UK: Newey Roundstone steps into the Ellepot system
For more than thirty years they have grown, invested, innovated and distributed the highest quality plants to retailers and professional growers. Located in West Sussex the production facilities also benefit from the natural light levels specific to this area.
Close to 45 acres of commercial horticultural production sites have high technology specialist handling facilities and the company is constantly investing and innovating to make their operation one of the most advanced in the industry.
Currently they produce over 190 million young plants for distribution to growers and approximately 82 million retail ready plants.
Maximising full potential
When Newey took over Roundstone Nurseries back in 2015 they were very clear that their objective was to maximise the full potential of the business this including a significant investment strategy.
With a dedicated and experienced team of 50 full time staff members based at the head office and nursery sites this number increases to about 300 in the peak of the season.
The commitment to quality, operational excellence and customer service is evident throughout the company as they undertake a programme of capital investment to meet the aspirations of the business. A part of this investment plan was the change over to the propagation system Ellepot.
At Newey, before investing in the Ellepot system, production relied heavily on buying in glue plugs for propagation. However, with Ellepot, production costs have been lowered significantly due to better and smarter handling & logistics. With the new fully automatic Ellepot machinery, Newey now has production on site, meaning full control of all steps of the propagation. This has helped ensuring higher flexibility and reliability, without any compromise on capacity or quality of the finished plant.
Flexibility is a key word for the Ellepot machinery, and Newey Roundstone’s new Ellepot machine is no exception. Various features and options follow this fully automatic machine. Newey can now use different types and mixes of substrate for production of specific plant breeds, as well as fill trays in different filling patterns in order to space certain plant varieties already from the start of the propagation – this saving time and money in the later processes. With the capability of processing more than 20,000 plugs per hour the machinery will vastly improve the through put of plug to rooting.
The quality of the plug produced by the Ellepot machine is another key factor in the installation of this equipment, it produces a uniform high-quality plug with optimum porosity providing the perfect growing media for the products Newey Roundstone produces.
A one stop supplier to create a complete solution
The Danish company Ellepot is a one stop supplier of its Ellepot System, which comprises Ellepot machinery and service, special developed propagation papers & membranes, and unique propagation trays.
To further maximise the air porosity in the propagated Ellepot, Newey decided to opt for one of the new Ellepot ACT trays. These “Air Circulation trays” are specially designed for the Ellepot, allowing the maximum air circulation around the Ellepot, stimulating secondary roots in the plant, enabling the plants to grow faster, healthier, and more uniform. The new ACT tray has in combination with the Ellepot paper produced very good rooting results for Newey Roundstone.
“From our many trials, we are delighted to say that we experience a faster and better rooting. On top of this, we have been able to optimize our production.
Finally, the Ellepot system is an environmental friendly and sustainable propagation system, which meets the stringent demands that Newey Roundstone places on environmental sustainability and care.
“We are delighted with the installation of the machinery, it has been a seamless integration into our production operations and is already proving its worth. We are delighted to be able to offer this product to our customers“, says Alex Newey, Managing Director of Newey Roundstone.
For more information:
Ellepot A/S
Storstrømsvej 55
Denmark - 6715 Esbjerg N
Tel.: +45 7614 7676
info@ellepot.dk
www.ellepot.dk