Page 11 - National Poultry Newspaper

Faster, smarter, simpler: AustSafe’s new digital claims service goes live
AUSTSAFE Super members can now make insurance claims online, fast-tracking the claims process, with a user-friendly fa- cility that guides mem- bers through the claim process and adjusts to claimants’ responses.
Powered by AustSafe Super’s insurance part- ner CommInsure, the dynamic online claims service allows members to lodge a claim online and track its progress as it is being assessed.
AustSafe Super chief executive Craig Stevens said the new digital ser-
vice will simplify the claims process for many members and will lead to faster claims turna- round times, ultimately improving outcomes for members with insurance claims.
“AustSafe Super’s 100,000 members are spread throughout rural and regional Australia – including some remote parts of the country – so
for them to be able to fast-track an insurance claim online is some- thing we’re proud to be offering,” he said.
“Our members still have the option of lodg- ing claims the tradition- al way... the new offer- ing further supports our member services initia- tives by providing great- er flexibility and access for members wishing to
make a claim.”
The digital claims ser-
vice is a web-based app for income protection, total and permanent disability and terminal illness claims, and will lead to claims being received by the insur- er within minutes and removing the need for paper-based forms.
CommInsure general manager for Life Prod- uct and Distribution Craig Harrison said AustSafe Super mem- bers will find lodging and managing an in- surance claim so much easier with this indus-
try-leading platform. “We involved members extensively in design and testing to make this a user-friendly facility for members to lodge a claim and then show them exactly where they are in their claim jour-
ney.”
Now in its 30th year
of operation, AustSafe Super is the industry su- per fund for rural and regional Australia and looks after more than 100,000 members with $2.4 billion funds under management.
Visit austsafe.com.au for more information.
Robin Achari and Philip Todhunter.
Bioproperties expands technical and sales support
BIOPROPERTIES has recently appoint- ed Robin Achari as senior technical veter- inarian, complement- ing the appointment of Philip Todhunter as sales manager.
These positions strengthen the sales support for the Aus- tralian domestic mar- ket and international markets and are asso- ciated with Bioproper- ties’ overall growth.
Robin is a veterinar- ian who graduated from the University of Queensland and has had wide experience in government, poultry health and production.
He is currently com- pleting a PhD on inclu- sion body hepatitis at the University of New England.
Philip was a poultry farmer in England in- volved in the produc- tion of clean commer- cial eggs for influenza vaccine.
Best known for its in- novative mycoplasma vaccines, Bioproper- ties is expanding its poultry vaccine range in Australia with vac- cines for ILT and broil- er coccidiosis control.
Recent success in salmonella control with its live vaccine in breeders and layers has also generated more demand for support.
Bioproperties’ part- nership with the Aus- tralian poultry indus- tries is valued and has made it possible to sell its vaccines interna- tionally (which made it possible to be finan- cially viable to manu- facture in Australia).
Bioproperties keeps 12 months of vaccine in stock for the Aus- tralian market at all times.
For further infor- mation, contact Chris Morrow at Bioproper- ties on 03 9876 0567.
Debbie Harry the chicken used the prosthetics that West Michigan Aviation Academy students printed for her.
US students design 3-D printed feet for chicken
RACHAEL Diepstra named her chicken after a rocker.
“Debbie Harry – she’s named after Blondie,” she said.
Debbie Harry’s name isn’t the only thing that sets her apart from other chickens.
She also has no feet after she lost them to frostbite last winter, when Diepstra found her frozen to the floor.
After reading about a duck and a rooster who were able to be fitted with prosthetic feet, Diepstra posted on Facebook look- ing for someone with a 3-D printer.
That’s how the students at the West Michigan Avi- ation Academy in Grand Rapids, US got involved.
It turned out to be quite the undertaking.
“You can’t go on a web- site and go, ‘Hey, let’s print this off’,” 11th-grad- er James Brouckman said.
“Some of that stuff you think of as a school pro- ject or an easy A.
“You can’t do that.”
So he and his classmates started with the basics.
“We went in and took a couple of preliminary measurements with cal- lipers and then we were like, we’re going to 3-D
print it with the things we have here at the school,” Brouckman said.
Recent graduate Payton Ward, who also worked on the project, said, “What we do is design 3-D mod- els on design software SolidWorks and email them to a computer.”
Engineering teacher An- drew Abissi said creating a set of prosthetic legs for Debbie taught his students about the design process and biomedical engineer- ing — as well as giving them a big lesson in trial and error.
“This project has been a semester long and a lot of
error going into it, so the fact that they were able to continue to work hard has been a tremendous experience and learning opportunity,” Abissi said.
A West Michigan Avia- tion Academy student and teacher put prosthetic feet on Debbie Harry the chicken.
The students’ first de- sign was essentially large chicken feet.
But those didn’t work so well, so they moved on to a sled-like design.
The model Debbie uses now is among about 30 the students have tried, and it has produced the
best results so far. They’re still working on
improvements.
“I think we’ll use (the
prosthetics) mostly for winter when it’s cold and to help her roost at night,” Diepstra said.
“They like to be up off the ground at night.”
With or without the fake feet, Debbie can still cross the road — or go wher- ever else she wants to go.
“Really, she runs around the yard just like this,” Diepstra said.
“Like no problem, she can full-out sprint.”
Originally published at woodtv.com
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A West Michigan Aviation Academy student and teacher put prosthetic feet on Debbie Harry the chicken.
www.poultrynews.com.au
Debbie Harry the chicken lost her feet to frostbite.
National Poultry Newspaper, June 2018 – Page 11