"Mexico is a very important market for our company," says Tom de Smedt from RKW Hyplast. The company produces and sells high-tech greenhouse foil, and almost 100 percent of the greenhouses in Mexico are foil greenhouses. The Mexican market has grown very fast and continues to do so. "This growth is partly due to the cultivation of blueberries, but even if you exclude that, the growth is still enormous."
A visit to a greenhouse
Tom: “Of course we sell greenhouse foil, but actually our product is mainly a technical solution for the customer’s problems. All foils that Hyplast produces are tailor-made to the wishes of the customer, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak we are not allowed to travel, and therefore cannot visit customers. This makes it difficult to get to know the wishes exactly. You can meet and talk to each other via Skype or WhatsApp, but still that is different from visiting the actual greenhouse.”
The production of the greenhouse foil is continuing fully. “Our production employees of course must adhere to the measures, like social distancing. But in terms of production we have no problems so far," says Tom. Not being allowed to visit customers is a bigger problem. "Even now we are still working hard to produce orders that we received earlier."
Foil greenhouses
In Mexico they often choose for foil greenhouses, because the greenhouses are mostly very large there. “Some of these have a roof span of up to 16.5 meters. That is not possible with glass.” Another reason to choose for foil is the greenhouse climate. Especially in a warm climate like that of Mexico, you must be able to ventilate very well. You can do this much more easily with foil than with glass. The weight is much lower, so you can open or close a larger area of the roof or walls.
In Mexico, the segment that goes for high-tech foil greenhouses continues to grow. “To be able to manipulate the climate more easily, but also to be able to play more with the UV light. With foil you can easily block or let through all the UV light; or partly.” A foil greenhouse is also cheaper than a glass greenhouse.
The foil can be partially opened or closed
RKW Hyplast would like to expand further in the Mexican market, and sees that the share of high-tech companies also keeps increasing. “These companies are looking for high-tech foils, so it is becoming more and more appealing to us. We do hope that the Greentech can be held on the new dates (August 25-27). There we have the opportunity to speak to many people, including potential customers.”
For more information:
Tom De Smedt
Export Manager
RKW Hyplast NV
Sint-Lenaartseweg 26
2320 HOOGSTRATEN | België
+32 (0) 3 340 25 53
tom.desmedt@rkw-group.com
www.rkw-group.com