At his tree nursery in Zevenaar, the Netherlands, owner Ralph Hoof is the 2nd generation who is engaged daily in the cultivation of Conifers and other plants and trees. Sales mainly take place in CIS countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Russia. The company has 4.5 hectares of cultivation area, of which 1.5 hectares are greenhouses.
Hoof Zevenaar’s greenhouse consists of five compartments in which the planting and cuttings are raised and cultivated before they can go outside. The climate control of the greenhouses is reasonably simple and was originally controlled by an old-fashioned Van Vliet computer. After years of loyal service, it was due for replacement. Owner Ralph Hoof opted for a Ridder HortiMaX-Go! computer. “A simple and affordable climate computer that at the same time could do everything that was needed,” says Hoof.
Simplicity
Installer Horticoop provided the Ridder HortiMaX-Go! and the installation for Hoof Zevenaar. The installation is characterized by simplicity and in the end, took even less time than initially estimated. “The possibilities of the Ridder HortiMaX-Go! meet the needs of our cultivation. We also wanted a computer that is easy to operate. The simple control option of the climate computer via the app on the smartphone was therefore decisive. Within days I had mastered the system without even reading the manual. I did not expect this that soon.”
Time-saving
The Ridder HortiMaX-Go! controls the automation in the five greenhouse compartments, the watering unit, and the irrigation valves. The windows, screens, and irrigation systems in the greenhouses are also controlled with the Ridder HortiMaX-Go!. Thanks to the HortiMaX-Go! CloudBoX, it is also possible to operate the system with a dedicated app on a smartphone. “By using the mobile app, the valves can be operated remotely. This has already saved us a lot of time because we no longer have to walk continuously from back to front. It offers great convenience.”
Ridder