The question is whether to dry off or milk on
At this time of year, I regularly get asked a version of the same question: Should I dry off or keep milking my cows? I often see farmers tempted to milk on when the milk price is high.
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.
