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TOOLS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2020

BUILDING A TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE

- Dan Henslee

BUILDING A TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE

In this issue of “Tools for Tomorrow”, I highlight why and how to consider an upgrade for your older PMSI equipment. The first point focuses on building a technological advantage.  The second point is the evaluation process. A good rule to remember is that less efficient equipment performance leads to higher cost.  A producer must manage ventilation, heating, and feed as economically as possible, and efficiently manage egg flow from barns to processing to achieve the maximum income potential. Below we have identified 7 areas of improvement that can be achieved with the new CIII technology, which will help you to build a technological advantage.

 

When you upgrade to Command III (CIII) technology you can expect the following advantages:

  1. Fewer repair costs and increased reliability due to new and improved technology.
  2. Higher speed communications resulting in more responsive egg flow and better environmental control performance.
  3. CIII’s handshake with broadband connection provides you with faster and more accessible technical support.
  4. The ability to view egg flow and environmental control from any house with CIII, which allows managers easy access to production data and alerts.
  5. Managed Network Switch helps provide stable communications and improved backup in the event that a fiber connection is lost, while also reducing the total fiber required per installation.
  6. The new CIII and mux boards (for reading egg counts) are much more resistant to electrical noise.
  7. Command III System rack includes “hot swappable” cards, resulting in less chance of damage when replacing components, and less downtime during repair and troubleshooting

Top bird performance relies on accurate environmental data. The CIII System scans faster and the data is much more accurate. Employees working the barns do not need to walk the distance of 8 or 9 buildings to find out what is going on with the egg counts. All CIII locations have easy access to production and processing information. For example, you can be standing in barn 2 while viewing production information in barn 7.

PMSI CAN HELP WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT TRANSITION WITH THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

  • Schedule a visit to your site to help to plan the transition
  • Observe the existing control system to make certain we understand your needs.
  • Review the control panel design to be sure that we have all the necessary elements of monitoring and control.
  • Discuss the logistics of removing the existing system, and switch to the Command III system while minimizing interruption to your daily operations.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS WHEN UPGRADING TECHNOLOGY:

  1. New technology responds faster to sensors.
  2. A wider choice of strategies for ventilation, feed, and house control.
  3. Better equipment quality helps eliminate noise issues and provides better protection from lightning.
  4. Speed of communications with NOAH controller (200 – 800% faster) and more responsive to house conditions.

“We switched everything over in one day, shut down the old system, and hooked up to pre-hung boxes.

We were able to use some of the old boxes, contactors and relays.”

Matt Wenning
Complex Manager
Wenning Farm

EQUIPMENT SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE LONG HAUL

The controlled environment that birds live in plays a major role in determining what kind of egg production a flock will have. In this equation, housing and equipment are essential to success.  Egg producers have a strong interest in uninterrupted production and processing. The history of computers and electronics shows that they eventually fail, and advancements in technology provide improved choices, directly effecting efficiencies in production. It becomes apparent that the facility with the least down time and most efficient equipment will realize the benefit of lower production costs.

TECH TIP:

AUTOMATIC WELL MONITORING AND CONTROL WITH YOUR COMMAND III SYSTEM

Well monitoring is essential for assessing the operation and condition of your well and water levels.

PMSI CIII system can include special features to continuously monitor the water levels inside of the well. This is done in order to ensure the water levels in the well will meet your requirements, such as bird drinking water. Pump repairs mainly result from the well running low on water, which can cause problems such as low water supply and poor water pressure. As monitoring data is collected over time, informed decisions can be made on scheduling preventative maintenance and repairing or replacing any deficiencies.

Key benefits are listed below:

  • Real-time well level
  • Track changes in well levels from anywhere access via smartphone or computer
  • Leak alerts auto notify
  • Ability for well management and control
  • Identify existing or potential changes in flow
  • Detect problems
  • Receive alerts when set levels are hit
  • Water level monitoring and water level graph

“

The top feature is the alarm capability for level and pumps. Next would be to see tank level through the C3 and to monitor gallons used per well. Also, the switching capability so we can rotate wells.

The items we are monitoring on the well are tank level, alternating pumps and water meters. I get alarms for low tank level and motor overloads.

”

Jeremy Rigtrup
Owner
Rigtrup Egg Farms

One of the key elements of well monitoring is to record water level measurements on a regular basis. The water level graph is used to display time, date and water rates. You will be able to see times associated with water levels and identify changes in the water flow.

CIII Display below provides helpful information to identify potential problems

  • Tank level 1
  • Tank level 2
  • Old well 1 flow
  • New well 1 flow
  • New well 2 flow
  • Auto

In a typical well we monitor power status, water level, pump running, VFD fault, switch “auto” position. automatic well monitoring can help keep a well at its very best while also helping producers save money on repairs along the way.

Please contact us about these capabilities.

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responsive dash

TOOLS NEWSLETTER MAY 2020

dash logo

Multi-complex viewing and control

- Dan Henslee

The new PMSI Web-Based DASHboard for web browsers can help managers easily access production and processing data for all company wide complexes.

How can DASH help?

Use a mobile device, phone or tablet to access production/processing dates at any location where internet is available
Compare the quality of feed, water and temperature between company sites
Intuitive interface to help generate the quickest impact on bird performance
What if you could pick up your phone and see real-time production data (feed, temperature, water, etc) on every complex in your company?  You can soon!

With multiple sites collecting and monitoring production data, the PMSI web-based dashboard allows access from virtually any computer, phone, or tablet. This access provides a way for management to quickly look across operations and prioritize areas of improvement.

DASH display of multiple sites/complexes and associated production data
DASH display of multiple sites/complexes and associated production data

Now easier than ever to collect data and monitor production: Back in the 70’s there was very little automated production information available. We used clipboards, notepads, and sometimes would make use of a computer spreadsheet. As time passed, data collection and control over the barn has dramatically improved. The new PMSI web-based DASH provides a way for management to quickly see multiple operations in a single glance.

Flexibility:

Because data is stored in the cloud and/or a central location, managers can easily access pertinent production information or a report via their smart phone or tablet. In a matter of seconds, they can turn data into production improvements.

A wide variety of analysis capabilities:

Thanks to cloud technologies, producers can collect production data from multiple plants and store it centrally in the cloud. With all the data in one location, producers are able to accumulate and summarize information in an assortment of ways, providing managers meaningful insight across operations. They can compare the quality of variables, such as feed, water, and temperature between company sites. This helps the managers to minimize bird environment differences and maximize profits for the owner. A global view of bird health with the objective of continuous process improvement can give a distinct competitive advantage for today’s producers.

The 70’s called and they want their notepad back
The 70’s called and they want their notepad back

Intuitive information: Managers can see at a glance how each site is performing. They can prioritize improvements depending on which will generate the quickest positive impact on flock performance.

PMSI’s new DASH is easy to understand and simple to navigate: By making use of PMSI’s web-based dashboard, managers can better determine if they are on the right track. Using a browser to check conditions in the house against predetermined target levels will provide feedback to make improvements and corrections to the birds’ environment.

Native app for fast and easy access: The native app for the phone will allow you to easily tap and open the app and access all the information you need quickly.

LEARN MORE

PMSI HIRES PROJECT MANAGER

Poultry Management Systems, Inc. (PMSI) is pleased to announce the addition of Brandon Mulnix to our team as Project Manager. Brandon will help manage customer projects from beginning end.

Brandon’s focus will include process-focused tasks to improve the customer experience and build efficiencies into the product delivery. New projects are handed off from the sales team to Brandon who will manage it through to completion.  He will be customer focused and communicate all project changes to the customer and PMSI team.

Favorite part of Job: My favorite part is working with the great team at PMSI and with egg producers across the United States. 

Hobbies: Riding my Can-Am Spyder, trail running and hunting turkey and deer.

Previous employment background:

  • 1 ½ years in manufacturing of electrical accessories as a PMP certified Project Manager responsible for new product development and continuous improvement projects.
  • 20 years in emergency medical services as a manager and paramedic responsible for saving lives and the logistics management of the service.

Please join us in welcoming Brandon to our PMSI team. You can contact him at 616-265-0752 or bmulnix@pmsi.cc

Brandon-Pic
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dash-monitor

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019

WEB-BASED DASH FOR WEB BROWSERS

- Dan Henslee

Beginning in 2019, users will have the option of experiencing the advantages of DASH web-based access using a browser. DASH will improve the end user’s access to actionable production data.

We are in the first phase of testing to bring in several of the following advantages:

  • Support for mobile browsers, easier user interface, better remote access
  • Accelerated Critical System messaging
  • NOAH historical data extended beyond 30 days
  • Better support for online and offline access modes
  • User-adjustable display screens customized for you

Using a browser, managers will be able to access production and processing data easily without the need for client software (Teamviewer, VNC, etc.). DASH allows access from virtually any computer by simply logging in through the web page. As the virtual office becomes more of a reality, producers will continue to grow and compete more efficiently using this type of cost-cutting functionality. 

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019
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PMSI IS CELEBRATING OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY!

Poultry Management Systems Inc. has over 40 years of experience developing and manufacturing custom-engineered control systems for the majority of the layer facilities in the U.S. Our engineers have developed an array of systems for applications ranging from environmental control, egg flow control, egg counting, industrial motor controls, HACCP monitoring, ink jet labeling, feed monitoring, and more.

We use our 40 years of environmental control and egg flow experience to provide systems tailor-made for our customers’ operations, while utilizing the most accurate, highest performance control available. And with the knowledge we have from designing and manufacturing these systems, PMSI’s engineered control systems work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to consistently monitor and control your bird’s environment and provide efficient egg flow. Thank you for being a part of our extended family. Because of your partnership, PMSI continues to achieve its mission of providing effective automation and control systems to the layer Industry.

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019

PMSI HIRES A NEW PRESIDENT

Poultry Management Systems, Inc. (PMSI) is pleased to announce the addition of Craig England to our team as president of PMSI effective February 1, 2019.

Craig has been involved in the egg industry for 35 years. Most recently, he operated his own company, EggZact Services, providing consulting services as well as acting as an agent for companies that provide materials and products to egg-processing plants.  Prior to this, Craig was president of Sanovo Technology USA for 8 years after spending the first 25 years of his career at Diamond Systems and then Big Dutchman USA.

Craig will oversee all facets of operations at PMSI, the industry leader in production facility controls, including egg-flow and reporting systems, along with engineering and production of controls and control panels for several solution providers.

Doug Powell, who has been with PMSI since 1987 and has served as its president for the past 12 years, will stay on with the company through early 2020 in the role of Senior Adviser to the board and will assist Craig in transitioning to his new role. After over 30 years in the egg industry, Doug plans to retire in 2020.

Please join us in welcoming Craig into our PMSI team.

You can contact him at 1-248-761-1436 or cengland@pmsi.cc

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019

PMSI HAS ANNOUNCED THE FUTURE COMMAND 4 HARDWARE

PMSI will feature its complete line of environmental control and monitoring hardware at IPPE this year at booth C9759. In addition to the existing C3 hardware, we’re eager to share with you the new C4 features that are in the planning stages.

This NEW control system will provide better protection and isolation, interface expansion, 10X faster CPU clock (faster response time), expanded I/O for additional control, integrated expansion port to enable future wireless technologies, expanded memory, and much more. It’s important to note that the NEW C4 will be designed to be backward compatible to your C3 hardware (fitting right into the same rack and using the same I/O), so you can upgrade at your own pace. Yes – you can mix C3’s, and C4’s. Some of our customers will even have C2 and PMSI pre-Command hardware that will function alongside our latest hardware design.

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019

PMSI’S NEW INTELLIGENT CONVEYOR CONTROL SYSTEM (ICCS) IMPROVES CROSS-CONVEYOR INEFFICIENCIES

Today’s egg production and egg-processing plants are running increasingly complex cage-free and standard conveyor loads that are not easy to control. Every second of uptime counts for getting the most from cross-conveyor control.

PMSI’s new Intelligent Conveyor Control System (ICCS) helps customers improve the reliability of the long and complex rod-conveyor systems involved in some of today’s complexes. This prevents downtime and minimizes damage when something does, inevitably, go wrong. The data gained from this system can also help customers identify where mechanical challenges exist throughout the system.

The installation of PMSI’s ICCS includes a PLC control panel with touchscreen, advanced networked frequency drives at every motor, and a communications gateway for remote support. This system measures the motor speeds, drive torques, and other parameters of the entire conveyor system multiple times every second and works to prevent areas of slack and excessive stresses. 

The goal is to always maximize revenue by running the largest amount of product with the smallest amount of downtime. A balanced and well-controlled plant conveyor can help achieve this aim.

TOOLS NEWSLETTER IPPE 2019
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inlets

TOOLS NEWSLETTER FALL 2018

MINIMUM VENTILATION
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE.

- Dan Henslee

Providing minimum ventilation during the winter months can be challenging.  In the cooler months when the ventilation rate is lower, the objective is to provide properly directed ventilation. PMSI is controlling an increasing number of modular minimum ventilation inlets (see below). These smaller inlets are designed to direct the air to the ceiling, then to the center of the house, and then down towards the birds. Achieving the right ventilation during cold weather will depend on inlet opening size, design, and how it’s controlled, along with many other factors.  Because cage free birds are able to migrate, it’s important to consider how to adjust the incoming air accordingly when the building is being designed.  Including several small zones of inlets sized specifically for minimum ventilation allows the baffles to be selected for operation at their optimum opening for control rather than almost pinched closed.

Developments in the field of ventilation concerning air handling are steadily progressing and becoming increasingly complex. Below I have listed some of the minimum ventilation inlets PMSI has interfaced with during the past few years.

Big Dutchman CL-1200-01-1-768x570
Big Dutchman
Directional Air Inlets.indd
Chore-Time
Valco AccuFlow-300x238
Valco
Tulderhof BL6200-1
Tulderhof BL6200
Tulderhof BL4500_s-1
Tulderhof BL4500
Munters agh_productphoto_zewprof2900-614447437
Munters
Tulderhof X-Stream-2017_s-600x600
X-Stream
J&D Mfg 1413_curvedwall_inlet
J&D Manufacturing

Pictures are to help you familiarize with different products in the market, and do not represent an endorsement over other brands that are available.

Ventilation Solutions for Minimum Ventilation Using PMSI Controls

Two ways PMSI Software helps simplify the process of ventilating your house during cold weather:

  1. Fan Rotation/Auto Controller Sequence Changes – Even though inlet design and control is the key factor in poultry house ventilation, at low ventilations there are still advantages to incorporating specialized fan controls to help maintain a uniform environment.  One way that PMSI does this is by selecting the first stages of fans in several similar size stages specifically chosen for different patterns of heat removal, and then providing settings that allow the producer to frequently rotate between those stages throughout the low-stage ventilation period. This fan rotation helps to alleviate consistent warm and cold spots in the building by frequently changing the direction of air traveling through the barn.
  2. Intermittent Fans – Sometimes there are reasons to cycle fans on and off rather than having them operate continuously.  PMSI offers several ways of doing this depending on the needs of the specific operation. Timed fans offer a basic, fixed minimum air exchange when temperature based ventilation alone isn’t enough to achieve desired air quality.  Pulsed fans allow periodical increases in the airflow to help clear dust, moisture, and/or ammonia from the building. Both pulsed and timed fans can be designed to adjust with outside temperature if advantageous for your design.  Scheduled fan purges are available in several different configurations to allow a producer to schedule a programed increase in ventilation at specific times in the production day (for instance before peak lay, after barn cleaning, etc).

PMSI Provides Integration of Different Minimum Ventilation Systems For Efficient Performance

The size and design of an inlet is an important factor in determining how the air is directed. In the Poultry Industry we are seeing a strong emphasis on the right ventilation inlet and fan, and how they are controlled together. The desired end result is useful air exchange, controlling moisture and creating a specific air flow pattern; preventing the birds from getting too warm or too cool. This is especially important in cage free production where the birds are able to move around in response to their preferred environmental conditions.

TECH TIP – Manual Motor Disconnect

Motor maintenance is a standard part of keeping your poultry building running efficiently. Motors equipped with a manual motor disconnect have an advantage. This device is mainly used to switch motors off manually and provides a means of “lockout tagout” as required by OSHA. For example, If you are troubleshooting a motor that runs parallel to other motors, you may only want to replace that motor without interrupting the other motors in that series.

Using a manual motor disconnect for each motor, you can choose which motor to shut off for repair while the other motors continue running normally. You can purchase motor disconnects from your electrician or contact PMSI at 616-421-2600.

TOOLS NEWSLETTER FALL 2018
TOOLS NEWSLETTER FALL 2018
TOOLS NEWSLETTER FALL 2018

Examples of motor disconnect

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DSC01836-Edit

TOOLS NEWSLETTER SPRING 2018

PMSI STAFF TACKLES CUSTOMER ENGINEERING CHALLENGES TO IMPROVE VENTILATION, AND BIRD COMFORT.

- Dan Henslee

PMSI, headquartered in Lowell, Michigan, produces and sells automation and controls for the egg layer industry throughout the United States.

Our company, which builds and markets seven different products, also supplies and services our automated control systems in over 250 layer and pullet sites across the United States.

PMSI believes in putting customers firmly first

Hegins Valley Farm in Hegins, Pennsylvania, was looking for a way to improve their ventilation design. During a PMSI system installation, it was discovered that the current ventilation design would benefit from some improvements. Conversations with the Hegins’ staff evaluating the equipment, environment, and birds, led to possible solutions. While the changes needed were beyond the normal scope of a PMSI installation, our Service Manager, Sean Ryan, made the determination that, “Above all, we had to help the customer find a long term solution.”

“We are very pleased with the air distribution, instead of the air dropping straight down, this new solution provides us with a nice spread, and we plan to move forward with this option in our other buildings. I also wanted to mention I appreciate Sean’s professionalism and courtesy”.

- Deb Martz Complex Manager, Hegins, Pennsylvania

The decision to modify the house ventilation design

Sean went to a local supply house and purchased readily available materials to make a rough prototype. Once installed and tested, everyone agreed it was a good solution. Plans for the final version were then determined and the process for having it manufactured locally were arranged.   

Hegins not only needed the right amount of incoming air, but also enough velocity to propel the incoming cold air across the ceiling, allowing it to mix with the warm inside air. This is critically important as it prevents cold air from falling onto the birds, and helps achieve and maintain uniform temperature throughout the house.

Intake chimney with mixing fans. Prototype by Sean Ryan
Intake chimney with mixing fans. Prototype by Sean Ryan

How the inlet and chimney work

Chimney intake and mixing fans are one of many options for layer houses. The chimney inlet is designed to improve the airflow and will help to capture cool attic air. It draws fresh air from the attic and/or inlets, and directs it to the center aisle of the bottom level where it makes its way to the sidewall fans. The airflow is directed down the aisle like an inlet and not directly at the floor, allowing better temperature balance between the top and bottom levels, as well as improved air quality on the bottom level.

Poor inlet efficiency can cause temperature differences of 20-25 degrees. Good inlet management can help mitigate costs that result from poor ventilation, resulting in improved egg production.

Inlet directs fresh air, thus air mixing
Inlet directs fresh air, thus air mixing

TECH TIP – A simpler shortcut for environmental management

Saved sets in the Command III Data Displays

Work faster and more efficiently by using the Command III shortcut below

The Command III has been a flexible control system from its beginning, and as such, allows adjustment of the data that is tracked and stored for later review.   The ability to choose several data points to review together allows known related data to be reviewed as a whole, and new relationships to be discovered.  For example, you are able to display outside temperature data alongside zoned temperature averages to see how colder temperatures affect a particular building.

Sets added to Command III Historical Data Visualization

As the systems have grown more complicated it’s become apparent that simply allowing items to be selected wasn’t enough; users were often selecting the same 5, 10, or even 20 items for display.  To simplify the process of selecting related items for review we’ve added the ability to select and save a set of items for reuse in the future.  These sets can be named and then easily restored when future review is warranted.  Making data analysis out in the building almost as easy as it is back at the environmental or egg flow server.

Jump to your predetermined set of sensors

Do you often want to view all temperature data together?  Save them as a set and load them in just three clicks.  Save Average Temperature, Feed and Water Rates, and a few other commonly reviewed items into a single set to allow at-a-glance review anytime you are interested.

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SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR CONTROL PANELS BE UL LISTED?

- Dan Henslee

PMSI is watching out for you

We are working to keep our customers ahead of the technological curve. Our tech staff visits the majority of egg laying houses in the industry. One aspect that appears to be changing is the enforcement for UL 508 listing for control panels. So far, the states we are seeing this happen in are MN, NE, WA, TN and OR. It seems the UL 508 listing is getting some attention.

So what is UL, and what does UL listing mean? 

UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, and is the leading nationally recognized testing authority in the U.S. A product that bears the stamp of UL listing has been tested and verified that it meets UL standards for safety. UL tested panels can include any assembly of relays, push buttons, motor controllers, etc. PMSI motor control panels, for example, fall into this category.

Learn more here.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

How can you get a UL 508A approved panel?

PMSI is a recognized UL 508A panel shop. We are allowed to independently design and produce UL 508A labeled panels to meet known product safety standards and reliability. Our shop makes it convenient to receive a UL approved panel while allowing maximum flexibility in panel design. We build the control panels to the UL 508A standard.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

WE CAN IDENTIFY YOUR TECHNOLOGY NEEDS NOW AND WE THINK AHEAD TO IDENTIFY FUTURE NEEDS

Time spent executing the basic steps below could save you money, delays, and extra costs in the long term.

4 STEPS:

  • Demonstrate to your insurance company that your controls are designed and built to a third party safety and protection standard, thus avoiding risk and potential liability.
  • Establish compliance with NEC Articles 90.7 and 409.
  • Prove that all power components meet UL standards.
  • Verify that your panel builder is staying up to date on current requirements.

3 POSSIBLE CONCERNS:

  • Issues with insurance companies due to motor panels which are not UL listed.
  • Unexpected delays and expenses resulting from electrical inspections.
  • In worst cases, an unqualified or low cost builder could create fire or human safety risks.

A PMSI control panel addresses each of these steps and concerns. Getting a UL 508A listed product enables the manufacturer to provide a safe and dependable control panel. It also helps to increase the probability of a safe installation. If you are interested, please ask us about our UL listed motor control panels.

TECH TIP

BinTrac Installation Tips

When installing the BinTrac bin weighing system, it is important to remember a few things to ensure accurate and reliable weighing. With proper installation, BinTrac requires minimal maintenance.

  • Be sure the bracket assemblies are facing the leg correctly, and are centered.
  • The bracket assembly should be approximately 3/8” away from the leg.
  • Make sure all the legs are lifted evenly.
  • All cabling should be neatly tied up and out of the way so it does not get cut or pinched.
SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

PRODUCT OVERVIEW // 2018

THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AT YOUR FINGER TIPS!

PMSI announces software and hardware enhancements, as well as new features to support the future of our industry.

COMMAND IIIe

PMSI addresses some of the new and upcoming enriched options with its litter delivery auger controls and light dimming control. CIIIe automatically distributes feed to your scratch pad with timed feed distribution. This is an easy to use, operator-determined scheduling feature. The CIIIe also helps manage your light dimming needs along with managing light intensity during simulated sunrise and sunset.

Familiar REF-Style timeout egg alerts are now available for the Command IIIe display.  A timeout alert occurs when the time since the last egg was counted is greater than the alert delay value. 

The CIIIe user-interface is engineered exclusively for the poultry industry. CIIIe hardware features include simple snap-in service and expandability, as well as removable data storage for backing up entire flock histories.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

CUSTOM CONTROL PANELS

An integrated solution from the industry leader in poultry house controls.

PMSI is proud to offer a complete line of custom motor control panels in addition to our standard Command IIIe poultry house controls.  This means it is now possible to order all control panels from one source, helping to ensure that everything will be designed to work together as a complete, integrated system.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

AUTOMATED IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

AIM helps to reduce labor costs, hand coding, and labeling expenses by printing the pack / expiration dates, product codes and customer name directly onto the shipping case.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

EGG FLOW CONTROL

Responsive Egg Flow (REF) is a unique, money saving system that electronically counts and controls the flow of eggs from the hen house to the processing equipment.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM

PMSI environmental control helps the manager achieve the best performance by maintaining optimal conditions for bird health, feed efficiency and production. The PMSI environmental control system will help managers automatically maintain temperature uniformity in the house positively affecting feed intake, body weight, and your bottom line.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

HACCP MONITORING AND CONTROL

HACCP Automation Ensures Food Safety: Industry leaders recognize that HACCP automation in the processing plant is a key to ensuring food safety.  Automated solutions like PMSI’s  CIIIe HACCP system helps prevent food-borne illnesses by making monitoring and reporting easy.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

COUNTERS AND SOFTWARE

PMSI offers a wide range of tools – including a unique family of sensors – to improve information management for producers of everything from poultry to eggs to bakery products. The latest addition is the 6” and 8” image detecting sensor for individual egg belts that accurately and cost effectively counts eggs without single filing.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

RICE LAKE LOAD SCALES

Rice Lake Load Scales allow managers to quickly and efficiently track feed weight, and thus feed intake. High-quality scale weigh modules that are consistent, accurate and durable; they weigh from 5,000 to 200,000 pounds.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

BINTRAC PRO SCALE

BinTrac Pro takes the guesswork out of feed storage. Using Smart Summing Boxes to register feed weight, the feed level is then calculated and displayed as a bar graph on a LED screen.

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?

FOR MORE INFO

Contact Dan Henslee at:
(616) 340-8258
dhenslee@pmsi.cc

SHOULD YOUR MOTOR PANELS BE UL LISTED?
Will you be at IPPE in Atlanta in 2018?
Please let us know and schedule an appointment!
Front-copy-1024x585

PMSI MOVES INTO A LARGER HEADQUARTERS

NEW HEADQUARTERS.

SAME ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

PMSI MOVES INTO A LARGER HEADQUARTERS

Poultry Management Systems, Inc. (PMSI) announced plans to relocate to a larger office and warehouse space in Lowell, Michigan, by late August 2017, and to hire additional employees for panel design, field service, Autocad design, and software development.

“The new 15,000 sq. ft. building is under construction at 890 O E Bieri Industrial Drive, Lowell, MI 49331”, said Poultry Management Systems President Doug Powell, who added, “It will be approximately twice the space we currently have.” The additional office and warehouse space is part of the planned changes needed to keep pace with growth in the poultry industry that PMSI has experienced during the past 8 years.

BIOSECURITY COMPLIANCE

PMSI is recognized for taking biosecurity seriously and continues to strongly support the biosecurity policies of customers. Currently, PMSI’s main office is located at Herbruck’s Ranch in Saranac, Michigan. However, once the poultry industry signaled a shift to stricter biosecurity standards, PMSI secured a lease on a building in Lowell, Michigan, away from all poultry operations. The building is currently used by all traveling PMSI employees.  The new space in Lowell is a longer-term solution and will include both clean and dirty areas for returned customer parts.

MORE WAREHOUSE SPACE

PMSI’s growth during the past few years has meant more products coming and going through its warehouse doors. With the new larger warehouse space, storing products will be more systemized, and inventory control will become more efficient. PMSI’s Warehouse Production Manager Eric Winslow is especially looking forward to the extra space for moving and storing products. Winslow described the move to Lowell as “more room to work and stock parts.”

FASTER AND VERIFIED SAFE INTERNAL NETWORK

Since we are moving to a new location we also plan to upgrade our internal network as well. Eric Hansen, Senior Software Engineer describes the upgrade, “it will be faster and split so that machines that come back from customers are in a divided region until they are verified safe.”

TECH TIP

HOW THE RIGHT INSTALLATION WILL ENSURE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Poor installation can seriously degrade counter performance. For maximum performance, you must give equal consideration to the quality of the egg counter and to the installation.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET GOOD COUNTS IS A PROPER INSTALLATION AND THE CORRECT MOUNTING FRAME:

  • Mount the counter using the correct mounting frame.
  • Adjust the counter for the correct incline.
  • When mounting counter over a rod type conveyor the incline is a necessity. When mounting counter over a belt type of conveyor, mounting at an incline may not be necessary.
  • Eggs must be motionless on the belt. If they are rolling across the belt as it travels under the counter you will get double counts.
  • When the belt stops there should not be any back winding of the belt or the egg could get triple counted.
  • The egg counter can be mounted on both the egg belt and the cross conveyor. When mounted on a cross conveyor, the egg counter should be positioned where the eggs cannot move sideways. Moving eggs could be double or triple counted.
  • Intense light, direct sunlight, and bright fluorescent light can influence accuracy. Place the egg counters out of direct light or shield them.

A very high percentage of counter support issues can be directly attributed to improper installation as well as a lack of maintenance. Each mounting frame is designed for a specific counter and is a result of engineering efforts.

SOME OF THE ISSUES WE SEE FROM IMPROPER INSTALLATION:

  • High counts
  • Low counts
  • Inconsistent counts

PMSI provides step by step instructions. Once all the steps are followed and completed the installation will be complete. Incomplete or improper installation can lead to poor egg counts. If the installer is unclear or uncertain regarding any of the steps, they should contact PMSI Support for clarification at 616-642-9050.

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TEN CAGE FREE ENHANCEMENTS PMSI WILL AUTOMATE FOR YOU

TEN CAGE FREE ENHANCEMENTS PMSI WILL AUTOMATE FOR YOU

- Dan Henslee

SIMPLIFY BY USING POULTRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TO BRING ALL OF YOUR CAGE-FREE AUTOMATION TOGETHER

The face of the industry is changing as egg farmers install the latest production systems. Multiple producers are implementing some form of cage free system. Almost all production and processing managers rely on automation to improve performance of egg laying hens. PMSI systems, which enhance this new technology, is versatile enough to help improve these changes in the industry.  As new tools emerge and existing capabilities such as variable speed manure blowers, inside humidity, litter scraper control and light dimming (to name a few) require the ability to monitor and control with precision accuracy, PMSI helps to make this a smooth transition.

  1. Custom egg counters – 6” and 8” image detecting sensors count eggs accurately without single-filing on the new aviary systems. PMSI went back to the manufacturer and requested these custom counters to help monitor and control eggs produced by the latest cage free systems.
  2. Variable speed control of feeders – The addition of variable speed drives to chain feeders allows for two primary functions:
    • Gradual increase in feed chain speed from stopped to full speed over the course of a minute.  This can improve the lifetime of the system, and reduce maintenance on the feed chains and sheer pins.
    • In pullet systems, feed chains can be run at reduced speeds, allowing young chicks the ability to leave the feed trough when a feeding starts.
  3. Egg batching with encoder monitoring – Independent speed control of each house allowing for specialty eggs. Gather eggs from houses individually in order to keep products separate from one another on the main conveyor system.
  4. Light dimming – Sunrise and sunset schedules help birds to know when to come out and when to lay eggs. It encourages the birds to lay in the nest instead of on the floor.  Slowly increasing light intensity in the morning and decreasing in the evening simulates natural lighting.
  5. Zoned temperature control – When birds migrate and pile, as they can in a cage free building, the ability to adjust the air in specific regions of the building is much more important.
  6. Heat map, simple temperature visual feed-back – Quickly identify anomalies and uneconomical temperature patterns using historical and real-time data.
  7. Litter scraper control – PMSI provides pushbutton start/stop and monitoring sensors for litter scraper control.
  8. Nest door control and monitoring – We can monitor and track the history of system doors with PMSI controls, and can provide custom door opening verification and hard copy reporting.
  9. Variable floor heating (radiant heat) – PMSI controls in-floor radiant heating which helps with uniformity in winter. This technology uses circulating fluid to transfer heat from one or more boilers directly to the floor of a building.
  10. Cage free temperature graph – Perching, foraging, dust-bathing, cage design, functional space, perching space, and nest boxes are all things which can affect the bird’s behavior and that need to be fully monitored. Monitoring the cage-free temperatures can help in understanding and adjusting for bird behaviors.

RAISING THE BAR WITH ATLAS SOFTWARE

Cage-free flock behavior makes it even more important to automatically monitor and control conditions throughout the barn. PMSI’s Atlas software is flexible, which enables us to meet the needs of changing production systems.  On top of that, we’re constantly making improvements and additions to it’s features and abilities. New egg flow batching, egg indexing, localized egg flow control and improved reporting features are just a few of the things we’ve been working on. We also provide customized reports for easier adaptation to client needs. We know you want to utilize your flocks to their full potential, and these tools are designed to do exactly that.