68 | nzdairy DAIRY SERVICES » Northland Milking Systems Ltd Transforming the region’s dairy sheds Karen Phelps When South African-born engineer Willem Laing arrived in New Zealand he could see how central the milking shed was to the life of a Northland farmer. His company, Northland Milking Systems Ltd, is now quietly transforming the region’s dairy sheds through clever engineering and practical innovation, all designed to save farmers time, stress and money. “Farmers work hard and time is money,” says Willem. “I want to deliver real value. Their dairy shed is the heartbeat of their business, so it’s essential it runs efficiently.” After arriving in New Zealand in 2019 Willem began working for Northland Metal Industries as an engineer. He built up the farm engineering side of the business and became involved in the repair and maintenance of rotary sheds. In 2023 he purchased that part of the business and established Northland Milking Systems. Since then it has become known for its down-toearth approach and inventive problem-solving. The company services and maintains rotary and herringbone sheds, backing gates, driver units, bale feeders and also manufactures farm and backing gates. It offers general farm engineering services including fabricating rump rails and vet races, as well as enlarging dairy yards for farmers. It is also a Reed Industrial agent. A focus is on extending the life of existing machinery when possible rather than simply replacing it. “I see value in what farmers already have and can help them repair it and save money,” says Willem. “One farmer was about to discard a $35,000 trailer but I repaired it for a fraction of the price.” Innovation is at the centre of everything the company does. “My previous employer said it took eight days to change a wear strip underneath a rotary because the cows had to be dried off,” explains Willem. “I looked at how to do it better and found a way to do it in two days in between milkings so the farmer isn’t losing time or production.” Recent projects have included installing feeder bins Willem manufactured for a rotary shed, replacing an I-beam under a rotary platform and re-engineering a rotary’s drive system. In one case, he removed the wear strip, machined new wheels and upgraded the bearings from a two-bearing system to a four- Northland Milking Systems has become known for its down-to-earth approach and inventive problem-solving. bearing design, giving the machinery far more resilience and reducing ongoing maintenance needs. “I make things stronger and more robust for farmers so they have fewer breakages and less maintenance,” says Willem. One of his innovations is a gearbox hub system. “Traditionally changing drive wheels on rotary gearboxes has been time-consuming, with farmers needing to source specific wheel sizes to match the gearbox. I’ve designed a universal fitting so a single wheel type can now fit all. During milking, if something breaks, the farmer can disconnect the gearbox and pop a new wheel on easily, no matter what size has broken,” he says. It is this kind of practical thinking that sets Northland Milking Systems apart. For Willem, it’s simple: “If I can make life easier for farmers and help them keep things running smoothly, that’s a good day’s work.” Call: 03 313 8606 f: @ReadIndustrial We are specialists in dairy milking technology Established in 1922 the Read family have 100 years’ experience designing and manufacturing dairy milking systems. Proudly supporting Northland Milking Systems
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