SIMCRO™ / ZOLVIX®

In the world of sheep farming, the task of "drenching" the sheep (orally administering a medication that eliminates parasitic worms) is a critical process that enables a longer, healthier life for a valuable herd. After 25 years of little innovation in the industry, Simcro approached Design + Industry to design a new drench gun that would specifically administer a new, highly effective medication from Novartis. The challenge was to make the job easier, more comfortable for both farmer and animal, and increase efficiency that reigns in treatment and labour costs. Farmers can now drench more animals per hour with less operator stress and fatigue. This is thanks to the unique ergonomic handheld design providing superior control while drenching, a better balance and heightened operator sensitivity throughout the job.

As sheep farmers know, drenching is a repetitive and ergonomically challenging job. It also can be very wasteful because the medication is lost in the commotion of wrangling each animal using an ineffective tool. Existing “gun-like” drenchers were painful for both animal and farmer. The team saw there were unmistakable opportunities to improve the ergonomics and effectiveness of the tool. Using principles of Universal Design, they developed a radically new form that relieves stress on both operator and animal. The Optiline Drencher features an inline barrel and trigger that allows superior operator control. Fitting a variety of hand sizes, the tool keeps wrists straight by putting the squeezing burden on the top two fingers – the strongest ones. A patented valve in the barrel enables consistent, variance-free dosing enabling efficient medication management. An animal-friendly mouth guard prevents nozzle over-insertion and protects the unit from being chewed. And, the entire unit is produced to be reliable and durable in an outdoor environment.

Simcro had an aggressive rollout of the new tool, at one trade show where they were taking initial orders, they sold out within 2 days. Initial response grew resulting in the Optiline Drench Gun being extremely well received amongst farmers and industry leaders. Optiline has secured several local and internationally coveted awards: iF Product Design Award, IDSA Silver - Product Design, Australian International Design Award, Powerhouse Museum Selection Award, Bayer Innovators Award for Design and Engineering,+ Best Design Award NZ.

Learn more - visit: 2010 Design Awards Yearbook →