Swissport says that its ‘Milk Run’ supply chain optimization initiative at Schiphol Airport has been a success. It combines freight to and from several cargo forwarders into a single truck, and has saved 20,000 individual truck runs since the start of the operation seven years ago.
However, the handler says that many freight forwarders still arrange their trucks individually and many vehicles are driving around with 75% of their capacity unused.
The Milk Run initiative at Schiphol was launched by a small number of handlers and forwarders in 2015 and has grown ever since. In early 2021, it was expanded to include export cargo.
Loading and unloading of Milk Run trucks is carried out at a dedicated truck dock.