What does Orby Engineering do?

Orby Engineering manufactures in-parlour feeder systems for dairy farms. The Orby feeder works off a pneumatic air compressor system that dispenses feed accurately to cows in the milking parlour. We also have an electronic feeder system that works with electronic tags and allows the farmer to set individual feeding rates for cows. We’re currently developing an electronic feeder to be launched in 2019.

When was the company founded?

The company was founded over 50 years ago by Orby Brown, who developed the original feeder design we still use today. It’s a remarkable design as an Orby feeder has more than 200 components inside. In 2016, Orby was acquired by the Exact Group, a precision engineering business based in Newry that primarily manufactures components for the aerospace sector.

Why did Exact buy the company?

Stephen Cromie, managing director of Exact Group, decided to buy Orby Engineering in 2016 when he saw it was for sale. Stephen grew up on a farm and remembered Orby feeders on the farm. He knew it was a high-quality engineering business. Since acquiring the business, Exact has brought its aerospace engineering expertise through to the Orby business. All Orby feeders are now made at the same site in Newry where Exact manufactures aerospace components.

How does this help?

When Exact first acquired the business, the lead time for customers looking for a new feeder was 16 weeks. We’ve got that down to two weeks now. Ninety-five per cent of the components in an Orby feeder are manufactured here in-house, which allows us have closer control of our direct costs and be more competitive.

What trends do you see in farming?

Farming is becoming more and more about efficiency. Farmers are looking for precision when it comes to the cow’s diet and they want to be able to measure everything and manage costs. For example, overfeeding on a 200-cow herd farm can cost the farmer up to €3,000 per year. Our feeders are tested to be 99.9% accurate in delivering the correct volume of feed to the cow.

How much does the system cost and does it qualify under TAMS II?

The cost of an Orby feeder system fully installed ranges from €700 to €1,000 per double feeder depending on spec. TAMS II assistance is available when you buy the system.

A young farmer can qualify to receive up to 60% towards the cost of our electronic and standard batch feeder systems, while general farmers can get up to 40% support towards either feeder system, which is a big incentive for farmers.

What is your route to market?

We work directly with milking machine manufacturers and we have 42 agents covering all of Ireland. We’re currently expanding our agent coverage into mainland UK and markets in Europe.

Profile

Title: Technical Sales Manager.

Company: Orby Engineering.

Location: Newry, Co Down.

Cost of feeder: €700-€1000 per double feeder (installed).