At the end of 2020, Bosman Van Zaal realised an automated tulip cultivation system for flower grower Scentia Inc. in the Toyama region of Japan. The challenge here was to install the cultivation system remotely, as it was impossible for Bosman Van Zaal technicians to do so on location due to the Covid-19 measurements. Via Teams, WhatsApp, mail and calls the complete system has been successfully installed by the staff of customer Scentia Inc. itself.
Concept, engineering and delivery by Bosman Van Zaal
Customer: Scentia Inc., Toyama, Japan
High productivity, low environmental load, and less physical work
The cultivation system consists of an automated container system and is an expansion of the system that has been installed by Bosman Van Zaal in 2007. “We started with only a simple Bosman Van Zaal container system 14 years ago, that had to be moved by hand”, says Hitoshi Ito, owner of Scentia Inc. “It gave us high productivity and low environmental load (fewer chemicals and less oil for heating) compared to the really old fashion style that we were used to.” Two years ago, the first automated container system with PLC was installed. “We got 20 times bigger than 14 years ago and are still growing! We enjoy working with the Bosman Van Zaal system and will continue to do so.”
Installation and commissioning fully supervised via video call
The installation and commissioning of the system were supervised by engineers of Bosman Van Zaal in Aalsmeer through video calls with the staff of Scentia Inc. on location. “This was very satisfactory on our side and we are very proud of this success in such a challenging time. It is also something we would like to see more often in the future: support engineers behind a screen in the Netherlands”, says Rob Burggraaf, Manager Cultivation Systems at Bosman Van Zaal. Software such as Teams and cameras on location for example can make this possible. “The tulips went into the facility in week 3. The local installation crew was ready to make sure everything went smoothly”, concludes Rob Burggraaf.
Automation makes working in the agricultural sector more attractive for women
“Before installing the automated container system, our male employees were pushing the containers and our female employees were only picking the flowers. But after installing the automated container system, heavy physical work is less often necessary and our female employees can do more exciting work, such as allocating the containers.” Automation in the sector makes the work more enjoyable for women, believes Hitoshi. “The chief of our plukhal is a woman. She is the one in charge of controlling the container system via the touch screen. She decides which containers to inhalen to the hall, when to irrigate, and at which stage to pick the flowers. This would not have happened without the automated system of Bosman Van Zaal. I hope she will be the guiding star for women working in agriculture in Japan.”
We look back on a pleasant collaboration between Bosman Van Zaal personnel and Scentia Inc. staff. Also interested in an automated cultivation system? Get in touch with us via +31 297 344 344 or email us at info@bosmanvanzaal.com.