GEA’s largest automated milking facility in Europe
“If you’re going to do something, do it right” is what Koen Veldkamp, Managing Director of Agrar GmbH Cottbus West promised himself when he developed his vision of a barn for 800 dairy cows located in Krieschow, Germany. That’s why when he started planning, he got in touch with sales at GEA and his local GEA dealership center.
The common goal was to find a solution that improves animal welfare, increases efficiency and delivers high milk quality in a resource-conserving operation in order to achieve long-term sustainability. One of the most exciting and exemplary aspects of the project was the use of time-saving innovative construction methods to commission GEA's intelligent milking robot technology in record time in what is currently the largest GEA automated milking facility in Europe.
Minimizing the use of water and energy and environmentally sound management
Nowadays, anyone planning a big facility for up to 800 cows not only has to calculate operating costs, but must also take environmental aspects into account. That’s why Koen Veldkamp decided on the GEA DairyRobot R9500. Three milking boxes are connected to each of the six installed supply units, with 16 boxes currently in operation; further boxes can easily be added if required. This means less equipment, lower water and power consumption, fewer maintenance processes and finally a lower investment than other milking box systems. In addition, it also needs less personnel and time input because a system of this size can be operated by only two people.
