EXECUTING SUCCESSFUL ROBOTIC MILKING STARTUPS

This is the final installment of the 3-part series on successful startups. Part 1 focused on expectations for a successful startup citing the second of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – “Begin with the end in mind.” Part 2, on planning, referred to habits 6, 1, and 7 – synergize, be proactive, and sharpen the saw. Now it’s time to milk the first cows. and execute the plan. Spoiler alert, even with the best plan, things will go wrong. Cows will kick the robots. Gates will be left open. Groups will be mixed. The plan will need to be adjusted. General Eisenhower said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” That’s not to say your startup will be a battle. It is to say that the plan might have to change, and preparation will make those adjustments easier. Covey’s third and fifth habits apply to executing successful robotic milking startups.

Put First Things First

Remember what’s most important. First has to be safety – both for people, and for cows.

Make sure everyone understands the risks involved with working around cows and robots. Show every worker how the robot moves and explain the risks involved. Cows move quickly, and it is easy to take shortcuts and make compromises, especially towards the end of a long shift. Keep everyone well rested. A close second is cow health. Cows need access to feed, water, and resting space, and they need to be milked in a timely manner. Put someone who knows the priorities in charge of each shift. Make sure everyone knows their role when the shift changes, and who to ask for help when the unexpected happens.

Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood

See the process through the cow’s eyes. Understand how she reacts to her handling and environment. The goal is to create a positive experience for the cow throughout the startup process. Make sure the people pushing the cows understand her blind spots and flight zones. Stock sticks and canes might be useful to extend your reach when guiding cows. Do not use them to strike cows. Keep cows moving through fetch pens and commitment pens. It is a bad experience for her if she spends a long time away from feed and water in the commitment pen. It is an even worse experience for you, if you allow difficult-to-handle cows to stay in the commitment pen. It is easier to handle one difficult cow alone than it is to handle 5 of the most difficult cows in the commitment pen at once.

Your startup will progress from pushing all cows, to pushing some cows, to fetching cows. It can be tempting to move too quickly from one stage to the next. Cow numbers are important here too. With 45 to 50 cows per robot, there will be time to test the flow by allowing cows to come to the robot voluntarily at the beginning of each session. Traffic will be slow during this time, and the overdue cows will accumulate quickly if there are more than 50 cows per robot.

The week of startup can be challenging, but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the barn start to flow. Patience is key. Don’t rush the process. Remember that the goal is to establish a nucleus of well-trained cows to teach new cows that are added to the group.