The greenhouse industry in Mexico is growing fast. At the same time, daily greenhouse operations need continuous improvement as greenhouse owners struggle with a shortage of skilled growers and labor. To respond to this challenge, Ceickor, the greenhouse University of Mexico, and Blue Radix, a specialist in Autonomous Growing, decided to join forces. The festive signing of the partnership agreement by Director of Ceickor Felix Tarrats and Ronald Hoek, CEO of Blue Radix, and the unveiling of the cooperation sign on October 11 was attended by many students.
Felix Tarrats explains: "At Ceickor, our goal is to prepare students for a job in the Mexican horticulture industry in the best way possible. We also encourage growers and students to keep up to date with the latest developments during their professional lives. For that reason, we want to be at the forefront of new developments that will significantly impact the growth and future of the Mexican greenhouse industry. I am convinced that Autonomous Growing can contribute to this growth."
Knowledge sharing accelerates embrace of technology
"At Blue Radix, we support growers in their daily challenges by applying AI," says Ronald Hoek, CEO and co-founder of Blue Radix. "This development in our industry is relatively new. We understand knowledge sharing, providing clear insights, and showing how it works in practice is a necessity for the industry to embrace technology. Autonomous Growing is powerful, and it's important to understand its value. We are, therefore, proud and enthusiastic about this partnership with Ceickor in Mexico."
The partnership has 4 goals:
- Share knowledge about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Growing in greenhouse operations.
- Prepare students to run greenhouse operations with AI-driven solutions.
- Optimize the functionalities of AI-driven solutions to meet the specific needs of Mexican growers.
- Stimulate the use of AI in today's greenhouses in Mexico by demonstrating the value of these solutions at Mid- and High-tech production facilities at Ceickor and around the country.
Resolve the shortage of skilled growers
Blue Radix, the Dutch AI specialist in Autonomous Growing, develops and applies AI-driven solutions for daily greenhouse processes. In 2014, the team introduced the first applications on energy in the Dutch market. Today, the company provides solutions for autonomous growing to resolve the shortage of experienced and skilled growers in Mexico and in 12 other countries. With 30 colleagues from many different countries and backgrounds, the company has one purpose: to empower growers to manage a multitude of hectares while improving their yield and product quality.
An open mind to overcome challenges
Felix concludes: "We know that the industry is facing some fundamental challenges. Technology is there to empower and help us get the most from greenhouse production. Reducing the use of scarce resources like water, fertilizers, and energy is part of this approach. Being realistic, practical, and open-minded assures us that, as players in horticulture, we can overcome the challenges and continue improving production and value. Together with Blue Radix, Ceickor can further contribute to that mutual goal."
For more information:
Marijke van Rongen 
Blue Radix
Tel.: +31 6 53 43 38 39
[email protected]
www.blue-radix.com