CAN: 5 Mile long conveyor belt network commissioned for flower grower

Niagara Conveyor Systems has successfully supplied and installed 8 kilometers (5 miles) of conveyor belts for Meyers Flower Farms, located in St. Catharines, Ontario. The large-scale project was completed in two phases: 4 kilometers in 2021 and an additional 4 kilometers in 2024.

This extensive conveyor system is controlled by a user-friendly PLC and touchscreen interface, developed and installed by BOLD Robotics. The system can manage up to 10 simultaneously active routes, which are flexibly assigned and interfaced with two automatic pot-filling machines and a DegraPlace machine.

User-friendly interface
One of the key challenges in a project of this scale was ensuring the system remained easy to operate. To address this, Niagara Conveyor Systems partnered with BOLD Robotics, providing a clear list of requirements and preferred features.

BOLD Robotics delivered a custom-designed interface centered around color-coded route management, making it simple to identify which conveyors belong to which route. The entire conveyor network is connected through a PLC system and features 10 strategically placed touchscreens across the 20-acre greenhouse.

Operators can manage any of the 10 color-coded routes from any touchscreen. The process is intuitive: select a route color, choose the conveyors to be part of the route, lock it in, and press start. All selected conveyors will then operate in sync. Conveyor speeds can be set individually or adjusted together as a group.

Add-on options for greater flexibility
Operators can integrate additional systems into any route. For instance, if a potting machine is part of a route, it can be selected on the touchscreen, ensuring it stops automatically if the conveyors do.

The system can also interface with the DegraPlace machine, pausing the conveyors if any issues are detected.

For even greater flexibility, routes can be linked to wireless stop-button boxes or wireless sensors. This allows greenhouse staff to start or stop a route remotely without needing to be near a touchscreen.

Touchscreens themselves can also be controlled remotely using tablets. This gives operators the ability to move freely throughout the greenhouse while making real-time changes to the system as needed.

Designed for easy maintenance
Maintaining a conveyor network of this size is critical. If an issue arises, operators can flag the specific conveyor on the touchscreen and add a maintenance note explaining what's required.

Each conveyor includes an hour meter, providing valuable data for preventive maintenance. Additionally, any frequency drive faults are automatically reported and logged on the touchscreen. An alarm history feature enables long-term data tracking and diagnostics.

Now in operation for over four years, the expanded conveyor system has dramatically improved productivity and efficiency at Meyers Flower Farms. The movement of plants whether from potting to propagation, propagation to spacing, or spacing to shipping is now smooth, quiet, and fully automated.