Fujitsu Launches
Company in Finland to Produce and Sell Vegetables Year-Round with
Artificial-Light Plant Factory
New agricultural ICT system combines LEDs, multi-level growing
trays, full automation
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Kyushu Systems Limited (collectively Fujitsu) today announced the establishment
of a new company in Finland, Fujitsu Greenhouse Technology Finland Oy, to
operate a plant factory equipped with an agricultural Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) system, and to produce and sell agricultural
products. The new company, jointly financed by Robbe’s Little Garden Ltd.(1),
commenced operations on November 17.
Fujitsu Greenhouse Technology Finland, which will
begin full-scale production in the first half of fiscal 2017, uses a plant
factory equipped with the latest technologies, including the FUJITSU
Intelligent Society Solution “Akisai” Food and Agriculture Cloud,
which is Fujitsu’s food and agricultural cloud service, along with fully
artificial lighting using LEDs, multi-tier growing trays, and full automation.
Fujitsu and Robbe’s Little Garden aim to grow and
deliver a steady, year-round supply of vegetables, such as baby greens and leaf
lettuce, in Finland, which has few hours of sunlight during its harsh winter.
Fujitsu also aims to package the know-how and cloud services resulting from
this business and deploy them throughout the European Union.
Background
To supply fresh produce to consumers it is important
that it be produced nearby to where it will be consumed. In northern regions,
however, the short days and weak sunlight of winter make it a challenge to grow
anything during that part of the year. Finland has supported plant-factory
operations that are able to grow produce without being affected by the
country’s typical northern climate, but it has not been able to deliver a
quantity of produce that satisfies the country’s demand, leaving it partly
dependent on imports. Leafy vegetables, in particular, are mostly grown in
southern Europe and imported to northern regions, resulting in a longer delay
between harvesting and delivery to consumers, diminishing freshness.
To grow and supply agricultural products in
Finland year round, Fujitsu and Fujitsu Kyushu Systems jointly invested with
Robbe’s Little Garden to establish a new company, Fujitsu Greenhouse Technology
Finland, which will use a plant factory to grow and sell agricultural products
in Finland.
Along with the three principals that invested, the
Trade Section of the Embassy of Finland in Japan worked to coordinate the
establishment of the business.
About Fujitsu Greenhouse Technology Finland Oy
Fujitsu Greenhouse Technology Finland integrates
Greenhouse Horticulture SaaS(2), a cloud service for greenhouse operations
based on Akisai, together with sensor information collection utilizing the
Ubiquitous Environment Control System(3), hardware which controls greenhouse
equipment, as well as the production techniques of Robbe’s Little Garden. The growing
environment is lit exclusively by artificial light using LEDs, and the plant
factory is fully automated to rotate multi-tiered growing trays for efficient
plant growth and to control air conditioning. Focusing on leafy vegetables,
such as baby greens and leaf lettuce, the business will begin full operations
in the first half of fiscal 2017, and will begin shipping produce during 2017,
reaching the Finnish market through the sales network of Robbe’s Little Garden.
Fujitsu also aims to package the combination of
Greenhouse Horticulture SaaS and production equipment, including multi-tier
growing trays, sensors, and LEDs, for deployment throughout the EU.
Company name: Fujitsu Greenhouse Technology Finland Oy Established: November 1, 2016 (start of operations: November 17, 2016) Representative: Shinji Yoshioka (Senior Director, Global Services Integration Business, Fujitsu Limited) Location: Lindkoski, Finland Site description: approximately 1,300 m2 in Lindkoski, Finland (6-tier units provide total of approximately 3,400 m2 cultivatable space) Capital: Euro2,150,000 Ownership: Fujitsu: 86.4%; Fujitsu Kyushu Systems: 11.6%; Robbe's Little Garden: 2.0%
Sales Targets
Cumulatively JPY 3 billion by fiscal 2020.
(1) Robbe’s Little Garden
A company that uses greenhouse cultivation in
Finland to grow and sell agricultural products. It has sales of approximately
Euro2.5 million and around 20 employees.
(2) Greenhouse Horticulture SaaS
A cloud service that uses data gathered by sensors
to visualize the production process, remotely monitor greenhouses, and remotely
control equipment.
(3) Ubiquitous Environment Control System
Japan’s dominant communications standard for
greenhouse cultivation. An information platform that allows interconnection of
all the various environmental monitoring and control devices in a greenhouse,
and that implements autonomous, distributed, and cooperative “smart”
ICT environmental monitoring and control.
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