The desire for greater efficiency
World of Orchids has been operating with the WPS system since 2008. In the modern garden in Bleiswijk, approximately 2,150 Phalaenopsis plants pass through this system every hour. In November 2023, the desire was expressed to increase efficiency: to produce more plants per year within the same number of square metres and time frame. This presents a number of challenges. In collaboration with Aris BV, WPS and Van Krimpen, World of Orchids has developed a plan to realise this expansion. The renovations started in January 2024.
Changes made
By replacing the existing growing vases with a more efficient model, more plants can now be placed on a table. This requires the WPS system to be able to process more plants per hour. ‘There are no systems on the market with better sorting capabilities at customer level than this,’ says Walter van der Spek of World of Orchids. These improvements underline the confidence in the WPS system and its flexibility to grow with the grower’s needs. Additional modifications were also necessary; the new vases no longer fit in the original carriers, which required adjustments to the carriers and the robot forks. Additional multi-stick stitching stations and multi-packaging stations were also built, and an additional new camera was installed by Aris BV.These improvements have led to an increased throughput of an average of 4,000 plants per hour, resulting in an expansion of both the supply and discharge of the WPS system to the sorting buffer and the supply of empty vase carriers.
Renovating and producing at the same time
The significant modifications and expansions were realised while the company was still in full production. Thanks to the extensive experience of all parties involved and careful preparation, the modifications could be implemented and put into operation immediately. This unique approach ensured that work did not have to be halted and orders could be delivered as planned.
Future
Although considerable progress has been made, World of Orchids has not yet completed the expansions of the WPS system. Future plans include an additional inlet and outlet at the flowering buffer and the installation of an additional camera. These modifications, which are yet to be realised, should ensure a throughput of 5,000 plants per hour. By maintaining continuous dialogue, bottlenecks can be identified in good time and appropriate solutions can be worked on, making the nursery completely future-proof.
