Udder Disinfection System Developed for Cotswold Dairy Equipment

Demonstrating the wide variety of projects that IDC is involved in, the team has just supported the development of an udder disinfection system for Cotswold Dairy Equipment. This is the first product of its kind to offer a non-drip chemical solution for disinfecting the udders of cows after milking, at speed, as they stand in the milking parlour.

After nearly 50 years in the dairy equipment business, Cotswold Dairy Equipment had seen a progression of udder disinfection products from the most basic bottle-squeezing disinfectant, which was slow and labour-intensive; to a sophisticated hand-held device attached to a chemical disinfectant line. This latest device had offered speed and simplicity, but had not made it to market as there had been numerous problems with the disinfectant not being properly contained within the device, leading to high wastage and mess. Cotswold Dairy wanted to produce a more effective device than this and knew exactly what they needed to achieve, but felt they didn't have the knowledge to produce it themselves. For the first time, the team invested in the help of an outside design consultancy and selected IDC for the job.

IDC quickly came up with concepts that would enable efficient udder disinfection, while minimising chemical waste and improving usability. The initial designs were prototyped and tested, followed by various iterations of the design and multiple prototypes to ensure the most suitable outcome was achieved. Working very closely with Cotswold Dairy, the team ended up designing a product with internal storage areas to prevent waste of the chemicals, even if it was upside down. As a hand-held product, it was designed to be ergonomic with features like a discreet hook that could be used to hang the device. As well as this, a sealed join was included within the device so it could be easily disassembled for cleaning. IDC’s design team worked alongside IDC Models to produce models throughout the development and prototypes for testing in dairies in the UK and Belgium. The design was submitted for a patent application prior to its launch in Belgium in December.

The development team at Cotswold Dairy Equipment are delighted with the new product, which is unique in the market and offers great potential to be sold globally. Cotswold Dairy’s Max Gibson, commented, “The feedback on this product has been absolutely fantastic. People love it and we’re very pleased and excited to be able to take this product to market. Our investment with IDC was definitely money well spent.”