Bespoke animal weighers at Somerset market

Three bespoke animal weighers and instrumentation are playing a crucial role at the new livestock market within the Regional Rural Business Centre (RRBC) located near Bridgwater in Somerset

Owned and operated by Junction 24, the RRBC is part of the exciting GBP60 million, 55acre development just off junction 24 of the M5 motorway, owned by the Mead Realisations Group.

The development is aimed at providing a one-stop shop for farmers with the focus on making the site 'an indispensable part of rural life in the area'.

In addition to offering regular livestock auctions conducted by main auctioneers Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH), the centre includes office facilities, farming professional services, conference and meeting rooms, as well as accommodation for agricultural retailers and suppliers.

A regular produce market completes the impressive and comprehensive offering.

The new market, which is replacing town centre markets previously conducted in nearby Taunton and Highbridge, boasts impressive sales rings, pennage, livestock facilities and a superb restaurant, making it one of the most modern and vibrant livestock marketing facilities in the UK.

Accurate and expedient weighing is an essential part of the market process and Westco have worked closely with the market developers and auctioneers to ensure the weigher designs offer optimum versatility.

The scope of supply includes two 2000 kg capacity multiple sheep weighers and a 1500 kg single beast cattle weigher.

The weighers use an innovative design concept whereby the stainless shear beam load cells are mounted on top of the frames to keep them and their associated wiring clear of the ground.

This avoids any potential problems which may be caused from debris build-up and waste products from 'over-excited' animals, whilst providing easy access for servicing.

GTH Managing Partner Robert Venner is delighted with the weighers and as he explains; "Westco worked closely with us from the outset of the project and listened to what we needed.

We have been impressed with their professional approach, cooperation and attention to detail.

Farm animals can be unpredictable at the best of times and the weighers have been designed to facilitate the process of getting them in and out of the weighers as quickly and safely as possible".

The sheep units, measuring 4 x 2.1 metres, have multiple gates on the front, back and sides: the 2.5 x 1.5 metre cattle weigher has a gate front and back, plus one emergency side gate.

The instrumentation features proprietary Westco animal weighing software, which provides filtering to compensate for any errors resulting from animal movement during the weighing process.

Westco director Dave Clark is proud of the Westco achievements in this application and as he concludes: "We recognise that it is important to provide the optimum blend of electronics and mechanical engineering for each and every weighing application.

Although our designs are based on well tried and tested concepts, we always endeavour to meet or exceed all our customers' requirements and expectations.

As a result, we have built a strong reputation for designing special weighing equipment and systems, a capability that we believe sets us apart from many of our competitors.

Our customer commitment doesn't end once equipment is installed and commissioned.

We also offer unrivalled after sales service and support to ensure on-going reliability and performance".

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