A First Among Firsts
Remote SR2 spray robot installation during pandemic BouMatic installed the first SR2 Spray Robot in Europe – and it was our first install completely done remote – and our first remote install during a pandemic.
A First Among Firsts
Remote SR2 spray robot installation during pandemic
BouMatic installed the first SR2 Spray Robot in Europe – and it was our first install completely done remote – and our first remote install during a pandemic.
BouMatic dealer, Zoomichaniki, was founded in 2019 by Andrikakis (Kostas) Konstantinos. They have installed more than 20 projects throughout Greece and Cypress in dairies ranging from 50 to 1000 cow herds. This latest installation though can be something that they can take a special pride in.
Our first quarter of 2020 started off with the excitement of this novel upcoming install of the SR2 in Greece in the plans. However, as the weeks unfolded, the extraordinary twist in events due to the sudden COVID-19 pandemic caused our team to resort to creativity, agility, and technology! We knew we would not be able to have technicians travel to Greece to assist in the installation and had to come up with a plan. At the time the spray robot left Madison, we were just in the beginning of the stay-at-home orders and travel bans.
The BouMatic U.S. technical team being led by Damien Constantine from Canada and the BouMatic European technical team being led by Guenter Korthauer from Germany worked together – but remotely – with Kostas from the dealership in Greece to install the spray robot on Giarimagas Dairy, a 50-stall external rotary Streamline basement parlor.
Craig Zell, Product Support Engineer, along with Damien and Aaron Oughton, Product Manager, supplied the installation manual as well as answered questions back and forth with the dealer concerning critical points on the placement of the robot, tubing, electrical and network requirements. Always keeping Guenter and his team informed as well. And that extra communication really paid off. Kostas mentioned to Guenter that he was “. . . very positive with the proposal. Actions like this will reinforce both BouMatic and Zoomichaniki.”
And the following Monday, they received a phone call from Kostas letting them know that he was ready to level the machine and start spraying! They quickly spun up a Microsoft Teams meeting where the entire robot technical team; Peter Elder, Jesse Barr, Alex Nadeau, Robert Spitzers, Nick Peden and Damien, were online.
Together they worked through the start-up checklist with our spray robot leads, Nick and Robert, answering additional questions. By using Teams, they were able to get the entire team cross-trained. Jesse and Peter were able to help troubleshoot wiring and PLC needs based on their robotic experiences.
On the second day of the install, the robot was up and spraying and treating cows.
“Technology continues to allow us to connect to anyone, anytime and anywhere in the world from many types of devices. Leveraging this, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has further solidified how great planning, communication and teamwork goes hand in hand with our products design – making the installation efforts quick and understandable no matter the language,” said Damien.
