In southern France, dairy farmers rarely adopt new equipment on product claims alone. They look for practical proof, local support, and a partner who understands the realities of livestock buildings. That is where Selem plays an important role.

A Local Dealer with Deep Livestock Experience

Based in Chevroux in the Ain province, Selem has supported livestock farms since 1970. The company specialises in fitting out livestock buildings, especially dairy farms, and today brings together sales representatives, installers, after-sales technicians, and office support. For farmers considering automation, that local structure matters. A feed pusher robot is not just a machine in the barn; it becomes part of the daily feeding routine.

Jonathan Charpy-Guittat, Technical Sales Representative at Selem, has worked with the company for ten years. After discovering Sveaverken Nimbo X through social media, he and a technician visited Switzerland to see the solution in practice. That visit convinced Selem to bring the feed pusher to its own market. Since October 2025, Selem has sold eight Nimbo X units, showing strong early adoption among farms looking for a more practical way to manage feed pushing.

Why Selem Chose Nimbo X for the French Market

For Jonathan, the decision came down to a simple question: could the robot deliver real value without making installation complicated? Nimbo X stood out because of its LiDAR-based navigation, HD camera, and floor-friendly operation. Unlike systems that require magnetic strips to be placed in the floor, Nimbo X can work with minimal floor modification. For farms that want to protect existing concrete and avoid unnecessary disruption, that is a meaningful advantage. 

Installation is also straightforward. The barn is scanned, the map is built, and the path is set in the Sveaverken App, and the farmer can adjust routes and distances as needed. Once in operation, the robot returns automatically to its charging station, so it can keep working without constant supervision. When customers need support, Selem can also use remote control to help troubleshoot issues.

Space is another detail that matters on French family farms. Many barns are already carefully arranged around feeding, cow movement, bedding, and daily work, so adding new equipment cannot mean losing a large part of the barn. Nimbo X helps solve this with a compact charging station that can be installed in a small area of around 2–3 square metres.

It is also well suited to narrow feed alleys and tight turning areas. With a turning radius of just 1.2 metres, Nimbo X can turn in place and keep working even when space is limited. For Selem, this made the robot easier to recommend: it was not only advanced, but practical for the real layouts of many French dairy farms.

This combination of technology, ease of use, competitive pricing, and local support gave Selem confidence that Nimbo X could fit the needs of dairy farms in its region.

GAEC DU BOIRE: A Family Farm Looking for Better Feed Access

One of those farms is GAEC DU BOIRE, based in Saint-Etienne-sur-Essouze in the Ain province. The farm is run by three partners: Eric Pauget, his son Matheo, and his niece Julie. Together, they manage a mixed operation with around 110 milking cows, replacement heifers, suckler cows, Charolais and Salers cattle, beef cattle, and crops grown on the farm.

Their dairy cows are milked by robots and produce around 33 kg of milk per cow per day. The ration includes maize silage, grass silage, oilseed meal supplement, and cereals produced on the farm. With each cow eating around 50 kg per day, feed does not simply need to be distributed once. It needs to be pushed back within reach throughout the day.

Milk Production Starts with Feed Availability

At GAEC DU BOIRE, the customer value of Nimbo X begins with milk production. When feed is available more consistently, cows are encouraged to eat more regularly and visit the milking robots more often. After installing Nimbo X, the farm team saw exactly that: the cows went to the milking robots more frequently.

Nimbo X runs every two hours, keeping the ration pushed up and easier for cows to reach. For a robot-milking dairy, this consistency is especially important. A cow that can access feed more easily is more likely to maintain good intake and follow a productive daily rhythm.

The farm described robotisation as very good for the herd and for the cows. Even on Sundays or during moments when the team cannot be in the barn to push feed manually, Nimbo X keeps the feed available. That means the feeding routine is no longer dependent on someone being present at exactly the right moment.

Saving Time Without Adding Complexity

The second major value is labor savings. Like many family farms, GAEC DU BOIRE has a long list of daily responsibilities: feeding, cow care, fieldwork, crop production, and managing different animal groups. The day starts at 6:15, with feed distributed around 7:00 to the dairy cows, calves, and other livestock groups. From there, the work continues across the barn and fields.

Before automation, pushing feed was one more repetitive job that had to be done again and again. With Nimbo X, the farm has saved a lot of working time. The robot takes over a routine task that is simple in theory but costly in practice, especially when it interrupts other work or requires someone to return to the barn.

For the Pauget family, this is not just about saving minutes. It is about gaining comfort and flexibility. As they explained, they save time, gain comfort, and improve quality afterwards. 

Less Waste, Better Use of the Ration

The third value is feed efficiency. When feed is pushed up regularly, cows can reach more of what has already been mixed and distributed. At GAEC DU BOIRE, the team noticed less feed waste and better consumption of refusals. In their words, the cows consume the leftovers better and eat everything.

For dairy farms, reducing waste is not only about keeping the feed alley cleaner. It also helps farmers make better use of the ration they have already paid to produce or purchase. In a farm system where maize silage, grass silage, supplements, and on-farm cereals are all part of the ration, every improvement in feed use matters.

A Service-Backed Step Toward Practical Automation

The success of this case comes from both the product and the support around it. GAEC DU BOIRE chose Nimbo X because Selem, their nearby dealer, came to present the feed pusher and helped them understand how it could fit their farm.

That local connection is important. Farmers want to know that installation, training, and troubleshooting will be handled by people who are close enough to understand their barns and respond when needed. With Selem's local expertise and Sveaverken's technology, Nimbo X became a practical step into feed automation rather than a complicated technology project.

For GAEC DU BOIRE, the result is clear: feed is pushed more regularly, cows are encouraged to visit the milking robots more often, working time is reduced, and less feed is wasted. Most importantly, the farm team is happy with the solution. As the farmer put it, 

'It is a good product. I would recommend Nimbo X to any other farmer.'

With Sveaverken’s smart feeding solution, keeping feed within reach is no longer a constant manual task. Nimbo X helps support more consistent cow routines, reduce repetitive labor, and bring practical automation into real dairy farm operations. Backed by trusted local dealer support, it gives farmers a simpler way to move toward smarter feed management.

To learn how Sveaverken's smart feeding solution can support your farm, contact us for more information or book a demonstration.