Conquering the world one rotary at a time

Celebrating their 50th birthday last year, a Waikato company has set its sights on conquering the world with their innovative rotary milking systems – and they aren’t far from doing so.

Waikato Milking Systems was established in 1992 but its heritage dates back to 1967.

Dave Cassells, executive manager international sales and events, has been with the company for 32 years and said that Waikato Milking Systems was originally a small division of Alex Harvey Industries.

“We were a specialty division within AHI and began by making simple products like pulsators, vacuum regulators and milk meters.”

The company has grown in leaps and bounds since that time and now employs 120 staff in New Zealand alone. The number rises when you consider staff employed at its other branches located around the world.   

“The business is quite unique, and those who are in it stay around for a long time. We’re lucky because we get to see our products develop, products that started from humble beginnings that have, over time, become more sophisticated.”

Dave said their success was, in part, thanks to their brand awareness which developed rapidly from the very first products they started to sell, some of which are still selling today.

The company’s culture and its attitude to its customers continues to play a large part in its success and is, in many ways, responsible for the level of awareness and respect the brand has around the world.                                     

“We are a New Zealand company and take a ‘can do’ attitude with us, wherever we go.            

“We have a saying, ‘get more out of what you’ve got’. If you can’t buy the next farm, how do you use your current farm to get more out of what you’ve got?  For us it’s about working alongside farmers around the world, understanding the challenges they face and providing them with the right technology for their farm. 

“We’ve always flown under the radar – we’ve just done the business.”      

Grant Wisnewski, international sales manager, said they were always striving to be the best.           

“Our company goal is to be the leading manufacturer of rotary milking systems in the world.            

“We have a flat structure within the business and we talk to each other constantly. We introduce change or progress enhancements in less time than pretty much anyone else in the industry.  The speed and ability to adapt quickly to market conditions delivers tangible benefits to farmers.”                         

Grant said rotary platforms were originally made of steel.

“They evolved to include a concrete deck and the only change over the next 30 years, being that they got larger and heavier. This extreme weight affected the life and efficiency of the platform.  We fixed that when we introduced the first composite rotary platform in the world.  Centrus is 75% lighter than a concrete equivalent; there’s simply nothing else like it.            

“This innovation changed the way we do business. It presented more opportunity and let us export to more countries.”                       

Grant said most dairy farms outside of New Zealand use a confined farming system whereby cows are housed in barns and milked up to three times a day or continuously 365 days a year.                      

Those cows, on average, are 20 percent bigger than a New Zealand cow.  

“These farms are highly intensive and need good reliable technology,” he said.                

The development of the composite rotary platform is the biggest evolutionary change in rotary milking platforms in more than three decades.             

“It put an international spotlight on us and resulted in growing demand from pretty much every dairy nation in the world.                 

“Four years ago, we installed an 84-bail composite rotary in Michigan. Today this rotary has done the equivalent of 20 years operation in New Zealand. This means our equipment is robust, reliable and capable of performing under the most extreme conditions.            

“The intensive 24-hour dairies around the world are highly mechanised. They achieve high milk volumes thanks to the way they feed their cows. They have nutritionists on-farm and there’s a lot more technology involved.            

“Our system sorts every single cow, picking up, for example, the best time to mate.  Likewise, when it comes to health, any change in behaviour will show up on the system enabling the farmer to take earlier remedial action.”           

Grant said their end goal was to be the leading developer and manufacturer of rotary platforms and milking systems around the world.        

In 2016 Waikato Milking Systems won Export NZ Exporter of the year for the $10-$25 million category as well as the Supreme Award. Thirty-five per cent of their product is exported to 42 countries around the world. Wherever there are cows, there’s an opportunity.            

“The enthusiasm for the business is what has kept us going, I’ve   never seen any business like it. The way our people portray the business, and the pride they take in what they do is just incredible.”         

NZ CEO Campbell Parker said a marked trend they’re seeing is the level of automation in their industry.

“The dairy industry in New Zealand has a long and proud history. The global demand for food is not going away. We have a lot of confidence in the dairy industry and farmers have a way of finding their way through the myriad of challenges they face. I think the ones that adopt more technology and get clear about what they’re producing will be paid a premium for it.”                

That might mean adopting technology like Waikato Milking Systems’ Heat & Health collars that provide information on individual cow’s wellbeing. Or their patented Smart Sensing technology that gives farmers insight to the components in the milk their cows produce.             

Campbell said the uptake in New Zealand in terms of advanced technology was still low.                       

“I’d describe it [using advanced technology] as in its infancy, whereas if you go overseas it’s been common practice for years…farmers using the information a milking system can now produce, make more informed decisions and get better financial returns.”                    

And another reason to use technology, Campbell added, was farmers milk more cows than they used to.                      

“Farmers will say ‘Grandad used to have 70 cows and knew them all by name’. Farmers now milk hundreds, if not thousands, each day. Without technology cows are just numbers – our technology makes them individuals.”                  

In 2014 Waikato Milking Systems acquired Hi-Tech Enviro Solutions, a company specialising in effluent and irrigation equipment, certification, supportive technology and professional advice. Until this time Waikato Milking Systems focused specifically on milking systems, cooling and refrigeration. 

Today’s farmers face a raft of environmental challenges and compliance issues. Hi-Tech Enviro Solutions provides systems design and advice that ensures farms are compliant with regulation. 

“Our purpose is to help farmers safeguard their environment and continue to farm sustainably. 

“One of the things that make us successful is our staff and their commitment. We tailor a range of products to suit the specific needs of farmers around the world. This requires an innovative and adaptive approach from every member of our team.”