Company History

1981 - ATL Agricultural Technology Ltd was formed by Robin Sadler and David Coxshall to design, manufacture and sell affordable concentrate feeding systems. These first installations were not unique but they gave the farmers what they wanted; a system which was easy to install, simple to operate and reliable in service.

1982 - The first ATL memory feeder control, the Dataface control, was released.

1983 - The liquid level control was launched during this year and was the first product designed by ATL to fill a niche market. A proprietary unit was in common use on farms but it did not operate with the pure water found in some areas. The ATL unit was designed with a sensitivity control which could be adjusted to cater for very pure water.

1984 - Around this time pulsation was being identified as the cause of a number of problems with cows teats and to help combat this ATL launched the Quartz Master Pulsator. This was controlled by a quartz crystal and provided extremely accurate pulsation timing.

1985 - The microprocessor-based Micro Mk1 memory control was launched. The control had two formats; a Compact used in the parlour and a Console desktop unit for use in the office.

1986 - During the 2 years following the release of the Micro Mk1, a niche market was identified for a simple keyboard operated ration control and culminated in the Auto control being introduced.

1991 - A new version of the Micro control was released using programmable IC's and was named the Micro Mk2.

1994 - The MicroLite memory control was introduced as a replacement for the early memory feeder controls.

1996 - After 8 years of detailed research into various solutions the ATL herringbone Auto-ID system was released in this year. The concept of large antennas with a read range of 750 to 900mm and one reader allowed a highly accurate yet economical system. ATL herringbone Auto-ID systems are being used day-in, day-out on hundreds of dairy farms across the UK.

1997 - The Out-Of-Parlour feeding system was released during this year. After detailed analysis of the failings of other manufacturers systems it was found that one of the most important aspects was the robustness of the feeder.

1997 - The Automatic Identification system won First Prize in the Douglas Bomford Trust Silver Jubilee Innovation Awards.

1998 - The MicroMarque3S was introduced as the top-of-the-range feeder and parlour control. This control has grown in stature since its release and links to the ATL Auto-ID and Pegasus Sorting Gate, Out-Of-Parlour feeding and Micro Milk Meter systems, as well as various accessories.

1999 - The Pegasus Triple-Axis Portal Antenna was released in 1999 and is unique. Six antennas are enclosed within a robust steel frame to ensure electronic identification (EID) tags, regardless of their orientation or speed (up to 8 miles per hour can be read). The antenna has been used very successfully with over 4000 head of cattle passing through a market in Scotland with 99.9% accuracy. This antenna is currently being used in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand with a great deal of success.

1999 - The Automatic Identification systems were awarded Millenium Product status.

2001 - The Pegasus Sorting Gate system was ready for release in the year 2000 but due to Foot-and-Mouth the first system was not installed until 2001. A number of other manufacturers gate systems were examined during the development stages and all of them seemed to require the cow to be stopped. ATL were determined to improve on this format and had the means with the Pegasus Triple-Axis Portal antenna. Over 50 sorting gate system have been installed since its release.

2003 - The Automatic Identification systems won the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) Gold Medal.

2004 - Although other manufacturers milk meters can be linked to the MicroMarque3S using the ATL Milk Meter Interface, the addition of a milk meter was necessary to complete the range of products. The 10-year development program examined many designs before deciding on the simple volumetric Micro Milk Meter system. Up to May 2005, almost 1000 units are operating succesfully on UK dairy farms.