Italian grower retrofits structure with tailor-made solution

While still challenged by the aftermath of the financial crisis, some entrepreneurs in the Southern European horticulture industry again see their business flourish after quite a few challenging years. For Italian garden center Irisgard reason to retrofit their operations with a new state of the art sales area.

Irisgard is located near Venice in San Donà di Piave, in the Northern province of Veneto. Due to the company's history and growth over time, the garden center has several traditional greenhouse sections in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They recently expanded with an outside section for the year round sale of garden plants and shrubs.

A part of this outside section already existed but needed a serious renovation. Irisgard gave Italian greenhouse manufacturer Flortec the order to replace the old and worn out retractable system with a new double screen system. The grower chose for the combination of two proven solutions from Novavert. 

Instead of tearing down the entire retractable structure, Novavert and Flortec came up with a solution that could fit into the existing structure. The old screen, profiles and drive system were replaced by a completely new double Novavert system and screen that precisely fitted the existing base structure.

The combination of the two systems gives the garden center a lot of flexibility. The top of the installation is Novavert's retractable HS² system, with a SHS WOVEN CLEAR 400 B3 screen installed. This smart system gives the garden center the option to transform the open saddle structure into a closed greenhouse to protect the plants and customers from sever wind, rain and cold. 

An extra WHS117 ANTIFIRE B1 shading screen below the HS² system, enables the grower to protect the plants against harsh sunlight and create a cooler, more convenient shopping environment on warm, sunny days. 

Novavert's screens meet the B1 and B3 flame retardant standards, as an answer to the strict fire building codes that the garden center industry needs to meet. 

It is not the first time that Flortec installed the Novavert system in Italy. According to their sales manager Wolfgang Fischer, the systems are popular and in demand due to their flexibility. "Flexibility for the grower, but also for the installer. What makes Novavert so unique is the fact that they are always motivated to come up with a solution, even if it does not match their current systems, profiles or solutions. They are flexible and want to innovate to come up with a solution that actually works and meets the requirements of the projects."

For Flortec, the flexibility is an important aspect. "We do a lot of installations in the garden centre industry and in most of the cases we work on small, but very special projects. Those require an unique approach as each of them is an unique project. It is important to have a partner like Novavert available for these kind of challenging projects. They do not scare away from difficult situations and are always open to try out new things."

For more information: 

Wolfgang Fischer

Niclas Heescher