PrimeHort management have just returned from the world-leading horticulture trade fair, IPM Essen held in Germany. Over three fantastic days, Mike, Ernie and Harrison reconnected with suppliers and explored many new innovations on our customers’ behalf.
There is plenty to share about the new products and nursery automation they witnessed – here’s a quick snapshot of the highlights:
IPM Essen in Brief:
- 40th Edition
- 8 Halls
- 1403 Exhibitors from 43 Nations.
- Key theme: Sustainability. Climate change & reducing carbon footprint.
General Mood at the Trade Fair:
Quietly confident & positive. Are the pre-covid days making a comeback? After a challenging two years of rising energy prices, extreme weather events, war and inflation – it felt like a recovery is nigh. All of the exhibitors PrimeHort spoke with expected their sales to increase again in this year.
New & Emerging:
Nursery automation took centre stage, with industry leaders, Da Ros showcasing a new Destacker machine for de-stacking pots (even as small as 4.5cm Fertilpots) is currently operational in a large Japanese nursery, this successful machine is now ready for NZ growers. Da Ros also demonstrated a new Transplanter with 24 fingers and a capacity of 24,000 plants per hour (3x more than earlier machines) complete with an intuitive touchscreen and compatible for a wide variety of trays. Advanced grippers without brushes have also improved hygiene.
Our pals at Fertil who pioneered the most successful biodegradable pot have introduced a range that can destack easily and be used through automation (up to 14cm). Also, FiberCell had their new XL Filling Machine with integrated Batch Mixer that can produce paper pots up to 10-12cm diameter – this could be an exciting option for forestry and vineyards. Available as a stand-alone machine and can be connected to any filler machine to create a fully automatic line.
Things to Watch:
Excellent news in the Kitset Polyhouse space. Our major supplier has partnered with leading design consultants who create bespoke facilities to maximise productivity per square metre (or maximise ROI in a garden centre scenario). Complete with 3D modelling and full price breakdowns, these specialists have had unprecedented success in the European nursery and garden centre business models. What sets them apart is the ability to utilise a customer’s raw data and combine it with their wider marketplace knowledge to create a deeply customised facility. Based in the Netherlands, they look forward to servicing our customer base in NZ. We’re excited about the advances in this space!
Retail Highlights:
What stood out for us were new modular raised gardens for home gardeners and plastic rotary moulded freshwater tanks in various shapes and forms that look aesthetically pleasing – like a lifelike stone wall. We’ll look to launch these products soon. We also discovered a fantastic organic weed spray alternative and we’re currently working through the registration for exclusive supply in New Zealand.
Locked & Loaded:
With Coco Fibre becoming an important ingredient in potting mixes due to the ever-increasing cost pressure on pine bark, we took the opportunity to firm up our suppliers. Coco Fibre is becoming a widely used alternative to add to growing media and we’re ready to lead the way for you.
We also discovered a new manufacturer producing a smart machine to automatically hydrate and mix Coir. This could offer substantial savings for growers interested in cutting out the middleman and making their own potting mix.
The annual IPM Essen Trade Fair is an incredible trip for forging relationships and creating new ones, and we look forward to an exciting year of customised solutions for boosting your productivity and yields.
Smarter growing, all the way!
