Västerdala On West AB has been engaged in mixed farming, milk production, and dairy cattle breeding since 1988 in Äppelbo, Sweden. Over the years, they have applied mechanical herd management products from Sveaverken, building a deep partnership. The owner of Västerdala, when he heard about RoboPusher Nimbo, a vision-guided feed-pushing robot from Sveaverken, he was impressed by its fully automatic functions.

Trust is the key

The farm owner of Västerdala learned about RoboPusher Nimbo when he was on a call with Sveaverken team about ordering spare parts for a manure pump. At that time, Sveaverken was preparing to launch the new edition of automatic feed pusher - RoboPusher Nimbo, and looking for a barn for testing. The fully automatic function piqued his interest.

The manual sweeping feed table work has troubled them for a long period of time. He estimated they swept the feed table manually about 12 times per day and for about 30 minutes each time. It means that pushing the feed to the cows costs them 6 hours every day. Out of trust in long-standing relationship with Sveaverken, coupled with his desire to reduce manual labor, the owner decided to bring RoboPusher Nimbo into his barn, which housed approximately 170 dairy cows.

In March 2023, the first machine was set up and deployed in the barn, and testing data from this initial deployment played a crucial role in the subsequent launch of the robots. The farm owner set up the pushing time and the route for RoboPusher Nimbo, and let it work once every hour 24/7. He was impressed by how RoboPusher Nimbo made his work easier and improved his cows’ feed availability.

What impressed him most

The owner was highly impressed with RoboPusher Nimbo's features and performance.

• Fully automatic function. Once the hourly pushing time 24/7 and route are set, RoboPusher Nimbo pushes the feed independently around the barn, relieving them of the tedious frequent feed sweeping work.
• Long battery time. RoboPusher Nimbo works up to 16 hours a day and it will return to get charged when it is low on power. This feature ensures continuous operation and prevents any disruption to the feeding schedule. So, the cows’ feed intake and feed consumption are ensured in the barn.
• Small turn radius to fit the feed table. RoboPusher Nimbo's turning radius is only 1.2 meters, making it a perfect fit for the barn's feeding alley, which is approximately 2 meters wide. The robot's maneuverability allows it to navigate tight spaces effortlessly.
• Easy installation and maintenance. RoboPusher Nimbo's modular design makes it very easy to install, and maintenance in the barn is so far limited to cleaning the camera lens now and then according to the farm owner.

The changes

As per Västerdala farm owner, since RoboPusher Nimbo started operating in the barn in March, 6 hours of daily manual sweeping work has been eliminated. He has noted that the cows eat more and better now with higher feed consumption, and almost no feed is wasted anymore. This leads to higher milk production and better animal welfare. He is now highly likely to recommend RoboPusher Nimbo to his fellow dairy farmers, given the positive changes he has experienced firsthand.

In conclusion, Västerdala's decision to deploy RoboPusher Nimbo into the barn showcases their trust in Sveaverken and the long-standing partnership they have developed. RoboPusher Nimbo's impressive features, such as its fully automatic function, long battery life, small turn radius, and easy installation, have had an efficient impact on Västerdala's dairy farming operations. As a result, the farm owner is eager to recommend RoboPusher Nimbo to other dairy farmers, confident that it will revolutionize their herd management as it has for him.