Milking longer with maize silage
This season's dry conditions have made one thing clear: not having enough feed on hand can bring your season to an early close.
DAIRY TECHNOLOGY manufacturer Waikato Milking Systems will next month open the first stage of its new $12 million complex.
The first 3900m2 building, now in the final stages of construction, brings together three of the company’s manufacturing divisions on the same site for the first time.
Waikato Milking managing director John Anderson says the purpose built complex will give it the opportunity to streamline the manufacturing processes and make the business more efficient.
New technology includes an industrial robot welder automated to move around different work stations for different welding functions. The company has used robot welders before, but mobilising the robot will save more time and money. No jobs will be lost, but there will be big gains in efficiency, Anderson says.
“We will be able to process more products in less time without losing anything in the quality of the work,” Anderson says. The robot, from New Zealand company Carbines Engineering, cost about $60,000 and the upgrade to it about $20,000.
The company has also spent $100,000 on a new bridge crane to improve raw material handling, saving $200,000 in building costs. Previously the company stored steel until it was needed but now the crane will deliver the steel immediately to the saw.
Other improvements include a move to ‘lean’ manufacturing principles in making rotary milking platforms. Lean manufacturing helps businesses become more profitable and sustainable by identifying and eliminating sources of waste. The company is also negotiating ‘just in time’ supply arrangements, where suppliers deliver materials only when needed. The company will save money in storage costs but will still get discounts for bulk buying.
The second stage of the complex is scheduled to open toward the end of 2014. This will include a new head office, and design and manufacturing facilities. The new complex is at Northgate Business Park, north of Hamilton.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.