Director's Brief
By Byron Wolff
Welcome to the summer 2017 Thompson Longhorn newsletter. Greetings to our new readers and a warm welcome back to our loyal readers.
Despite the cold dry winter, we are grateful for the "never say die" attitude of our clients who are constantly looking at ways to remodel their businesses and innovate. This attitude means that the Australian business community and consumers have plenty to be grateful for, with a high quality robust and affordable fresh food supply chain.
The summer outlook is for above average rainfall in many areas, so let's keep our fingers crossed that we will all be looking towards a strong 2018.
2017 has been a busy year for the Thompson Longhorn team. With a heavy focus on innovation, the research and development team have several new developments in various stages of design and testing. Whilst we can't say too much about these products just yet, be assured that you will see the fruit of their labour in 2018!
With less than a month remaining of 2017, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers and staff for their support this year. Thank you for entrusting Thompson Longhorn with some part of your future. It has been an absolute working with you and I look forward to doing so for many years to come.
Warwick Campdraft and Rodeo
By Danielle O'Neill
Recently, Thompson Longhorn sponsored the 2017 Warwick Campdraft and Rodeo. This year we provided the committee with our core operating centre to help with the drafting of the mixed, or boxed, campdraft cattle.
It was a privilege to supply the committee with our equipment to increase operator safety and animal welfare whilst maintaining productivity. In the past, volunteers have had to re-draft the cattle into correct vendor lots via lane drafting. This method was slow, drawn out and dangerous. The supply of our core operating centre means that the volunteers are taken out of high pressure areas and are able to process the cattle quickly and safely.
We pride ourselves on being able to manufacture equipment that increases operator safety and animal welfare whilst maintaining a high level of productivity.
Storm passing by Thompson Longhorn's core operating centre at the Warwick Campdraft and Rodeo
Another aspect of the campdraft and rode was our trade store. Our trade store was a first for Thompson Longhorn. The store included some of our products that we manufacture and a demonstration of how we can design yards to suit different operating requirements. One of the interesting aspects of having a trade store was the vast array of visitors and the ebb and flow of the crowd. It is always a pleasure to speak with individuals from around Australia and to learn about their current operations or how mother nature has either provided a good or bad season.
One of the key highlights of our trade store was the competition to win a set if stainless steel longhorns. Valued at $1,000 these horns make for a nice decorative feature to any home or office.
Congratulations to Barry and Liz Miller from Rhondu Stude, Mingela, for winning our competition.
A big thank you to all of the committee members, volunteers, sponsors, competitors and spectators for creating a great atmosphere during the week. It was great to see such a good turnout for this year's event and we hope that next year will see the continued support of the campdraft and rodeo.
Droning On
By Simon Anderson
At Thompson Longhorn we have been using drones for quite a while to capture accurate information about existing yards. We use the pictures and videos that we capture to create a plan view of your yards and create the design concept right over the existing infrastructure, utilising as much of the existing yards as possible. This is a priceless way to ensure that our designs meet your needs and minimises expenditure.
Drone images help with creating a plan view of your yards
Drone technology is advancing very quickly. It does not seem like it was long ago that we had our first drone, a DJI Phantom. This was a huge step up from very blurry satellite imagery that we had been working with but there were still a few issues. We still needed to correct the fishbowl type distortion of the images and deal with the relatively short flight distance and time. There were many times that you had to land and change batteries before you could get the photos you wanted. Another challenge was that the drone was not very convenient to pack up and take places as the carry case was the size of a medium suitcase.
Drones have come a long way with the advances of technology
The drones that we have used over the years have been slowly upgraded as better technologies become available. Recently we have upgraded our drone to the newest generation, a DJI Mavic Pro. There are some enormous differences from our first experience. The picture quality is better, improving details on drawings. The fishbowl effect is gone, making the photos scalable. The flight time is longer, meaning less time changing batteries to collect all the info. The range is much further, enabling better video without having to follow the drone. Some other bonuses are that the drone is smarter. You can't crash into the ground, walls, trees or anything really. We haven't specifically tried to crash into things, but the built-in collision avoidance is amazing.
Drone image with yard design concept over laid
Possibly the coolest thing of all is that the drone now packs up smaller than ever. A mere 83mm x 198mm. Almost small enough to fit in a pocket and a far cry from the bulky suitcase that once had to be lugged around.
At the end of the day, the biggest advantage for our customers is that it is easy for us to bring a drone, quickly gather data and provide you with an accurate plan for your future yard upgrades.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year
On behalf of all of the Thompson Longhorn team, we thank you for your continued support throughout 2017. We hope you have a safe and prosperous Christmas and New Year. We shall see you in 2018.
Have you read our free e-book?
Our free eBook outlines some of the perennial challenges and questions that you may face when you are looking to invest in new equipment or yards. We understand that this can be a confusing and complicated process, our eBook shows you how we can make the process easier for you.
Have you visited our factory?
288 Inverramsay Road, 75 kilometres from Toowoomba
We welcome you to visit us to see our automated trade display and our robotic welding facility. Our factory is only a 50 minute drive from Toowoomba. Simply turn east just south of Allora at the Goomburra turnoff and 12.5km later you will be at Thompson Longhorn.
An appointment is necessary for factory tours. To book an appointment please call us on (07) 4666 6174.
288 Inverramsay Road, Goomburra, Qld, 4362
Ph: (07) 4666 6174, Fax: (07) 4666 6242,
Email: sales@thompsonlonghorn.com.au
www.thompsonlonghorn.com.au
Opening hours: 8.00am until 5.00pm Monday to Friday