|
On December 9th, 2003, we celebrated five years continuous operation of the DeLaval Voluntary Milking System VMS at Kungsängen, Uppsala, the Swedish University of Agriculture's research farm. Since this prototype VMS was installed at Kungsängen in December 1998, it has been watched, adjusted and subjected to many research studies with very positive results. The research has shown that the VMS offers improved milk quality and labour conditions, fewer accidents, superior cow health and more efficient cow traffic. By measuring a cow's health and yield by udder quarter, rather than as a whole, the VMS helps farmers diagnose disease earlier, and keep cows healthier. Creating a more natural milking schedule also benefits cow health and milk quality, hence improving profitability.
By taking research studies into account, and by listening closely to our VMS customers, DeLaval has learnt a great deal about how to build on the technology, how to simplify the design and how to make VMS more accessible to more farmers around the world
Back to top
Terezine, located near Kiev in the Ukraine's largest milk producing region, is a crop and dairy cattle breeding farm that was privatised in 2000. The farm's 600 cows averaged 5,653 kg of milk each in 2002, yielding a 32 per cent return on investment. Now Terezine has invested in the first full DeLaval parlour in the CIS, a 2x16 GE/GI parallel parlour installed in a fully equipped custom built barn. At the flag flying opening celebrations, Ukraine's Minister of Agriculture acknowledged Terezine as a pioneer in the use of hi-tech dairy farming technologies. Taking a strategic role in the rebuilding of this former state-owned farm has provided high visibility for DeLaval in a core farming area.
400 of the 3,200 milking cows at the Barybino Farm Agro Complex near Moscow are being milked in a new DeLaval HBR rotary parlour, which was opened with great ceremony in December. The new parlour continues the expansion of DeLaval milking technology into the Russian Federation. Barybino, now with nine DeLaval milking parlours and associated equipment, is one of the most profitable agricultural enterprises in Russia.
Back to top
Historically, DeLaval has had a strong market share in Serbia and in 2003 we made our largest sale ever in the country, to PKB-Korporacija. PKB is a massive agricultural complex. The farm sells its entire milk yield to milk processor Imlek, providing 25 per cent of Imlek's total milk supply. Now PKB is receiving a substantial loan from Imlek to upgrade all its barns. PKB has ordered 59 complete DeLaval tied-up milking systems, to support over 7,000 cows.
The Sales Company CSEE & CIS and President Leszek Jarosz received the Polish "Personality of the Market - Mercury 2003" award, for outstanding achievements in building organisation and sales of DeLaval products in Eastern and Southern Europe.
The award winning dairy performance tester VPR 100 is meeting a need. A very functional instrument with testing and database capabilities, it was specifically designed to be used by service engineers. Since its launch in January, orders for the VPR 100 have exceeded forecast sales by 37 per cent.
Back to top
The DCC was launched on the German market and in Holland, where reference installations have been running since spring 2003. The reference veterinarians and dairy farmers are very satisfied with the DCC and its measurement performance. The DCC makes it possible for the first time in dairy farming history to measure somatic cells on the farm with high accuracy and receive the result numerically in less than one minute.
With the production of quality milk from healthy cows both desired by consumers and of measurable cost benefit to farmers, new cow comfort products are in demand. The DeLaval cow mattress M100 is a premium cow bedding solution, which provides maximum shock absorbency, softness and elasticity. With a durable, non-slippery waterproof surface it is easy to clean as well as to install. One farm in the south of Sweden was using mainly deep straw bedding. After testing different mattresses and seeing cows using the M100 mattress in the VMS barn at Hamra Farm, they have installed 582 M100 on their farm.
140 swinging cow brushes were sold in five days at the Agriculture Exhibition in Zuidlaren, the Netherlands in December. The DeLaval swinging cow brush has a unique swinging action, so a cow can manoeuvre the brush in any direction to groom more of its body than can be reached with ordinary brushes. It keeps cows busy, stimulates blood flow, and helps ensure cows do not groom themselves by scratching against the barn.
Back to top
DeLaval Operations, Sp.z.o.o. Wroclaw, Poland gained approval of the recertification audit quality assurance system. It is valid in all four DeLaval Operations Sp.z.o.o. in Poland: Milking, Hygiene and Cooling factories in Wroclaw and the Feeding Factory in Dobre Miasto. Hygiene GMU at Drongen - Division DL Chemicals - Milk Quality and Animal Health, also achieved ISO 9001.2000 certification in October, from SGS Group, Belgium.
DeLaval Brazil increased their market presence by introducing the mobile shop as a new sales and service channel, with two mobile shops operating by the end of 2003.
Back to top
In June, DeLaval hosted 3D - New Dimensions in Dairy Development, an international conference at Hamra Farm in Tumba, Sweden. 3D focused on securing the supply of safe, good quality milk for all. World leading experts in the agri-dairy business gathered at Hamra, our research and development farm, to look at the whole value chain from cow to consumer. Discussions were stimulated by comparisons on how milk is produced, processed, marketed and consumed in different parts of the world, under widely varying conditions. Videos showing dairying in the United States, France, Russia, Brazil and New Zealand were enhanced by presentations from the farmers and dairy experts seen in the films.
The 250 guest at 3D came from 35 major dairying countries: farmers, processors, retailers, consumers, advisors, politicians, animal welfare specialists and media representatives. This reflected the importance DeLaval places on working together with our customers, scientists and the wider dairy industry community.
Special guests at the opening of the conference were Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Dr. Jacques Diouf, the director general of the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and Larry Pillard, chairman of the Tetra Laval Group.
DeLaval was accepted as a partner of the FAO to focus the conference on agriculture and food supply - on the imbalance between areas with issues of oversupply and overconsumption, and those struggling with problems of poverty and malnutrition. The success of the 3D approach to dairying can be seen in conferences in Poland and early 2004 in Moscow, continuing the Hamra theme: understanding the diversity of dairying and cow welfare, production and consumer issues.
Back to top
|
