Case Study: Schipper Eggs
Remote feed mill control means happier operators, happier hens, & better eggs
The Challenge
In raising and caring for the hens that deliver the goods, commercial egg producers like Holland, Michigan-based Schipper Eggs must store, mix, and move tons of grain—the nutritionally balanced poultry feed the hens need.
Schipper Eggs’ automated feed mill is typical: raw grain, usually corn, is mixed with soybean meal, vitamins, and minerals, and then transported to the buildings that house the egg-laying hens. Automated feeders deliver the feed to the hens.
At a large egg producer like Schipper Eggs, the feed mill operates 14-16 hours a day. The automated mill runs reliably, but during operation it used to be mostly unsupervised. Facilities Manager Dan Berghorst knew additional oversight was needed.
“We needed a way for the operators to have instant remote access,” he explains, “including being able to monitor the mill’s operational status and also start, stop, or modify how the feed was being mixed.”
Berghorst was asked to implement a remote monitoring system.