M²erlin Milking Robot vs Barn-E PRO
Two robotic barn machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
The independent alternative to the big-three milking robots — Fullwood (milking robots since 1996, rebranded from Fullwood JOZ) has built the M²erlin since 2014 around an open box, natural walk-through entrance/exit and a quiet electric robot arm. Ten years of incremental upgrades include TDS2 laser udder recognition (2020), FullCount real-time somatic cell counting (2021) and the FULLSENSE software platform (2023). Hundreds of farms run it worldwide; the Meridian variant does robotic batch milking in groups.
Best for: Dairy farms wanting a low-stress open-box robot with per-quarter monitoring from a long-established independent maker, or batch-milking herds (Meridian) that keep parlour-style routines with robot labour.Manure robot for solid barn floors from Dutch manure-handling specialist JOZ — a low 68 cm collector that carries the manure it gathers (350 or 500 litres depending on push width) instead of pushing a growing heap, navigating unlimited programmable routes via floor transponders. Connected to the JOZ Management System for 24/7 remote monitoring with SMS obstacle alerts; JOZ pitches the PRO generation as its most powerful robot for intensive conditions, coping with straw bedding up to 6 cm.
Best for: Dairy barns with solid floors and demanding conditions (straw bedding, long routes) wanting collected manure and precise transponder-guided routes with remote monitoring.| M²erlin Milking Robot Verified 2026-07-16 | Barn-E PRO Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Robotic barn | Robotic barn |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Netherlands |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Mains electric; energy-efficient electric (non-pneumatic) robot arm | 2 × 12 V sealed batteries in series; 24 V / max 25 A charger, max 2 h charge |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Open-box design with natural straight-through cow entrance and exit | 68 cm high (70 cm minimum headroom); push width 155 cm or 185 cm |
| Weight | Fixed installation | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Sized per barn; ~550 m² (standard) to ~700 m² (extra-wide) per robot at 2-hour cleaning intervals |
| Productivity | Higher milkings per cow per day claimed vs conventional parlour routines | Up to 11 duty hours per 24 h at ~50/50 drive-charge cycle; 350 l (standard) or 500 l (extra-wide) manure capacity |
| Max speed | Not applicable | 6.5 m/min |
| Sensors | TDS2 laser teat/udder recognition · FullQuestFC per-quarter conductivity · FullCount real-time somatic cell count sensor · AfiCollar ID integration | Floor transponders for route guidance; obstacle detection with SMS alerts |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via Fullwood dealer network worldwide | Buy via JOZ and certified dealers |
| Ongoing cost | Service contract; liners and consumables; software/herd-management subscription terms not disclosed | Electricity; battery and wear parts; dealer service |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Milking frequency Higher number of milkings per cow per day (voluntary traffic) · vendor | Manure handling on solid floors Autonomous collection on unlimited transponder-guided routes, up to 11 h/day · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked | CE marked |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU/UK markets by Fullwood under the applicable machinery regimes | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (NL manufacturer) |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes in several member states | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.