DeLaval hosts centennial celebration
CELEBRATING THE KIWI INVENTOR WHO TRANSFORMED DAIRY FARMING
At an event held in Hamilton today, the company recognised the vision and innovation of Norman John Daysh. In the early 1900s, Norman invented the vacuum-pump milking machine that went on to revolutionise the dairy industry.
Norman’s grandchildren John Daysh and Mary Daysh were the guests of honour at the centenary event. John Daysh said he is thrilled his Grandfather is receiving recognition one hundred years after his machine was launched to the world, saying it’s been an untold story until now.
“It’s something we Kiwis should be really proud of. Norman grew up as a farm boy in Pahiatua and he was fascinated by all the machinery being developed at that time, and he decided to find a way to milk cows mechanically.”
He said his grandfather experimented with early machines on a cow Daisy in the Wairarapa farmhouse kitchen.
“People had been trying to find a milking machine for 50 years or so, including Edison the great inventor in America, but none of them were actual dairy farmers. People had been experimenting with all sorts of things that sounded quite painful for the cow, including rollers and copper pipes inserted into the teats. My grandfather’s was successful because he was a dairy farmer, and he knew how sensitive cows were, and how to extract milk in a way which was comfortable to the cow and efficient for the workers, which was revolutionary really,” explained Mr Daysh.
Norman Daysh secured more than 20 patents for his machine before travelling from Wairarapa to New York in 1913 in the hopes of finding a global company interested in helping him perfect the machine he had designed.
In New York, the DeLaval company recognised the potential of Norman’s machine and his innovative spirit. Together they fine-tuned the machine, and then in 1917, launched it to the world.
“Norman John Daysh was truly a visionary innovator. A truly remarkable man who was basing his innovation on vision and most importantly - animal welfare. These are values that the company is still based on. We still continue to thrive on and innovate for dairy farmers around the world.” said DeLaval CEO Joakim Rosengren from the company’s headquarters in Sweden.
At the event on Wednesday, the company made a presentation to John Daysh and his sister Mary.
“As soon as we learned Norman Daysh had living grandchildren still in New Zealand, we knew we needed to do something special to mark the centenary” said Justin Thompson, DeLaval’s Oceania Sales Management Director. “What Norman Daysh achieved remains the basis of our company today. His innovative thinking, his concern for the welfare of dairy cows, his insistent on engineering excellence, his vision for an efficient and safe industry, all those things remain just as important to us today as they were to him one hundred years ago.”
“We can’t say enough about how Norman’s achievement has shaped our company. If you look for example at our advances in milking robots, one of the key drivers is allowing cows to live more naturally - to choose when and how often they are milked. It’s a future that Norman would probably never have dreamed was possible but which is truly a result of his own innovation and vision, and truly in step with his interests and concerns.”
“It’s a wonderful New Zealand story and the centenary is a great time to let people know about this fantastic achievement of an ordinary Kiwi farmer,” said John Daysh.
The centenary event was held at DeLaval’s Hamilton office, at 11am on Wednesday November 29.
You can hear John Daysh talk about his Grandfather here: