without manual lifting.
Taxi Liner
3 bays for 600×400 dollies
Ramps that open with a lever: take the dolly you need without unhooking the others. 750 kg per trailer.
See also: Logistics train and milk run · Dolly, cart and FIFO lane buying guide
02
Dollies: the container travels on its own cart
KLT dollies that hook together in convoy: from the supermarket to the workstation with no transfers.
The problem
Containers moved by hand from one cart to another, bent backs to pick from low down.
The solution
Dollies with Easy Lock tow bar and hitch that form the train on their own, raised version for picking at the right height, milk run tow bar to pull rows of dollies.
Dolly Type VII B
In convoy
Sliding tow bar and Easy Lock hitch: 250 kg per dolly, up to 1,000 kg in the train.
Dolly Type VII C
Raised deck
The KLT arrives already at picking height; for kits and light components.
Milk run tow bar assembly
From the tractor to the dollies
Pulls one or two rows of 600×400 dollies or pallet dollies; releases with a foot pedal.
R-KLT container
VDA 4500 standard
Reinforced base and label holders for the kanban card; 5 sizes.
See also: Dollies for KLT containers · Pallet dollies and shelf carts
03
The stops: every load has its place
Stops marked on the floor and FIFO lanes: whoever delivers and whoever picks always know where to go.
The problem
Carts parked crooked, full and empty mixed together, picks that skip the order of arrival.
The solution
Park Stations that hold the cart wheels always in the same spot and FIFO rails that guide dollies from the loading side to the picking side.
Aluminium Park Station
The cart always stops there
Floor guides that hold the front wheels during loading and picking.
Plastic Park Station
Cart spot at a glance
Yellow rail with flexible sides, for carts up to 150 kg.
FIFO Monorail 40 mm rail
Compact FIFO lane
Guides the wheels on one side only: the lane takes up little space and stays straight.
FIFO Station rail
PVC FIFO lane
Load on one side, pick from the other; glued to the floor and screwed down where needed.
See also: Park Station · Floor FIFO lanes · FIFO lane configurator
04
The round becomes autonomous
Once stops and carts are standardised, a robot can do the round in place of the operator.
The problem
The mizusumashi spends half the shift driving the train instead of managing kanbans.
The solution
PUDU AMRs that slide under carts, lift them and take them to their destination, with no magnetic tape or reflectors.
Pudu T300L
Lifts carts up to 300 kg
Slides under dedicated racks and carts, latches onto them and drops them off at their destination.
Pudu T600 Underride
255 mm high, up to 600 kg
Lifts the shelves and carts you already use from the centre, passes through 65 cm.
See also: Autonomous logistics · Logistics robots
Tools to get started
Dollies, milk run and Park Station
Build your rails and end pieces
Example flows from warehouse to line
Have an industrial project to develop?
Choose where to start. Or call us: +39 0434 572757.
Robot demo at your site
We bring the robot to your shop floor and you see it working on your own routes.
On-site visit
We come to see your shop floor, flows and spaces, and propose the right solution.