Livestock precision has been taking more and more space in the field and making Livestock ranchers’ work more efficient and profitable. Different technological solutions in Livestock have been adopted in the different links of the production chain, showing that there is a wide horizon for a production in less time and space, which increases productivity and production gains.
However, these technologies need periodic reviews and maintenance in order to perform their full technical potential.
In this blog post, we will better understand the importance of maintenance, how to perform it, and it´s positive impact on production systems.
Importance of technological solutions in Livestock precision
When we look at livestock farming in the last years, it’s impossible not to notice the great impact that technological innovations have caused in the practices and operations of beef and dairy cattle farms.
Every year we notice a larger number of farms implementing in their routines, tools and solutions that optimize the processes in all steps of the productive systems.
Livestock precision is becoming more and more popular among farmers, as it expands the production horizon with the addition of techniques that increase the producer’s gains according to their objectives.
This technological wave covers from small farms – through the use of automatic coolers, gauges, mechanical milking machines and reproduction biotechnology, to large farms – with the use of autonomous tractors, robotic milking machines, drones, automated scales and management software capable of calculating the amount of feed to be provided or to assist in the decision-making process of animal management.
Review for excellence in the use of technology
Technological innovations are here to stay, being considerable allies for the farmers to obtain favorable results in their business. However, more than adopting a technological solution, it is important and essential to maintain and use them to their full potential. No matter how sophisticated and resistant the equipment is, periodic care is needed, because the equipment is subject to bad weather, impacts, and dirt from the animals’ feces and urine.
Each revision/maintenance must be planned, considering the ideal time for the action and who will provide the service. These procedures can make all the difference for your equipment to remain in perfect conditions of use, besides helping to extend the useful life of your technological solution.
Here are some important points that should be followed to check/maintain the quality of use of your technological solutions or devices.
Create a routine check of your equipment
The checking routine is an agenda with scheduled maintenance that allows an evaluation of your equipment in different spheres (hardware, software, and engineering). This routine allows you to anticipate possible problems, because it identifies non-conformities that can harm the equipment’s performance.
Predictive, Preventive and Corrective Maintenance are widely used in industries. The use of only one or all of them will depend on the maintenance strategy and criteria adopted by the company to maintain equipment availability and reliability.
– Predictive maintenance
It is the periodic follow-up of equipment, by collecting data through monitoring or inspections over time, analyzing trends of equipment variations. This maintenance is focused on a visual, audible, and tactile observation of the equipment in order to predict future problems.
– Preventive maintenance
Is maintenance performed at predetermined intervals, or according to prescribed criteria, designed to reduce the likelihood of failure or degradation of an item’s operation. In practical terms, it is a planned and systematic action that allows the review, control, and monitoring of equipment. The main objective is to reduce or prevent equipment failure.
– Corrective maintenance
It is the maintenance that occurs after the occurrence of a failure in the functioning of the equipment/device. It occurs when there is an irregular part, malfunctioning. This is an unscheduled maintenance, so it involves more drastic actions, and may result in the replacement of the damaged part and its components. In some cases, corrective maintenance can be avoided with preventive maintenance.
Responsibility with customers’ results
At Intergado we are focused on the quality of the data generated for our customers, therefore the After-sales Service is one of our major concerns. We do not only sell technology, but we deliver livestock precision value to our customer, with a complete support team and an active field team with constant visits to the farmers, to act preventively so that there is no interruption in weighing, tests and evaluations, leading to reliability in the data generated for the producer.
At each end of the feed efficiency test cycle or fattening cycle of animals in feedlots, our field support team makes periodic visits to perform preventive maintenance of all our technological solutions, which allows to maintain the quality of the equipment, improves its shelf life and reliable data generation.
Another strong point in the maintenance of our precision livestock solutions is the way our scales and electronic troughs are produced. All hardware and sensors components are protected with resistant plastics that guarantee durability and safety to the equipment.
The entire metallic structure of the scales is protected by galvanization process, which prevents feces and urine from damaging its structures. In addition, our field team conducts training with our customers explaining the correct forms of maintenance, system cleaning, and equipment cleaning.
For instance, our field team made a visit to Grama Senepol Farm, where the necessary adjustments were made through tests for cleaning, recalibration, and exchange of equipment parts to start the next evidence, leaving the entire infrastructure ready for the tests of efficiency of the farm.
