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Local invention cleans up on sales in the dairy industryForward thinking by a local company has again proven that leading edge innovation and initiative are ever present in Latrobe City. By Latrobe City Council - 3rd September 2003 - Back to News Designed for dairy farmers, the Speedwash Dairy Washdown System, developed by Traralgon-based Latrobe Irrigation and Pumps, is proving popular amongst farmers throughout Gippsland and beyond.
According to Wayne Sim, who along with Andrew McConnell developed the Speedwash system, farmers will now be able to safely wash down their dairy yards while being conscious of working within the Occupational Health and Safety guidelines.
"We have considered all the appropriate safety issues so all farm workers, relief milkers and family members are protected from injury," Mr Sim said.
"The Speedwash System is an in-situ double swivel steel pipe that directs a water jet, controlled by the operator, to wash down soiled dairy yards. The key to its manoeuvrability is the specially designed bronze swivels and curl-like piping that eliminates centrifugal thrust, hence the operator’s safety is assured during the washing process," Mr Sim explained.
Mr Sim and Mr McConnell are confident of the effectiveness of their invention and explained that the idea had come from dairy farmers themselves.
"Local dairy farmers, Bill and Helen Cawcutt, were eager to find a more efficient, safer and time-saving method of dairy wash down which also reduced water wastage. We felt that there was an answer and it was only a matter of thinking laterally. The Cawcutt’s dairy was used as a research facility and we owe them our thanks for their enormous input and patience," Mr Sim said.
"The system is designed with a maintenance-free philosophy. Put simply, farmers need equipment that ensures their capital outlay is well-placed.
According to Leo Billington, Investment Manager with Latrobe City’s Invest Latrobe development unit, Mr Sim and Mr McConnell should be commended for their ingenuity and vision.
"By deciding to invest time and money over a period of about 15 months to perfect a product to answer a client’s needs, they have invented a dairy wash system that is both safe and efficient. The encouragement from Bill and Helen Cawcutt now means the product can be confidently released to the market knowing it can be used for many different applications," Mr Billington said.
"The system is now being used on farms throughout Gippsland and into the Bega Valley, but its adaptability will no doubt be beyond dairy yards. This local product could soon find its way into truck wash down areas, cleaning spills from road surfaces and the like and we should be proud that Latrobe City is the home of this new product," Mr Billington continued..
"In fact, interest is now being shown by the Australian Army in Darwin to clean earth-moving equipment, and farmers in Queensland are also beginning to take notice of the local invention," Mr Billington added.
Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss urged other local inventors to maintain their faith in developing suitable products to meet the demands of a diverse market.
"There are many examples of products that begin their life as an idea, perhaps initially spurned by many but, through perseverance, profitable niche markets can be discovered," Cr Middlemiss said.
Latrobe City confirmed in a very large way that it is an innovative leader, during the Latrobe Innovation Festival held earlier this year. As demonstrated by the inventiveness of the Speedwash Dairy Washdown System, we once again see members of our community highlighting their skills and innovativeness," Cr Middlemiss said.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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