Improving with automation

Linwell Gardens has plenty of automation systems at its Beamsville, Ontario, operations, but when it upgraded its hanging basket system, it made a real difference in the business.

Linwell Gardens already used a hanging basket system, but it was older, according to Peter-John Sikkema, maintenance manager and projects manager for the organization.

The company installed it in the summer of 2010, and with 36 systems, it took a while to complete, so it went into use in March 2011. After just one season of use, he’s already seen a difference in the business.

First, with the previous system, employees had to climb a ladder or a scaffolding system to get to the baskets, but this system lowers down to the ground on one end, providing easy access.

Another major benefit is the baskets move without swinging, making it easier on the plants.

“As it passed the water points, if it would swing into the water, it would get extra water, and if it swung out of the water, it wouldn’t get enough water,” Sikkema says. “Now that it’s traveling at the same speed, it gets consistently watered, and that’s a big deal.”

The third benefit of this system for Linwell Gardens is that it’s flexible and can fit any shape, style and design of greenhouse.

“We have more baskets per house now with this system than we did with our old system,” he says.

On top of that, Sikkema says it’s an extremely quiet system that’s a lot less noisy than others. The benefits extend beyond simply the system too. Linwell Gardens added on four and a half acres of greenhouse, but it hired nobody extra – its current staff is able to handle the increased work because of labor efficiencies from the automation.

“It would reduce labor, and you have less wasted product because all the baskets are consistently watered,” Sikkema says. “I don’t really know because I don’t look at the finance end, but I can only imagine the profits would have gone up because we have lower labor and higher volume of product.”

For more: Linwell Gardens, (866) 546-9355 or www.linwellgardens.com