These will allow us to produce finer coco substrates which will better meet our customers’ wishes. We also looked at reducing the ecological footprint of the coco substrates.
New production line
This new production line, which will enable us to produce a finer coco substrate, will be operational at the end of the first quarter of 2022. A new BigBale press will also be installed during this period to guarantee an optimal load factor.
Local sales
Van der Knaap are focusing on local sales of the coco substrates that are produced in the Caribbean. This development has accelerated due to high container rates and the uncertainty in the raw materials market. For example, we see an increasing demand for coco substrates and raw materials in Central and North America. These can be delivered/shipped easier and faster from our factory in the Dominican Republic than, for example, from India and Sri Lanka.
Due to these short distribution lines we lower our ecological footprint and delivery times for our customers are reduced. Thanks to our worldwide strategic production locations, we will be able to continue this trend in the coming years and strengthen our leading position in coco production.
Sustainable production
Van der Knaap's Quality and R&D departments are continuously working on optimising and making the production process more sustainable. In the near future the washing and buffering of coco material will be improved at the Growrite factories so that only organic fertilisers will be used.
Jelte Veenstra, director of Coco Substrates at Van der Knaap: “We are constantly looking for new methods and techniques to improve the quality of our products, optimise the production process and further minimise the impact on the environment. With the investments that will take place at the end of 2021 and early 2022, we are making great progress in all these areas.”
