To be able to respond to the global food challenge for 2050, it is crucial to treat people, animals and the environment responsibly. To us that means being a trusted long-term partner for our customers. We also want to hand over a better world to the next generation by developing sustainable products.
Sustainable products
Nature and agriculture are inextricably linked. We support dairy farmers by coming up with sustainable solutions to minimise the use of water and energy.
Our goal is to achieve energy-neutral dairy farming, i.e. every farm uses only the energy that it generates itself. For this, we first look at reducing energy consumption. As an example, milking with more economical milking robots and using battery-powered automated feeding systems and barn cleaners.
With the Lely Vector feeding robot and the Lely Astronaut milking machine, we bring together efficiency in feeding and in milk production. Backed up by a management system called Lely T4C (Time for Cows). With T4C, farmers are able to run their farms sustainably at every hour of every day. In this way we help dairy farmers reduce their carbon footprint.
Sustainable product development
To be able to react quickly to changing market conditions, we make our own products at our own production facilities and work with local suppliers. This is a conscious choice: it allows us to develop continuously and in line with the agricultural sector. Only in this way can we be a trusted partner for our customers, now and in the future.
In the production process we look critically at all of the raw materials and processes that we need for making our machines. Wherever we can, we reduce the use of moving parts to ensure that our machines and solutions are prepared for long-term use. By reducing the use of materials, we make the machines more maintenance-friendly and their lifespan longer. The machines are durable, save natural energy resources as much as possible, or are energy neutral.
Two production facilities
Worldwide we have 2 production facilities. Each facility produces a part of our products. Maassluis (the Netherlands), is where we manufacture our products for use in the barn. In Pella, the United States, we manufacture for the local market and Duiven (the Netherlands) is the home of Lely Consumables, which is responsible for distributing our maintenance products and original parts.
Reconditioned milking robots
By making our products future-proof, we guarantee a long useful life. Our milking robot, the Lely Astronaut, has already proved itself to be a durable milking system. The machine continues to demonstrate unprecedented quality, even after many years of reliable service.
Our automatic milking system is revised and updated in the Lely Taurus project. The milking robots, with upgrades and technical adjustments, are labelled ‘Lely Taurus Certified’. They are ready to milk cows efficiently for many more years to come.