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ErgoPOD will be commercially available on farms from 2025.
Waikato Milking Systems has unveiled the final production version of its ErgoPOD, a state-of-the-art semi-robotic technology designed to increase milking speed, productivity, and efficiency in the parlour.
ErgoPOD will be available for installation on farms next year. After years of development, the prototype was introduced a year ago and at this year’s Fieldays, visitors saw the final production version.
WMS executive chairman Jamie Mikkelson says that to unlock the significant productivity gains that ErgoPOD now provides, the company embarked on a mission several years ago to understand the barriers and challenges that limit milking efficiency.
By studying the work routines of milking operators, they identified the activities that increased effort for the operator and posed musculoskeletal challenges leading to fatigue and health impacts. “We also meticulously analysed every aspect of the milking routine to identify opportunities for automation that would reduce labour and make milking easier,” says Mikkelson.
The culmination of their research and development efforts, guided by a milking science- based approach, resulted in a groundbreaking milking management system. This system significantly reduces the effort required in milking, breaks productivity barriers, and creates a healthier, safer milking environment.
The company says after years of development, ErgoPOD promises to revolutionise milking for dairy farmers worldwide.
Anyone who has been round baling and released a completed bale on a slope will remember the feeling of dread as the bale gathers speed and rolls off down the hillside, hopefully to be stopped by the hedgerow or the paddock levelling out.
Waikato Milking Systems’ latest innovation, ErgoPOD is now commercially available within New Zealand and Australia.
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