Just a year and a half after the start of the Lely Taurus programme, the one hundredth Lely Astronaut milking robot has been reconditioned and certified.
Lely Taurus was set up at the end of 2009 in response to the growing market for second-hand milking robots. Since then, the robots with the Lely Taurus certificate have been sold in twelve countries. These are mainly countries where robot milking has become an integral part of a modern dairy cattle company, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. The one hundredth Lely Astronaut milking robot with Taurus certificate has been sold to a client in the area of the Lely Center in Cologne, Germany.
Robots with the Lely Taurus certificate are second-hand Lely Astronaut milking robots that have been reconditioned in the factory and brought completely up-to-date; in short, robots that can be used for milking for years to come. Thanks to the high quality and robust construction and components, a reconditioned Astronaut milking robot is a popular choice for many dairy farmers. A complete reconditioning overhaul extends the economic life span of the Astronaut milking robot; the oldest robot that has been reconditioned was built in 1997. The Lely Taurus certificate is only awarded to a robot if it meets seven basic conditions. The robot must, for example, have a known history and it is tested extensively on more than 160 parts and functionalities. By upgrading the used Astronaut milking robot, new technology is available for the dairy farmer. Lely customers profit from the lowest costs per milking, whether they work with a new or reconditioned robot.
Lely expects the market for second-hand milking robots to grow in the coming years by the same percentage with which the market for new robots developed in the past ten years. Dairy farmers who have written off their machine after eight years and wish to enjoy the possibilities offered by new technology, are applying in larger numbers for a part-exchange price. This means that another group of dairy farmers sees that a reconditioned milking robot offers the potential of further automating their company with limited financial resources. By supplying this group with good quality reconditioned milking robots for an attractive price and with a 1 year guarantee, Lely provides a service to both its existing and new customers.
The relocation, dismantling, cleaning, reconditioning and upgrading of the Lely Astronaut milking robot is carried out or supervised by certified Lely mechanics.
