Director's Brief
By Byron Wolff
Welcome to our warm spring newsletter. Once again it seems to be the season for braking records, with the warmest winter on record in many areas. Let’s hope this helps for an early spring break for the northern half of our great country. Speaking of great things reminds me of a conversation that I recently had with someone about a not so great product that they had purchased. “I paid real money for this thing” he said pointing to the article, “and look at it – only fit for landfill”.
Personally, I am severely challenged by the knowledge of what the global consumer economy is doing to humanity and the planet – all driven by price and price alone. There is an old adage “a poor man always pays twice”. If you buy cheap, not only will you buy twice, three times etc., but ultimately you will pay in other ways such as pollution leading to illness. These back-end costs are infinitely worse and are past your own lifespan, but onto the lives of your children and grandchildren, their health and well-being. According to a 2014 Nielsen study, 41 percent of Americans responded that they are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to making a positive impact socially and environmentally. It is interesting to note that among all global respondents to the survey, which spanned 60 countries, more than half of those who would pay extra for a sustainable product were under the age of 34. Maybe the future of this planet is in good hands!
Enjoy the newsletter, and the mad dash towards the end of 2017!
Have you visited our factory?
288 Inverramsay Road, 74 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 12.5 km later you will be at Thompson Longhorn.
Automated trade display at our factory
Our opening hours are 8.00am until 5.00pm Monday to Friday.
An appointment is necessary for factory tours. To book an appointment please call us on (07) 4666 6174.
Thompson Longhorn,
288 Inverramsay Road,
Goomburra Qld 4362
Safety in the yards
By Danielle O'Neill
Accidents in the yards – we’ve all experienced them whether they are major or minor. Yes, I have received a few injuries – getting kicked, horns in the side of legs, hit by gates, broken knuckles, put up on rails – the list could go on. And let’s be realistic we’ve all swept some sort of injury under the carpet.
But in recent times there has been an increase in focus on the number of injuries and deaths that are occurring in the agriculture industry.
Beef Central published an article which highlights the alarming amount of injuries that occur in the industry. Particularly, it focused on how there are different elements to every operation – for example, most places of work also act as a place of recreation and leisure.
Field day at Kerwee Feedlot showing the operational and safety features that our equipment offers you
Understandably not every cattle handling facility will be free of accidents – whether it applies to the you or the animal. But how do you create a safer working environment? What equipment should you implement in your facility which makes handling cattle safer? Why should you change from the old ways? How do you choose between manual, pneumatic, hydraulic, or an automated operation?
The questions can stack up when you are considering to rebuild a set of yards or if your updating a piece of equipment. It can become quite a confusing and often drawn out process trying to ensure that all of your requirements are met, particularly if you are trying to create a safe working environment for you and your workers.
Thompson Longhorn product's being used in Canada
Our team at Thompson Longhorn understand that not all operations are going to be the same but whether you are in the feedlot, saleyard, station or a stud stock producer productivity and safety for you and your animals is paramount.
The ergonomic design of our products has accounted for the various elements that you may encounter when handling your animals.
We are continually developing our products through our active role in research and development, we have and are continually evolving our products to ensure that they best meet and often exceed your operational requirements.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland viewing the automated cattle crates
Today, its not just about getting the job done but getting it done safely. Our team here at Thompson Longhorn are dedicated to improving the overall safety, efficiency and productivity of your cattle handling facility whilst having a positive effect on your return on investment.
To find out more information on how Thompson Longhorn can help you achieve a safer, productive animal handling facility, contact our office today on (07) 4666 6174 or sales@thompsonlonghorn.com.au
Another Innovation Challenge
By Simon Anderson
At Thompson Longhorn, there is always something interesting being created. There are many wild ideas about new and innovative ways that things can be done and as a member of the design team, I am partly responsible for developing these ideas into a concept.
One such idea that gained sudden traction came from a simple question, “If the most advanced and important part of the yards is the core equipment in the middle, can I easily take it to a separate set of yards and quickly set it back up?” Now this question would have numerous advantages if something could be made to work. The biggest benefit would be seen by a large station that has numerous yards around the property but doesn’t want to invest too much into every one of them.
Standard Thompson Longhorn core working centre
Imagine if you could just pick up your core working area after you have finished using it for the day and it is trucked over to the next yard to run cattle through it the next day. It sounds so simple. We put the design to the test.
The simplest solution that would occur to many people would be to simply construct the yard out of pin together panels and gates. Possibly even pin together equipment. However, there are problems with the pin together yards; they take too long to set up, they rattle and make noise and they move when you don’t want them too. Portable yards are also typically less durable as they are built out of lighter materials and less safe when not installed correctly.
Concept transportable working centre - Unpacked
The advantage of Thompson Longhorn having 3D modelling software is immediately noticed when you start trying to tackle this sort of dilemma. We investigated many different methods of disassembly and re-assembly to make the process as efficient as possible and in the end, the thought occurred to us that maybe the whole floor could be lifted onto a truck with all the equipment attached! This would facilitate both the ease of transport and quick installation criteria.
Many challenges faced us with this idea as well. For instance, to travel on the roads there are width restrictions that should be adhered to, avoiding the need to have escort vehicles and incurring heftier transportation fees. The dilemma with this is that some equipment such as our crowding yards are too large to fit on a trailer fully assembled. This is where we had to get clever. The design team took on the challenge and imagined multiple innovative ways that the equipment could be constructed to meet this new purpose. Eventually we got something to look like it will work and the general proof of concept was complete.
Concept transportable working centre - Packed
Now all that is left is the most exciting part. Making it actually work in the real world and putting it to the test.
Have you read our free e-book?
Our free e-book outlines some of the perennial challenges and questions that you may face when you are looking to invest in new equipment or a new set of yards. We understand that this can be a confusing and complicated process, our e-book shows you how we can make this process easier for you.
Click here to receive your free copy today!
Quick Links
288 Inverramsay Road, Goomburra, Qld, 4362,
Ph: (07) 4666 6174, Fax: (07) 4666 6242
www.thompsonlonghorn.com.au