17/04/12 Close up from a distance: Innovative Teleservice and Condition Monitoring System FarmView available immediately Bönen, April 17, 2012 – Data acquisition, early–warning system and remote maintenance - GEA Farm Technologies has developed a new service for milking robots. FarmView is an innovative web portal that remotely observes the performance of the MIone milking robots throughout the world and makes preventive action possible. The new condition monitoring system supports GEA Farm Technologies customers around-the-clock. Through proactive maintenance and innovative monitoring irregularities can be recognized, which enables direct access to the individual milking robot in order to fix the faults. FarmView continuously transmits the MIone’s data via the internet to the web server. The GEA Farm Technologies Service has access to various parameters: e.g. milk yield, number of attempts at milking, waiting time, fitting time, milking duration and duration of stay, as well as the box loadings are consistently checked and analysed through defined threshold values. In case of irregularities, the GEA service will be informed immediately with an alarm message by text message or e-mail, and has full remote access to the settings of the Mlone via teleservice or can give customer support by phone. The security of the individual customer data has top priority. The “mGuard“, a specially configured security hardware, securely connects the MIone to the internet and protects it against access from third parties. The “mGuard“ is factory-installed on all MIone and it is possible to retrofit older robot models. With FarmView, GEA Farm Technologies offers a new service that concentrates mainly on prevention. Analysing the data enables an optimized performance of the milking robots. Preventive measures can drastically reduce downtimes. In case of deviations from the individually defined threshold values proactive maintenance is possible. With the help of historical data the global GEA network of experts has access to the specific development of the robot’s performance. Many faults can be fixed using the live remote support for the Mlone, which results in fewer unnecessary on-site visits. Through its efficient procedures, FarmView not only provides MIone customers and dealers with monetary benefits. Especially for automated milk productions, customers gain, next to a performance optimization, more flexibility and due to that, on-site monitoring is no longer necessary for the milking robot. From now on, FarmView is an integral part of the three categories standard, advanced and comfort of the MIone service contract. GEA Farm Technologies with its main office in Bönen, Germany offers farmers integrated product and application solutions, which today`s producers require: From design and planning of barn- and business concepts, up to the daily herd and farm management. Since 1926 the company is known for future-oriented technical innovations. With its combined key competences from milk production, manure systems, barn equipment, automatic feeding as well as state-of-the-art service and hygiene concepts, GEA Farm Technologies provides a complete and up-todate range of products and services. These products and services cover all herd sizes and meet the full range of customer requirements around the world, supporting the scale and nature of individual livestock operations. GEA Farm Technologies employs more than 2,100 people worldwide in subsidiaries in over 60 countries. GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft is one of the largest system providers for food and energy processes with about EUR 5.4 billion in 2011 revenue. As an internationally operating technology group, the company focuses on process technology and components for demanding production processes in various end markets. The group gains about 70 percent of its revenue in the long-term growing food and energy industries. The company's workforce comprised over 23,000 employees worldwide as of March 31, 2011. GEA Group is a market and technology leader in its business areas. The company is listed in the MDAX index (G1A, WKN 660200). For more information please visit www.gea.com. The special “mGuard“ security hardware protects your MIone against access from third parties through the internet and ensures safe data transfer.

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