There was a need for us to change milking site when our old unit was overcapacity and outdated. On pondering what type of milking system to use, we stumbled across James Hudson as he was involved with supplying concrete slats. He took us to visit other farms with unit which he had designed, which we found very useful. To that end James had past experience with robots and understood cow flow and optimum dimensions required for the smooth operation of the unit. We found it particularly useful to be able to sit at our kitchen table with his computer aided design (CAD) program and look at what if scenarios, which helped very much to get the perspectives right as well as the practicalities. Between us we were able to come up with a design that we were both happy with. After the initial outline plan we were able to further improve the finer details and incorporate other useful features. Since completing the unit the cows have settled in very well and we have seen a yield increase of around 20% which is partly attributed to the robots and partly a testament to the building layout and design. I would recommend James Hudson, as he has the in depth knowledge of all aspects of dairy unit design, and with his CAD skills and personality is able to deliver a unit to be proud of a pleasure to operate in.

The Newbould Family, Gisburn, Lancashire