Milk Run saves time, money for CSX Engineering

A CSX cross functional team made life easier for work equipment mechanics in August through the formation of a new parts distribution process.

The program is called the Milk Run because it mimics the concept of a milk truck picking up empty bottles and delivering full ones at the customers’ request.

Each weekend, Best Specialized will pick up a truck full of material from Bryan Park, Richmond, Va., for teams in the field and deliver it throughout the week. Best Specialized also picks up the equipment cores and returns them to Richmond.

“We call in and they make a scheduled stop right at our trailers in very remote locations,” said Nick Weber, Manager Work Equipment. “It’s made a big difference in the time that’s put back in my people’s day.”

The process saves headaches for P&M employees, too.

Employees at Bryan Park had to maintain current shipping addresses for the nomadic work equipment teams, but Best Specialized now tracks when the team moves, so they always know where the teams are working.

The Milk Run is intended to cut CSX shipping costs and return usable cores to Richmond in a timely manner before exposure to the elements renders them unusable.

“So far it has been a great success,” said Keith Quick, Manager Logistics. “Pending reports of just how much used material we are getting back, we expect to have some very pleasing recoveries.”

Tubs are loaded on custom made racks on the flat bed. The truck has its own forklift and can unload at the various drop off locations in the field

Stockman Curtis Judy loads the T-6 System Production Team’s tub. Small and fragile items were staged throughout the week on the wire racks and set on top of the heavier items just before the tubs were loaded on the truck.

Best Specialized drivers ready the truck to head out on the southern route.