Last week it was announced that Mathieu van de Sande will join LED innovator and manufacturer Illumitex Inc. We asked him about his drive behind joining Illumitex, and on what topics his work will focus on in the next years. He was so kind to answer our questions, and announced some interesting plans concerning Illumitex's latest trial program for commercial growers. HortiDaily: What is your drive behind joining Illumitex?
Mathieu: Illumitex allows me to provide my customers with a total lighting package. With hardware, lighting control and integration and consulting services, Illumitex will provide turnkey lighting solutions for greenhouse and vertical farming customers. CEO Chris Hammelef has assembled a team of the industry’s best — from research and engineering to plant and horticulture specialists, Illumitex has an abundance of resources to help growers make the switch to LED lighting.
HortiDaily: What will the focus of your work with Illumitex be all about?
Mathieu: My focus will remain on the greenhouse market. With more than two decades of commercial greenhouse experience, I understand the day-to-day operational challenges of my customers.
HortiDaily: Do you think that Illumitex will become more than just an LED supplier?
Mathieu: Absolutely — as the industry changes, manufacturers need to adapt. Illumitex will provide turnkey lighting solutions for not only the commercial greenhouse sector but also for sole-source lighting environments..
HortiDaily: How important will research and trials become?
Mathieu: Illumitex has always been the leader in research and will continue to work closely with leading universities and top-level research institutions. Multiple trials in various crops are underway, that are expected to roll out into large scale installations this fall. We will be announcing a very exciting trial program to commercial growers at the Cultivate show in July.
HortiDaily: Vertical farming or top/interlight/hybrid greenhouse solutions?
Mathieu: Essentially there are two answers to this question. Our focus will be providing total lighting solutions for our customers with either commercial greenhouses or indoor vertical farms. We have multiple products to offer our customers, and we are able to design new systems should this be necessary. The industry’s most powerful overhead fixture — the PowerPar — comes in multiple sizes from 200W to 600W. This fixture will replace traditional overhead lighting by increasing PPFD while drastically reducing energy consumption. Illumitex also offers a variety of other fixtures for multi-layer systems, tissue culture and propagation.
For more information:
Illumitex, Inc.
Office Texas: 512.279.5020
Office California: 510.588.8878
mvandesande@illumitex.com
www.illumitex.com