The smallest detail of a tray design can be of high importance to the success of a horticultural business. For over twenty years, the French company SPID (Société Plastique d’Innovation et de Distribution) is a manufacturer of injected plastic trays. It started as one business for all kinds of injection products (for automotive, eggs industry, and seedlings propagation trays…). Since 2006, the group has been split into different corporations: Eco Plastic System for the eggs industry, and SPID for the horticultural industry... The company SPID designs trays for different cultivation processes, like the production of vegetables, strawberries and flowers. 
Mickael Lescoet is one of the export managers of the company. “We have polyvalent trays as our 150 and 240 cells trays that are suitable for almost the varieties of plants. Depending of the climate, of the production process, and of the plant raiser’s needs, we try to advise as possible the most convenient reference. Our aim is to propose an efficient growing and logistic system”. In France the 150 cells tray and the 240 cells tray, are for example ideal for tomato and cabbage production. But it’s possible that in other countries the trays are used for different crops.
SPID is able to make a suitable tray for each grower, product and climate. “We try to be coherent regarding the market, and try to cover all growers needs. We do this in close collaboration with the grower,” explains Mickael. “We have a full range of Euro and Danish size trays, but some countries are adapted to a different format or cell number. That’s why, we compromise on any new development that may be suitable for the whole market. Innovation is in our name, so we try to develop a new mould every year focusing on standards.”
Fifty percent of the trays produced by SPID are for France customers. The other fifty percent is shipped off to countries abroad. “Around eighty percent of our export goes to European countries”.
The injected plastic trays are UV-protected, eco-friendly and could be equipped with RFID systems and barcodes to ensure traceability of the plants. Moreover, each production is identified with a lot number to guarantee the durability of the product.
The latest development of SPID is the 32 cell tray for grapes. “More than ninety percent of the grape production is still in open fields (bare roots). With our new tray we try to alter this production process to avoid diseases.”
SPID hopes to broaden its export in the coming years. “We do not have a lot of different and strange formats, we just have a series of durable products that are universal, adapted to a wide range of machines, practical and economical. Our products are 100 percent recyclable. With these strong features we hope to develop an interesting range of products to cover the European market.”
For more information:
SPID Trays
Mickael Lescoet
+33 6 71 94 51 11
[email protected]
www.spid-trays.com