Prins Group products

Prins Group has developed a fully automated lettuce system together with her partner in the USA. Various crops can be grown in the system which is equipped with aluminum gutters. The uniqueness of this system is that the young plants grow very close to each other and, as the crop grows, the system moves the gutters further apart so that the quality of the product remains very high. This is because of the circulation of air around the crop. A big advantage is that ± 40% more plants can grow per sq. /m. compared to the traditional way. This means an optimal utilization per sq./m of the greenhouse area.

The world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050, of which, 85% will be living in cities. The world will need to produce about 50% more food than it currently does. However the environmental degradation, climate change, pests and diseases, and land availability, all of these threatens are forcing us to find a better way of farming. Nowadays growers are trying their best to adjust the existing climate for plant to grow, for example with screens, heating, cooling systems, CO2 dosing… But what about another way of thinking - to create paradise for plant, which you can provide fully controlled environment. This “plant paradise” can be achieved by Indoor farming.

Prins Group is not only working on commercial greenhouse, but also special greenhouses for research purposes. Different from commercial companies, in research center each compartment is in smaller scale, and must be operated independently from each other. Environmental conditions in the greenhouse are computer controlled and monitored 24/7. Automated environmental controls including heating, cooling, humidifying or de-humidifying, photoperiod lighting, shading and thermal screens, watering and fertilizing, and much more than these.

There are different types of screen systems and many different types of screen cloth. The choice of screen cloth is determined by the question: what do you want to achieve with the screen system? Many production greenhouses use wire systems with aluminium profiles and slip blocks. The slip blocks are used to prevent cracks forming in the system and also to create a uniform gap in the screen to allow humidity to escape.. Because greenhouses are becoming ever larger and many are fitted with aluminium gutters, the application of slip blocks can remedy any expansion or shrinkage in the system. There is also a push-pull system with aluminium profiles with optional spring blocks. This system exerts less force on the end walls.

The greenhouse type “Venlo” developed by Prins Group is extremely suitable for growing vegetables, plants and flowers. Venlo can be supplied in various dimensions and set-ups. The combination of these characteristics means that Venlo is a greenhouse design that is very flexible and broadly applicable. This type of greenhouse is currently the most widely used worldwide.

The Prins Group Max Air deck and façade system is an expansion of the Venlo greenhouse. Where the standard Venlo greenhouse has a number of windows per roof section for ventilation, the Max Air deck allows the entire roof to act as a ventilation window, with the roof opening from the gutter instead of from the ridge.

The wide-span greenhouse is another well known type of greenhouse, also fitted with aluminium gutters, deck and wall system. Larger span widths are possible compared with the Venlo. The wider span results in a higher roof ridge and therefore offers a larger air buffer. In addition to glass, plastic panels can also be used for the deck and the walls in the wide-span greenhouse. This type of greenhouse is perfect for garden centres.

Together with their partner in the USA, Prins Group has developed a fully automated leafy green system. Various crops can be grown in this system, which is fitted with aluminium gutters. The unique feature of this system is that young plants can be grown very close together. As the crop grows, the system moves the gutters further apart, so that the product quality remains high. This is achieved by the air circulation around the crop. A major advantage is that you can grow ±40% more plants per m², compared to traditional methods. This ensures optimum use per m² of greenhouse surface area.