Ray Stowe brings a unique mix of sales, after-market service, technical support and component technology experience to the Waikato Milking Systems brand.

He began his career with water and hygiene specialist Ecolab, working there for 10 years before moving to Tru-Test MilkHub. He had been working for a dairy equipment dealership in Morrinsville in sales and support before joining the Waikato Milking Systems team in February 2022.

Ray said the transition had been easy because of his previous roles and experience in the dairy industry. “I knew what Waikato Milking Systems was all about from my time with Ecolab and Tru-Test where I had a lot of contact with the company’s diagnostic components and automation technology. “But overall I knew that farmers respected Waikato Milking Systems as a company that provided easy to use, robust and reliable systems.” Ray said there is a good mix of new builds and refits in his region.

Farmers face challenges around labour shortages and farm consolidation, both of which open up avenues to showcase the company’s capabilities. “Farm owners are looking to have just one in the shed at milking time and so that’s why we are seeing a spike in interest in our automation technology. “We’re also seeing small farms becoming amalgamated into one larger operation and that’s another opportunity for us to provide some solutions to improve efficiency and productivity for our customers.”

Ray said he’s keen to contribute to his Waikato Milking Systems team with a “solutions focussed” approach to work. “I want to be that go-to-guy from a farmer’s perspective, who can be trusted and provide the right solutions for the job. “But I also bring a lot of experience with dealerships and one of my goals is to bring our dealers together to become the top rotary milking system sales region in New Zealand.”