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Rijk Zwaan, Mexico
"We often have to wash and chalk the deck over and over. This is quite labour-intensive and takes a lot of time."
Stephan de Bock, Managing Director Rijk Zwaan, Mexico
Back in 2010, Rijk Zwaan, a vegetable breeding company, launched a new seed cultivation facility in San Jose Iturbide, Mexico. Spanning 3.5 hectares, the modern glass greenhouse of Rijk Zwaan ProMex specializes in producing premium tomato, pepper, and cucumber seeds. Maximizing available light transmission is especially important, which led Stephan de Bock, Managing Director at Rijk Zwaan ProMex, to invest in the Top Cleaner.
Efficient adaption in climate control
Stephan de Bock explains, "We cultivate various plant varieties across 18 departments year-round. Our aim is swift and efficient adaptation in climate control, given the distinct lighting needs of each crop. Consequently, we frequently find ourselves repeatedly washing and applying shading agents to the deck. This process demands significant labour and time. To save labour costs and time, we were looking for a way to automate this process. Ben Sosef from Royal Brinkman Mexico ultimately proposed the Top Cleaner, addressing our needs.""
Multi-functional: clean and chalk
The Top Cleaner, an automated roof cleaner, has multiple brushes to clean the exterior of the greenhouse. Customizable to suit the grower's requirements, it can also be fitted with a spray bomb set to apply chalk and diffusion coatings to the greenhouse roof. Stephan de Bock explains, “We chose this option. This not only allows us to clean the greenhouse deck easily, but we can also apply a new layer of chalk quickly and easily. In this way, the Top Cleaner contributes to the production of high-quality seed.”
Improve occupational safety with the Top Cleaner
The Top Cleaner offers another significant benefit: occupational safety. Working at heights poses various risks. With a roof cleaner in use, there is no need for employees to engage in hazardous tasks on the deck. The greenhouse roof cleaner can be operated from ground level and, if required, can run fully automatically. Stephan de Bock notes, "With the current stricter standards and our internal policy of paying great attention to occupational safety, the Top Cleaner is an extremely suitable investment.”
Labour-saving machine
The Top Cleaner also offers labour-saving benefits. With a growing scarcity of labour in the horticultural sector, growers are compelled to invest in mechanical equipment due to the exodus caused by the establishment of numerous car and electronics manufacturers in the country in recent years. Ben Sosef, Branch Manager of Royal Brinkman Mexico, explains, "Growers are therefore increasingly being forced to invest in mechanization to compensate for the lack of workers. The Top Cleaner is one of the many solutions in the field of labour saving. Machines such as spray trucks, electric trucks, harvest trucks and leaf extractors can also replace a large part of the work. At Royal Brinkman, we provide growers with advice on minimizing labour costs.”
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Customer story Truly Green Farms
“At Truly Green Farms, we work to maintain a very healthy environment for the plants. In the clean out period, it’s critical that we have machines that are reliable.'' - Greg Devries, Truly Green Farms, Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Brochure ''Shading agents and diffuse coatings''
A shading agent, diffuse coating or a combination protects your crop against burning and stress. In this brochure you will find all the information you need to determine which product is most suitable for your crop and how to apply it.