In order to work at optimal efficiency to achieve the best quality and commercial results, a very tight and well thought-out business strategy is required by the business.
Patrick Harte, who has held the position of General Manager at Cornerways Nursery since September 2013, tells us the company still has the ambition to expand but the focus for now is on optimizing their current operations.
“At the moment our company is in a position where we need to build efficiency into the business and improve on our day-to-day processes. We still want to expand but we went from five to eighteen hectares quite quickly, so the emphasis now is on integrating new management strategies in the existing glasshouses to ensure we’re as efficient as we can possibly be.”
Priva FS Performance
In order to solve inefficiency, Cornerways is looking at a number of areas, one of which is the integration of Priva’s FS Performance.“We’re implementing this with the aim of helping us with forecasting and identifying labour deficiency,” said Harte. “We’re the first UK grower to have FS Performance which is fantastic. And as a result we’ll be able to get better information regarding our working speeds, especially in regards to picking.”
Thanks to Priva FS Performance, Cornerways will also have a complete overview from the data produced; every row, task and crate will be numbered. In addition, FS Performance will collect data from inside the glasshouse and packhouse; from the number of plants worked on per hour, to the number of kilos picked.
“It’s not just about speed though,” explained Harte, “it’s also about giving us the means to better monitor the quality. We can give staff feedback on the data and increase the efficiency of our processes as a result.”
The nursery will also have live video screens so everyone can see the results directly; how they’re performing and who’s performing best in each area. The aim is to motivate staff and increase work efficiency, with a combined score for speed and quality.
Energy
As with any glasshouse operation, energy management is an important issue and the growers at Cornerways are no different, continually looking to improve their energy strategies in order to produce ever more efficiently.“Unlike other glasshouses, we’re growing tomatoes using the residual heat and carbon dioxide from the nearby British Sugar factory,” explained Harte. “The factory produces heat all year round and we need to use that heat, even in periods when it’s not needed. It’s quite a unique situation to be in because there aren’t many growers fortunate enough to have that much heat available. The same goes for our carbon dioxide distribution.
That’s why we’re looking at special cultivation strategies to get the most yield out of our crops using the extra heat. We need to optimise our strategies and once we’ve got them right, expansion becomes easier and much more viable for the future.”
Training
Investments in training have also been made, including training for permanent employees and Continuous Improvement with Lean Belt and Six Sigma training.“We encourage our employees to think differently,” Harte said. “We see the difference in the way people think after training and how they make small, day-to-day improvements which can add up to significant improvements overall, benefiting individuals and the wider team.”
Robert Farthing, Cornerways’ Growing Manager and General manager Patrick Harte in the glasshouse with the prestigious Young Grower of the Year award.
Awards
The nursery’s dedication and hard work is also appreciated by colleagues in the British glasshouse industry.Robert Farthing, Cornerways’ Growing Manager, was recently award ‘Young Grower of the Year’ at the UK Grower Awards, whilst the nursery’s Brioso variety saw them win the David Stapley Cup for the UK’s overall tastiest tomato at the National Fruit Show in 2014.
“It’s always nice to receive recognition for what we do,” said Harte. “It helps us to establish good relationships with retailers and UK consumers alike, as well as helping to promote the business to a wider audience.”
Tomato Growers Association
To further strengthen their relationship with UK consumers and the industry in general, Harte joined the board of the British Tomato Growers Association (TGA) in September 2014.“The TGA does a really good job of promoting British produce and sharing technical skills and knowledge across the industry. As the largest single site tomato glasshouse in the UK, I think it’s important that Cornerways has a role and a voice within the association,” said Harte.
Thanks to the work of the TGA, the popularity and awareness of buying British amongst UK consumers has improved significantly over the last few years too.
“More people are now aware of, and appreciate, the freshness, taste and quality of British tomatoes,” said Harte. “I think it’s really important that organisations like the TGA exist to encourage consumers to buy locally grown food, not only in the UK but worldwide.”
Local
Aside from their work with the TGA, Cornerways is also promoting the glasshouse at local farmers markets and events across the East Anglian region.“A lot of farming and growing happens in the area and local residents are very passionate about the quality of their food,” Harte said. “We have good relationships with local restaurants, pubs, farm shops and hotels who love our products, which is important when you consider that we employ a high percentage of local people and need to be accepted as part of the local community.
Not everyone is familiar with our sustainable practices inside the glasshouse either, which is why we welcome members of the public who want to drop by and see us during the LEAF Open Farm Sunday event which is held annually. We want to show that although tomato growing isn’t easy, the end result is definitely worth it!”
More information: www.cornerwaysnursery.com