Not a flowery phantasy

The Dutch company Hawe Systems Europe B.V specialises in producing flower and plant factories under glass. From seedlings to potted plants, SICK sensors are the “green fingers” within the sometimes highly complex transport and inspection systems.

>> Hawe and SICK have been system partners for automation in the agricultural sector for many years. JHL Potplants’s potted Gerbera production facility in Pijnacker and Bunnik Plants’s five plant factories in Bleiswijk are among the most beautiful “offshoots” of this cooperation.

Bouquets of flowers are always in season

Bouquets are always welcome at christenings, at weddings, on Mother’s Day, on St. Valentine’s Day and for other celebrations. “It is therefore not enough to simply grow plants under glass all year round. Production from seedlings to saleable plants is a complex process that must be sufficiently automated to be able to efficiently meet customer demand from January to December”, says Hans Lekkerkerk Senior of JHL Potplants. And he ought to know – every day about 30,000 potted Gerbera plants leave his production site, designed and constructed by Hawe – with wide-ranging use of SICK sensors. Apart from green fingers, the automation of transport and inspection processes also plays a decisive role in Bunnik Plants’s five works. The company delivers 300,000 trend-oriented and seasonal plants every day. “Our customers include small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large companies such as Ikea, Aldi or Lidl”, Frans Bunnik describes the demanding clientele, who place particular value on top quality at precisely calculated prices. “Efficiency under glass – that’s what matters.”

Growth-oriented transport systems

Hawe is well aware of all this. The company’s expertise in automation in the agricultural sector is amply demonstrated in the design of the transport systems, among other things, at both JHL Potplants and Bunnik Plants. “The plants are very close to one another during the potting phase”, explains Erik Vermeijden from Hawe. “They are given more room as they grow – particularly on the transport systems. Here, they automatically move between the individual processing stations as they near the final sorting and packaging stations.” The sensors each fulfil differing tasks depending on the application. User-friendly plug & play miniature sensors of the W 100 and W 140 series detect individual plants and plant pots on the fixed transportation systems. The automated guided vehicles moving between the various greenhouse departments are protected with laserscanners. “The devices are particularly agriculture-friendly”, reports Erik Vermeijden. “They function equally well under bright sunlight or in fog, and are not phased by the bees or birds present in the greenhouses. Vehicles for driving outdoors are equipped with heated and waterproof scanners.”

Blooming in business – business is blooming

Ultimately, size and the flowering state determine whether, for example, a potted Gerbera is ready for despatch. MLG light grids measure the height of each plant and determine whether it is flowering – because the flowering of plants can vary by up to three weeks within a single batch, depending on whether they flower early or late. “What is unique about the inspection process is that the sensor can distinguish between a pot and overhanging leaves”, says Erik Vermeijden. Thus only plants that are actually flowering are delivered to retailers – ensuring that they enjoy a blooming business.



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