Vreugdenhil-Klugt Implements 45 Hectares of Intelligent Philips LED Lighting for Efficient, Uniform Plant Quality at Every Growth Stage
Six cultivation sites (45 hectares) will be equipped with:
- Philips GreenPower Toplighting Force 2.1 + Philips GrowWise Control System.
- Central control of variable light recipes for optimizing plant quality and energy management.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), Orance – Grow Light Architects, and Stolze Installatietechniek will equip six Vreugdenhil-Klugt cultivation sites this year with state-of-the-art Philips LED installations to replace the current SON-T fixtures. The management of the young plant propagation company is pleased with the signing of the contract, which paves the way for customized energy-efficient lighting and gives us many more control options in the future for optimal plant control in the various growing phases.
Since 2011, Vreugdenhil Young Plants and Klugt Quality Plants have worked closely together in the Vreugdenhil-Klugt Combination. With over 60 hectares of greenhouses across eight locations in the Westland and Bleiswijk, they form one of the largest young plant propagation companies for vegetable and ornamental crops. In response to rising energy prices and the evolution in LED technology, in which Philips Horticulture LED Solutions plays a leading role, the company is transitioning this year from SON-T to the latest generation of LEDs for much of the entire cultivation area. To achieve this, Vreugdenhil-Klugt enlisted Orance for guidance on this historic project.
“We’ve had to make a lot of decisions throughout this process, and all of this, of course, happens alongside our day-to-day work,” says Koos van der Klugt. “The solution we’ve chosen brings everything that our sector stands for together. A great project where we needed everyone in the organization, to get it done.
Joining Forces
Vreugdenhil-Klugt and Orance have been working intensively together for over a year to align the client’s needs with the solution. “An important part of our work is defining the client’s needs and bringing the right partners together for a project,” says Arno Wartewig, founder of Orance.
Smart and Future-Proof
The system consists of the latest generation Philips GreenPower Toplighting Force 2.1 fixtures and the accompanying Philips GrowWise Control System. The installation is four-channel color-adjustable and fully dimmable. Due to the integration with Priva’s climate computers, all sites will be centrally and smartly managed. Stolze Installatietechniek is responsible for the majority of the complete electrical installation, including their own prefabricated cabling solution, SLS Premium.
Well-Considered Choice
Koos van der Klugt, managing director, describes the choice for Philips grow lighting technology and Signify as a well-considered one. “Philips has been a leading brand in horticulture for decades, providing high-quality, reliable fixtures. Signify has extensive knowledge and experience in crop-specific light recipes. By applying that knowledge to our cultivation processes, we can quickly establish the right recipes and strategies for perfect growth and development of the crops and varieties at our locations. These range from warm vegetable plants to young plants for bedding plants, Pick & Joy, and flowering potted plants. Our customers expect strong, robust young plants, and we’ll be even better able to provide that starting this fall.”
“The collaboration with Stolze Installatietechniek has come to life once again in this project,” says Van der Klugt. “Thanks to Stolze’s keen eye for technical details and their experience with complete integration of all installations and systems, this project has been taken to the next level.”
Practical and Thoughtful
The project was preceded by an extensive testing process. Different LED configurations were tested in the greenhouse to find the optimal solution. “Therefore we requested and evaluated an immense number of 500 light designs from various suppliers,” says Arno Wartewig from Orance. The extensive process resulted in the choice of a modular system. This provides the grower with flexibility in settings per site, crop, and time of day—offering maximum control over the growth process and energy consumption.
Innovating Together
Udo van Slooten, global sales leader for Philips Horticulture LED Solutions, says: “When Vreugdenhil-Klugt and Orance approached us, we immediately came together to identify the solution that would best meet their needs. Collaboration and joint innovation are core values for our companies. We are very pleased that Vreugdenhil-Klugt has placed their trust in us to help deliver high-quality, uniform young plants for their customers.”
Niels van den Ende, sales manager at Stolze: This is the largest lighting project we have ever commissioned at Stolze Installatietechniek. This complex project shows what is made possible when the right partners join forces. Together we are going to ensure that this is a success.”
By week 42 of this year, the system is expected to be operational. Thanks to its intelligent design and central control, Vreugdenhil-Klugt will soon be able to fine-tune light intensity and color at each growth phase.
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