Which term describes a regular route for collecting mixed loads from multiple suppliers before delivering one consolidated load to the customer's plant?

• A. Materials Management
• B. Mixed-Model Scheduling
• C. Modularization
• D. Milk Run

Answer: (D)

A milk run is a regular route where a single vehicle visits multiple suppliers to collect their shipments and then delivers one consolidated load to the customer’s plant. This approach supports just-in-time replenishment by making frequent, small pickups from several suppliers and combining them into a full truckload, which improves carrier utilization and reduces handling, receiving time, and overall transportation costs.

Other options describe broader concepts rather than a specific routing practice: Materials management covers the overall planning and control of material flows; mixed-model scheduling focuses on sequencing different product models on a production line; modularization relates to structuring a product into interchangeable modules. The term that best fits the described scenario is milk run.