GEA installed first ApolloMilkSystem in South America

A need for an automated milking process and a desire to increase the efficiency and reliability of the milking process prompted the Chilean dairy farmer El Trafún to purchase the GEA ApolloMilkSystem, which is the first of its kind in South America. With a herd of 650 cows, El Trafún is a mid-sized dairy farmer in Chile and a long-term GEA customer. GEA’s dipping and back-flushing system for conventional milking parlors automates the accurate dipping of the teats after milking and the effective disinfection of the cluster after each individual milking process. The system is in operation since November 2017.

"The GEA ApolloMilkSystem automatizes 30% of the manual steps in the milking process and also avoids any cross contamination between cows, which means that fewer employees are required in the parlor and cows are milked with less stress, more safely and with better comfort, leading to higher welfare and milk quality", explains Rene Urrea, Technical Sales Support at GEA. 

Furthermore, the GEA ApolloMilkSystem is the only automated post-dipping and backflush system that's been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which requires very high standards when it comes to food safety – an advantage which also contributed to convincing the customer.

The order marks a milestone for GEA, Rene Urrea emphasizes, because it's the first GEA ApolloMilkSystem that's ever been sold in South America. "When it comes to high technology milking systems, GEA is among the market leading suppliers. As El Trafún is a well-known dairy farmer in Chile, this recent order will certainly be a decisive factor when it comes to future opportunities for similar orders in the region”, he concludes.