The digitization of the agribusiness sector has become a key driver for improving efficiency and easing daily work on farms. In this context, Piensos Gòdia, a family-owned company specializing in manufacturing livestock feed, has transformed its operations through real-time monitoring of feed silos.
To do so, it implemented Silometric: a level sensor developed by MCSystems and based on the IoT connectivity from UnaBiz, a global provider and integrator of mass IoT services. With more than 10,500 sensors installed worldwide.
Overcoming manual, inaccurate and unsafe measurement
For years, measuring silo levels was done using unreliable manual methods: from striking the metal panel to guessing the remainder, to throwing a stone at the exterior to estimate “by eye” what was left. These rudimentary practices were not only imprecise but also generated safety concerns and losses.
At Piensos Gòdia, this lack of reliable information caused significant inefficiencies: errors in assigning feed to silos, deposits that ran empty overnight, and constant calls to farms to verify storage levels. Added to this was the heavy workload on the teams to manage stock. A situation that was especially acute on Fridays, when activity rose noticeably to prevent weekend incidents.
Sensors and IoT connectivity for real-time monitoring
To overcome this challenge, Silometric was implemented: a level sensor developed by MCSystems that uses laser technology to measure storage levels and query stock status from any smart electronic device.
This solution is based on UnaBiz’s IoT connectivity, essential for operation in rural settings and in areas with limited coverage or without conventional electrical infrastructure. Thanks to this connectivity, the sensors can transmit information efficiently, with low energy consumption and without the need to deploy complex infrastructure.
The result is a visual, simple and easy-to-interpret tool. The system displays the real-time silo status via a drawing and a color code (green, yellow, orange, and red) that allows you to identify at a glance the available feed level, without needing to analyze complex data. In this way, Piensos Gòdia can centralize silo management from the factory, keeping information accessible to farm personnel as well as to the teams responsible for logistics planning and feed production.
Enhanced safety and optimized logistics
Implementing Silometric has brought a significant change to Piensos Gòdia’s daily operations. One of the main benefits has been improved worker safety, as staff no longer need to climb silos to manually check feed levels. It has also allowed time savings, translating into greater attention to animal care. Today, it takes about 5 minutes per silo per day to verify the animal feed level.
The solution has also reduced the Friday planning stress. With real-time information, Piensos Gòdia can anticipate production and distribution of feed, taking advantage of days with lighter workloads to fill the necessary silos and avoid peak workloads at the end of the week.
Knowing each silo’s level precisely enables the company to better adjust stored feed quantities and prevent excessive buildups. In this regard, weekly truck trips to remove leftover feed have been reduced by about four runs. Trucks, which previously took nearly an hour to remove 1,000 kg of leftover feed.
This has resulted in significant savings (roughly $65 per silo in leftover feed removal costs, not counting the transport of the removed kilos back to origin), considering that Piensos Gòdia currently manages more than a hundred feed silos spread across 10 farms.
