Working time studies in conventional and automatic milking systems with one or two AMS units

Time studies were made on four farms with conventional milking (tandem parlour 2×3), four farms with one AMS unit and four farms with two units. From this study, it is possible to make estimations of expected labour savings when investing in an automatic milking system (AMS) and the big scale advantages when investing in two AMS units. The conclusion of this study is that working time can be approximately 2.4 minutes shorter per milking cow and day in a single AMS farm when compared to a conventional stable of the same size. Work concerning cleaning, feeding and AMS was reduced by 0.4 minutes per milking cow and day when comparing single and double AMS farms.