Keenan’s launched its new inTouch service system for dairy and cattle farmers at its conference in Dublin last week. The event doubled as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Keenan wagon. While there were a number of presentations about the advantages of the Keenan feeding system, the main emphasis was on the new Keenan inTouch system.
One of the key messages from the event was that the inTouch system was going to be made available to users of all brands of diet feeders. Keenan’s also announced that it is developing a robot-type automated feeding system, similar to those offered by Lely, Strautmann and Triolet for the future.
Gerard Keenan, chairman of the company, told the conference that the company had carried out research among its highest performing herds and found a feed efficiency level that was 40% higher than the average.
He said that inTouch is a collaboration program that enables thousands of farmers and their advisers and feed suppliers to get the benefit of precision feeding and nutrition.
“We are already working with many advisers, veterinarians, nutrition consultants and currently leading agri-food companies, including Dairygold in Ireland and Sanders in France, helping their customers to get more from concentrate feeds with the adoption of inTouch technology.”
What is Keenan inTouch?
Keenan’s says that inTouch is a technology-enabled service that it claims makes it easy for farmers to get more from their feed ingredients through precision feeding and nutrition, using a Keenan feeder naturally.
The new generation Keenan diet feeding machines are now being fitted with a mobile phone-type SIM card to the PACE control box, to automatically send information about the machine and its daily feeding cycle to a new centre in Kilkenny.
How does it work?
The system gives a daily automatic data transfer from the machine to the inTouch centre, which then provides remote monitoring of diet feeding machines on farms.
What happens next?
The data automatically coming from the feeding machine each day is monitored by computers using information based on Keenan-generated formulae to identify any changes from established data.
Once there is any change spotted, the Keenan inTouch advisers are automatically alerted to possible changes in the performance and work system of the machine.
The advisers then contact the farmer directly to advise on corrective action to bring the performance of the machine and the diet back on track.
Keenan’s believes that this is better than bombarding farmers with masses of computer data.
How much does it cost?
Gerard Keenan says the cost of the inTouch service is €1,100 per machine per year and that the cost of a new updated control box to accommodate the system is €3,300.
The cost of the daily text messages between the machine and the control centre is included in the annual fee.
What are the inTouch components?
There are four components to the Keenan inTouch system – Connect, FeedCare, Mech-Fiber Optimisation and MachineCare.
The Connect component links the machine automatically to the inTouch centre each day, sending information about the performance of the machine.
The FeedCare component is the back-up advice from the inTouch centre.
The machine owner only needs to input the correct data in terms of feed being used and its quality in order for the FeedCare backup team of advisers to give the necessary advice.
The Mech-Fiber Optimisation component is only available to users of Keenan Mech-Fiber machines.
The inTouch system gives step-by-step advice on how to get the best from the machine in terms of settings and machine operating strategies.
The MachineCare component is designed to tell the diet feeder machine owner when the machine needs to be serviced.
The system monitors the operating cycles of the machine and predicts the servicing needs.
The owner is then informed about what service is needed and those using the inTouch system will get a 15% discount on replacement parts, as well as a priority delivery within a 48-hour time frame.
Farmers who are part of the inTouch system can get a 20% buy-back price on a five-year-old Keenan diet feeding machine, depending on its condition.
Keenan’s are also now offering some parts of the inTouch system to users of other brands of diet feeding machines.
These owners will get the nutrient advice but, because of the nature of the machine, cannot use the Mech-Fiber system.
How does PACE and inTouch work together?
PACE is the software in the machine’s control box and stands for Performance Acceleration and Control Enhancement.
With the new inTouch system, it is linked to the control centre for advice and instructions by means of a SIM card rather than through a PACE connector as in the past, used on the farm’s computer.
On the Keenan machines, the system provides the user with the loading order of ingredients and the number of paddle revolutions required to process and mix them.
The first step is to use the PACE software to enter the ingredients to be used.
With inTouch, this information is sent to the Keenan data bank where it is processed.
The machine’s control box then receives instructions regarding the order of loading and the paddle rotations required to complete the mix.
The actual weight of ingredients used is recorded during the loading sequence to highlight any errors.
When the mix is ready, the system then automatically turns off the feeder if the tractor driving it has electronic control of the PTO drive.
With the addition of inTouch, the record of the rations fed and the machine’s functions is sent to the control centre, via the SIM card.
These two systems combined in the new inTouch service are designed to allow nutritionists to monitor proceedings and make diet changes when they are required.
Q: Does the cost (€1,100 per annum) include VAT? Is this applicable to just one machine or will I have to pay for each machine on the farm?
A: The fee includes VAT. If there are two machines, or where a farmer has two farms with Keenan feeders on each, then a single fee will apply at this stage, but each machine will have to be fitted with the Keenan PACE Connect type control box costing €3,300, including VAT, to connect to the inTouch centre.
Q: Do all of the 2013-manufactured Keenan feeding machines that have a PACE box fitted come with inTouch at no extra cost or does it have to be retro-fitted at the cost of €3,300 per control box?
A: Keenan’s has been fitting the PACE Connect box to diet feeders manufactured since July 2013. To use inTouch, the farmer must pay the annual subscription of €1,100. Older machines, which have a six-paddle mixer system and weigh cells, can be retro-fitted with the box.
Q: If I want to get inTouch for a non-Keenan machine will I get all four components?
A: The inTouch system will be offered on competitive diet feeder machines on a business-to-business arrangement with nutrition advice companies. The cost has not been confirmed and will depend on the number of users and other factors. The service will provide ration and nutrition advice for the farmers availing of the service for non-Keenan machines.
Q: If I cannot get some components as I do not have a Keenan machine, should I get the inTouch service at a lower cost than the €1,100 per annum? Will I get discounts on parts for my non-Keenan machine? And if so, will Keenan’s provide the replacement parts?
A: As the owner of a non-Keenan feeder, you will not be eligible for all of the four components, such as the MachineCare part. You will not be eligible to receive a 15% discount on parts as this only applies to Keenan machines.
Q: How does the cost of inTouch compare with the cost of the service offered by Keenan’s up to now?
A: The previous PACE system cost €450/annum based on a three-year software contract but did not offer SIM card automatic data transfer and modem in the PACE control box or nutrition advice. The new inTouch system costs €1,100 and includes a full nutrition and machine care service.
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