"We're trying to democratize automation"
Source: VFD.com
"We're trying to democratize automation for greenhouses, not only for the people who have the high-end budgets, but also for the small to medium producers," Ying Hau, the company's COO, said. © Tinneke Hattingh | VerticalFarmDaily.com Ka Suen Jason Chan and Ying Hau with GREEN-X, their plug-and-play control system Addressing fragmented, hard-to-maintain systems Hau said the gap it is targeting comes from feedback gathered directly from growers.
It takes over the control via low-voltage control signals, and then from there they have access to the mobile app or the web portal to monitor and control everything that's going on in the greenhouse," Hau said. "We've had people from North Africa coming here and showing interest, and then also obviously people from countries in Europe and Asia," Hau said, noting some growers remain cautious simply because the concept is new to them, but once they get it, they see the value.
"Most people have a dehumidifier or a fan from a different brand, and we just sync them up so they don't have to retrofit the entire facility," Hau said, adding that growers retain a single point of access regardless of how many different equipment brands are connected. "We've got proven case studies, like in Thailand, a grower that reduced costs by 50%, not by retrofitting the facility, but by applying control techniques that are more energy-efficient and smarter.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
