Anti shrinking
The main product made with the revised machine is the HS885 B3 (non-flame-retardant) acrylic screen with two aluminium strips. It comes with an excellent lifetime. "The oldest existing installations are almost as old as the product itself - 25 years", Niclas said. "It provides great energy savings and reduced shrinkage due to the high temperature treatment in production. This makes us unique, because Novavert takes the shrinkage out of the greenhouse, back to where it belongs, in the factory."Niclas said that the anti-shrinking technology of Novavert is also used for other applications. "Besides our core business with indoor screens, we can also treat other technical textiles with heat to create a special surface or reduce shrinkage. This is getting more popular as standard machines for technical textiles have a width of approx. 2m and we have more than twice that."
Any configuration, anytime
Novavert can produce the HS screens in any preferred configuration. "Higher and lower shade effects, base materials with an open structure or different colours, switching between those settings is a matter of very few hours. Thanks to the mechanical strength of the acrylic base material, the screens can be used for hanging, sliding and roll-up systems. You can find them almost anywhere around the world".Niclas stressed out that the overhaul on the production line was necessary to guarantee an optimal production. "Just like all machines, our production has some parts that wear out, it is necessary to replace those from time to time. Given the weight of each roller with more than five tons plus the heat transfer oil circulating inside and the necessity to put them back in place just in the right spot, it takes maintenance specialists and a lot of experience.
Heated roller technique
The heated rollers that Niclas mentioned are the crucial elements for the proper connection between the base material and the reflective strips. "They wear out like tires and before the time comes that you cannot re-adjust and compensate, it is time to do the overhaul – even if that means a loss of production of approx. 6-8 weeks. We built up some nice stock before that but felt the traditionally slow January would be the right time to start this cycle. We are more than happy that from this week everything is back in place and running like a clockwork again. This machine has a production speed that cannot be compared to a weaving or knitting machine – which is why we love it: If you could erect three hectares of greenhouse every day, we could keep up that speed and produce the same quantity of screens in different versions!"Niclas Heescher and Mahmoud El Abed of Novavert
Even though there are many markets like France, Austria or Poland that do not require flame-retardant screening, there is not enough demand to actually sell the entire production capacity with the established products.
Some of the innovations from Novavert of the last years were HS 885 ANTIFIRE B1, the flame-retardant sister product and a low-cost version called SHS 115, based on a transparent, knitted screen. "The SHS 115 is our answer for those customers looking to reduce the risk of the screens turning green or just chasing a lower price", Niclas said.
Novavert is know as a manufacturer of high quality screen material according to the highest standards that German products are known for. Niclas added that it is challenging for several reasons to produce screens in Germany. "We are dealing with high labour and energy costs, yet many people our surprised how we manage to do it. even with the raw materials made in Germany. On the other side, having our unique product with our own machine, (and being the only one worldwide) allows us to test and produce new developments easily. We have the closest eye on the quality – with a flagship product on the market for more than 25 years it is responsibility and pride at the same time!"
For more information:
Novavert GmbH & Co.KG
Niclas Heescher
Hansaring 146
48268 Greven
Germany
Telephone: +49 2571 588890
Telefax : +49 2571 5888929
www.novavert.com
niclas@novavert.com