Thursday, 20 February 2025 10:55

Semi-robotic milking technology to boost parlour efficiency

Written by  Staff Reporters
ErgoPOD focuses on ten key drivers developed to optimise the milking process and enhance overall productivity. ErgoPOD focuses on ten key drivers developed to optimise the milking process and enhance overall productivity.

Waikato Milking Systems’ latest innovation, ErgoPOD is now commercially available within New Zealand and Australia.

This state-of-the-art semi-robotic milking technology promises to increase milking speed, productivity, and efficiency in the milking parlour, the company says.

Designed to break productivity barriers, Ergo- POD is said to focus on ten key drivers developed to optimise the milking process and enhance overall productivity.

“ErgoPOD redefines milking precision with its advanced quarter-milking technology, enabling early detection of health concerns for faster, targeted intervention at the individual animal level.

“Engineered with hygiene and milk quality as core priorities, ErgoPOD uses individual per quarter milk lines rather than the traditional milking cluster. This eliminates cross-contamination between quarters and allows for precise milk sampling from within each quarter to identify potential infections,” WMS says.

Additionally, the DairyHQ Parlour Management System enhances this process by delivering real-time production data and live updates on cow health and system performance, empowering farmers to make informed decisions with confidence.

ErgoPOD is engineered to reduce energy and water usage, promoting greater environmental stewardship. Its seamless integration into both new and existing rotary dairy installations ensures operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

“With ErgoPOD, our vision was a future where efficiency, safety, and animal well-being converge seamlessly,” says Jamie Mikkelson, executive chairman, Waikato Milking Systems.

“Our mission was to provide dairy farmers with the technology to achieve unprecedented productivity and efficiency to milk more cows, while prioritising the health and safety of both operators and cows.

“For dairy farmers driven to enhance milking time productivity and efficiency, with an improved return on investment, ErgoPOD is the ultimate solution,” says Mikkelson.

More like this

Ready to walk the talk

DairyNZ's Kirsty Verhoek ‘walks the talk’, balancing her interests in animal welfare, agricultural science and innovative dairy farming.

Milk sensors for herringbone sheds

MSD Animal Health has launched its comprehensive milk monitoring solution, under the SenseHub Dairy brand, for herringbone sheds following successful trials on Fonterra’s Te Rapa dairy farm in the Waikato.

ErgoPOD set for 2025 farm debut

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.

Control of parlour at your fingertips

While Waikato Milking Systems is committed to solving the challenges dairy farmers face with some of the world’s most innovative and technologically advanced dairy solutions, their approach differs from other companies, as their focus falls on retaining the essence of dairy farming.

Featured

Fruit fly discovery 'concerning'

Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that discovery of a male Oriental fruit fly on Auckland’s North Shore is a cause for concern for growers.

Fonterra updates earnings

Fonterra says its earnings for the 2025 financial year are anticipated to be in the upper half of its previously forecast earnings range of 40-60 cents per share.

Nedap NZ launch

Livestock management tech company Nedap has launched Nedap New Zealand.

National

Certainty welcomed

There's been very little reaction to the government science reform announcement, with many saying the devil will be in the…

Science 'deserves more funding'

A committee which carried out the review into New Zealand's science system says the underinvestment will continue to compromise the…

Machinery & Products

Landpower win global award

Christchurch-headquartered Landpower and its Claas Harvest Centre dealerships has taken out the Global After Sales Excellence award in Germany, during…

Innovation, new products galore

It has been a year of new products and innovation at Numedic, the Rotorua-based manufacturer and exporter of farm dairy…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

No buyers

OPINION: Australian dairy is bracing for the retirement of an iconic dairy brand.

RIP Kitkat V

OPINION: Another sign that the plant-based dairy fallacy is unravelling and that nothing beats dairy-based products.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter