In Holambra, Brazil, Joost Kalanchoë operates a high-performance production nursery of flowers and ornamental plants in Latin America. With a total of 13 kilometers of SmartFlo conveyor systems, Joost is now one of the largest SmartFlo customers worldwide. In January, the final phase – 4.5 kilometers of conveyors – will be installed in their brand-new greenhouse, which is currently under construction.
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Innovation since the 1980s
Since 1989, the Van Oene family has specialized in the production of flowers and ornamental plants. Their first collaboration with WPS took place in 2013, when they invested in their first conveyor systems. Joost van Oene was a true innovator in Brazil at that time: "We were one of the first to invest in automation on such a large scale. Today, more than ten years later, those very conveyors are still running to our satisfaction."
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Global presence, local support
Recently, containers with the latest SmartFlo systems were shipped from The Netherlands to Brazil. Once construction of the new greenhouse is complete, the conveyors will be installed. A few weeks ago, Digna and Michael from WPS were in Brazil and took the opportunity to visit the Van Oene family in person.
"We are very impressed with the professionalism of this Brazilian grower and see many opportunities for further automation. Thanks to our local partner, Bert Wagemaker of Floridas Estufas, we can support customers in Brazil even better—by producing more locally and minimizing import duties," said Digna van Zanten, Owner of WPS.
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