Milkrun

The principles of the so-called lean production are widely used and established in the modern production landscape. The benefits for the manufacturing industry are undisputed, and contribute significantly to the competitiveness of German companies. The current discussion regarding Industry 4.0 is mostly on an academic basis and examples are often theoretical. To date, practical illustrative examples are realized under laboratory conditions without an adequate proof of usability under real-world conditions. In principle, Cyber-Physical Systems have the potential to increase the effectiveness of established Lean Production principles.

Lean companies naturally use milkruns to improve their internal logistics. Approaches for the design of such milkrun cycles exist, but specific conditions of production are not accounted for. By showing typical development steps of the milkrun design, the correct design-approach for the specific situation becomes clear. Moreover the levers for further optimization and cost reduction are pointed out.