“I just want to thank everyone so much for stopping by our booth this year and for an absolutely great show. We are proud to announce our acquisition of GGS Structures, it’s going to be an alliance partnership that is unmatched in the industry. They have been in this business for 40 years with a team of highly skilled cultivation experts. Our team is extremely excited about it and we are thrilled about what it meansfor both companies. We look forward to seeing everyone here again next year bigger, better, and stronger. We appreciate all the clients that stopped by and told us how great the product is working for them, and look forward to working with all new clients that stopped by this year. Thank you very much MJBizCon 2021, can’t wait for 2022!” – Craig Umans, President of Pipp Horticulture
Pipp Horticulture (a division of Pipp Mobile Storage Systems, Inc.) (“Pipp”), the leading provider of space-saving, multi-level mobile cultivation systems, announced today that it has acquired the GGS Group of Companies (“GGS”). Based in Vineland, Ontario, GGS is one of the most recognized names in the Horticulture industry. They have been the leading manufacturer of top-quality greenhouses and turnkey greenhouse growing solutions including traditional rolling benches, heating and ventilation systems, and curtain systems.
“We are thrilled to welcome the entire GGS team to the Pipp family of companies,” said Craig Umans, Pipp President and CEO. “GGS has decades of experience manufacturing greenhouse structures and has become a leading supplier to the horticulture industry. The company has consistently impressed us with its ability to deliver value to its customers, and we look forward to our next phase of growth.”
Planted Detroit
TerrAscend
“We are pleased to partner with PIPP as we build an even more expansive platform to serve our customers,” said Leigh Coulter, President and Owner of GGS. “Our expertise in designing, manufacturing and installing commercial greenhouse structures, combined with Pipp’s state-of-the-art vertical farming and space optimization solutions, will allow us to offer North American growers a complete and efficient solution.”
“We are delighted to see two such complementary companies come together today. This acquisition is another step in Pipp’s strategy to become the leading supplier of turnkey solutions to all segments of horticulture globally,” said Marc Paiement, Senior Partner at Novacap. “We look forward to continuing to work with them throughout this process, providing support and expertise to help them achieve their goal.” For the past several years, Pipp Horticulture’s mission has been to help cultivators across the globe save time and money by creating a more efficient grow facility and help streamline operations. Pipp has not only developed a product line that was purposefully designed to serve the cultivation market, but they have strategically acquired companies like GGS and Vertical Air Solutions, the leading provider of In-Rack Airflow Systems for indoor vertical farming, to be able to offer the industry a turnkey cultivation solution, continuously improving upon their services, and developing products that positively affect canopy output and facility operations. Following this transaction, Coulter will remain President and CEO and operations will remain under the GGS banner. The combination of the two companies will expand Pipp’s position as the leading provider of Indoor Commercial Grow Racks, Greenhouse Structures and In-Rack Airflow Systems in North America.
TerrAscend
TerrAscend
About Pipp Horticulture
Pipp Horticulture is the industry-leading provider of vertical farming and space optimization solutions. We work with commercial agriculture professionals globally, to design, install, and optimize operational spaces throughout cultivation, post-harvest, manufacturing, and distribution facilities through the implementation of the vertical and mobile rack, cart, and ventilation systems. The Pipp team merges over 40 years of commercial mobile storage experience with horticulture industry experts with over 50 years of operational experience in commercial agriculture and seed-to-sale production. Pipp provides expertise, insight and network connections far beyond our mobile systems in support of our mission to augment financial performance and mitigate risk for our partners. For more information, please visit www.pipphorticulture.com.
About GGS Structures
The GGS Group of Companies is comprised of GGS Structures Inc., JGS Limited and Niagrow Systems Ltd. For over 40 years GGS has been designing and manufacturing greenhouses and growing environments throughout North America. Our design approach considers all the aspects of your agribusiness for greenhouses with immediate capability, greater convenience, and maximized growth potential. Tasco Dome, a brand of GGS, is a leader in fabric-covered buildings for the agriculture, industrial and equestrian industries. JGS Limited provides state-of-the-art greenhouse solutions for research facilities, educational institutions, conservatories and more. Niagrow Systems Ltd. designs greenhouse heating systems to make sure growers have the right amount of heat in the right location at the right time to maintain the ideal growing environment. For more information, please visit www.ggs-greenhouse.com
About Novacap
Founded in 1981, Novacap is a leading North American private equity firm with more than C$8B of AUM that has invested in more than 100 platform companies and completed more than 150 add-on acquisitions. Applying its sector-focused approach since 2007 in TMT, Industries and now Financial Services, Novacap’s deep domain expertise can accelerate company growth and create long-term value. With experienced, dedicated investment and operations teams as well as substantial funding, Novacap has the resources and knowledge to build world-class businesses. Novacap has offices in Brossard, Québec and Toronto, Ontario. For more information, please visit www.novacap.ca.
Have questions about this recent partnership? Ask us below!
As cannabis legalization continues to roll out across the United States, more growers are looking to optimize canopy space and their bottom line with vertical farming technology. Not only is vertical farming a solution to costly real estate necessary for large-scale cannabis production, it also reduces grow time and labor costs through standardization and automation.
Whether it’s corn, cucumbers, or cannabis, the goal of any farming operation is to grow healthy plants in abundance, and this is where vertical farming excels. Current applications of vertical farming, paired with state-of-the-art indoor growing technologies, have resulted in over 10 times the crop yield than traditional farming methods.
Vertical farming is also one of the more sustainable methods of growing cannabis, along with many other fruits, flowers, and vegetables. It uses up to 95 percent less water and nearly 100 percent less space than traditional growing methods while harvesting 80 percent more per unit of area, year-round.
Indoor Vertical Farming Technology Overview: What is it?
For decades, indoor-grown cannabis has reigned supreme in the marketplace, compared to her outdoor-grown sister. It’s no different today. Vertical farming technologies simply allow farmers to improve upon their indoor growing methods but on a much larger scale in vertically stacked layers.
Besides using every square foot of cultivation space available, vertical farming infrastructure and technologies ensure crops receive ideal lighting, airflow, water, and nutrients necessary for optimal growth.
4 Ways Vertical Farming Technology Can Improve Your Cannabis Operation
New and noteworthy technologies offer countless opportunities to incorporate vertical farming into your indoor cannabis cultivation operation. Besides energy and labor savings, indoor farming technologies help growers consistently produce healthy, high-yield crops.
Let’s look at how your vertical farming space can get an edge over the competition with four must-have technologies that are worth your investment.
1. Grow More With Mobile Vertical Grow Racks
Vertical grow racks are the foundation on which a successful vertical cannabis farming business is built. They allow for multiple levels of cannabis plants to grow on a large scale and provide the framework for shelves, LED lights, and other indoor farming technology necessary for healthy plants.
Vertical grow racks from Pipp Horticulture feature strong, anti-microbial, and fungal-resistant beams and uprights that lock together tightly, using a unique tapered finger attachment design. They can be designed with grow trays tailored to each operation, including combination grow trays, drip-to-drain grow trays and ABS combination grow trays. In addition, installing the vertical grow racks on mobile carriages transforms fixed aisle space in between each rack into more canopy space for operation. Pipp’s mobile drying carts or racks can help growers convert their dry room into a mobile, multi-tier dry/cure system while at the same time, reducing labor costs and improving the product’s quality.
2. LED Lights Grow Lush Plants With Less Energy
The most successful indoor and vertical farming operations rely on LED lights for lush and healthy plant growth. High-quality LED lighting solutions are also far more energy-efficient and produce less heat compared to traditional high-intensity discharge fixtures. By using targeted light spectrums and brightness, advanced LED light fixtures can optimize plant growth at every stage. The result is lower energy costs without sacrificing crop yield or crop quality.
3. Prevent Pathogens With Climate Control Systems
The biggest advantage of vertical farming technology is, perhaps, the ability to control the growing environment. Extreme temperatures and humidity can have a significant effect on plant health and are often the cause of poor yields, pests, and pathogens — even indoors. Fortunately, with a climate control system in place, indoor growers can control the environment for a remarkable harvest.
The best vertical farm climate control systems, like Vertical Air Solution’s Air Circulation System, operate at the microclimate level keeping consistent airflow throughout your vertical grow delivering ideal temperatures, humidity, and CO2 levels directly to the plants.
4. Controls and Sensors Offer Important Insight
Controls and sensors are essentially the central nervous system of your indoor cultivation operation that create self-regulating, micro-climates ideal for healthy plant growth. The controller operates growing equipment, collects data, and provides critical insight to the grower while sensors allow growers to monitor the environment. Oftentimes this can all be carried out with a smartphone app.
By controlling and monitoring the grow environment this way, cultivators can activate indoor farm equipment including LED lighting, HVAC units, and irrigation systems, automatically maintaining the ideal conditions to grow crops.
Vertical Farming is the Future: Trends In Technology
Industry experts have identified a rapid expansion of the general vertical farming market, which is expected to reach $7.3 billion annually by 2025. Increased access to institutional financing and banking services under proposed federal cannabis reforms will likely fuel intensified investment in vertical farming systems and indoor farming technology in the future.
With ongoing innovations in vertical farming technologies, it will be vital for growers to stay up to date on the latest advancements. By acquiring and installing high-quality vertical farming technologies today, savvy indoor farmers can expect to cultivate cannabis profits well into the future.
Watch to discover the 10 essential vertical farming tools you need for the ultimate grow room:
People also ask…
What technology is used in vertical farming?
A variety of state-of-the-art technologies, such as specialized LED lights, mobile vertical grow racks, and air-flow systems are used in vertical farming operations. In most cases, vertical farming technologies are combined into fully integrated systems.
What is the best vertical farming system?
The best vertical farming system largely depends on the growers’ needs. Mobile Vertical Grow Racks have proven to be the most effective solution for grow operations to maximize their canopy. In addition, soil-free systems, including hydroponics, are successful because of their effectiveness, eco-sustainability, and monetary advantages.
What are the methods of vertical farming?
Vertical farms come in all different shapes and sizes, from shipping containers to abandoned buildings several stories tall. Most vertical & indoor farms use one of three soil-free systems to provide nutrients to plants: hydroponic, aeroponics, or aquaponics.
When you’re out roaming the massive floor of the MJBizCon conference & cannabis expo next week, stop by our booth and say hello. Pipp Horticulture is one of over 1,000 cannabis industry exhibitors that will attend the 10th annual MJBizCon in Las Vegas from Oct. 19 to 22, 2021.
“Come meet with our team of the most experienced cultivation experts in the vertical farming industry,” said John Ritter, Director of Sales at Pipp Horticulture.
Pipp Horticulture will be at booth #C6235. Visitors to Pipp’s booth can interact with the company’s innovative TRAK-FREE™ mobile vertical racking system to feel how smoothly it glides along the floor with a simple turn of the handle.
“This hands-on experience transforms a prospect into a customer,” said Tom French, Director of Engineering & Operations at Pipp. Attendees will also have an opportunity to see Pipp’s patent-pending ELEVATE™ Platform system up close and in person.
Elevate Your Vertical Farming IQ at MJBizCon 2021
Pipp Horticulture’s ELEVATE™ Platform System is a robust, lightweight, and portable deck that allows cultivators to access the upper levels of Pipp’s Multi-Tier Mobile Grow Racks quickly, efficiently and safely.
The company’s groundbreaking system integrates with Pipp’s Bulk Rack Shelving Systems without need for modifications. Growers can easily install The ELEVATE™ Platform System on new or existing Pipp mobile vertical grow racks. Be sure to ask us about the ELEVATE™ Platform System and any other Pipp products and services at MJBizCon. We’re here to help!
MJBizCon Is The Preeminent Cannabis Event of the Year
Produced by MJBizDaily, the cannabis industry’s top business news publication since 2011, MJBizCon is the cannabis industry’s most revered event.
“MJBizDaily is highly respected in the industry and this is reflected at every event,’’ said Craig Umans, President & CEO of Pipp Horticulture. “Our team has consistently walked away with valuable leads, conversations, and opportunities that invigorate us for the year ahead. There is a high level of engagement, which makes the experience worthwhile for all parties who participate.”
Held on 250,000 sq. ft. of expo floor at Las Vegas Convention Center, the three-day MJBizCon event gives attendees enough space and time to experience all there is to offer. Pipp’s first year at MJBizCon was in 2017. While last year’s virtual show was excellent, the company is excited that MJBizCon will be live again in 2021.
“There’s nothing like having a face-to-face conversation with like-minded attendees,” said Curtis Dadian, National Sales Manager at Pipp. “In-person is something we have been waiting for with high anticipation.”
Besides promoting its core products and services at the marijuana business conference & expo, Pipp will have the opportunity to join business leaders, major private investors, wholesale cultivators, and other industry professionals at cannabis networking events and educational seminars.
MJBizCon’s 2021 keynote speaker ABC’s Shark Tank star and The Shark Group CEO, Daymond John. Daymond is also founder/CEO of FUBU and presidential ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. Networking events at MJBizCon this year are Achieving Equity in Cannabis, and Empowering Women in Cannabis while dozens of breakout sessions will bring Pipp and other players the latest trends and developments in cannabis. Here are just a few we’re looking forward to.
A Candid View of Cannabis Markets in 2021 and predictions for 2022
The Next Wave of Innovation and Investment in the Cannabis Economy
Supply Chain Interruptions, Shortages and New Contaminants: Cannabis Industry Impacts of Covid-19
Unicorn Yields : Raising the Bar of What Cannabis Can Produce feature latest technologies
From the Ground Up: Launching a Cannabis Cultivation Operation
“For cannabis companies seeking partnerships, advice, investors, connections or new products and services, MJ Biz Con is the place to do it,” said Curtis Dadian.
When you stop by Pipp’s booth #C6235, ask about our major industry announcement and be sure to enter the company’s giveaway for a chance to win Pipp’s exclusive Grower’s Survival Kit, valued at $500. The Pipp Grower’s Survival Kit includes merchandise from some of the most highly respected brands in the industry like YETI®, Revelry, Method Seven, Farmer’s Defense and more!
The cannabis industry is rapidly growing and is on pace to more than double in value by 2025. While new cultivators begin to enter the industry, one factor continues to set each grower apart – the health of their canopy. Achieving a plentiful harvest of healthy cannabis is not an easy task. It takes diligence, education, and many years of experience to become masterful at the grow process. From root development to canopy airflow, it is a meticulous process that must be measured and monitored continuously.
If neglected, microbials, pathogens, and pests appear and reproduce rapidly throughout the canopy, potentially destroying or minimizing total harvest yields. However, early detection helps to overcome these hurdles, so the cultivator can focus on growing lush and nutrient-rich cannabis plants.
Here we’ll discuss how to recognize the noticeable signs that indicate healthy plants throughout the cultivation process.
Visual Appearance
Visual appearance is one of the easiest ways to determine the health of a cannabis plant. Through simple visual cues, a cultivator can get a good indication of plant health and identify deficiencies that require attention.
Here are four initial visual considerations to recognize when looking for plant health:
• Typical leaf color (no discoloration) and consistency throughout plants. • Strength of leaves – No wilting, dropping, or curling. Ideally, leaves stretching up towards the light. • Number of leaves – mature plants typically have seven or more leaves. • Void of spots, variegation, burnt tips.
As operations scale up, these visual cues may be more difficult to distinguish. Pipp Horticulture’s Mechanical Assist Drive System allows for easy observation of the visible appearance of plants throughout multiple aisles at the same time. To view the top-level canopy, install the ELEVATE side rails on each side of Pipp’s vertical racks, take the first deck, slide it into place on the rails, then daisy chain remaining decks down the aisle. From there, hook the ladder on, and the operator is ready to access the second level!
Root Development
After examining the general visual appearance on the top of the plant, be sure to check on the plant’s root development. Roots are the foundation for cannabis growth, and poor root development can indicate that the plant is not absorbing water or transporting essential nutrients.
When determining if a root system is healthy, check for these indicators:
• Healthy white appearance with little to no browning • Roots should be plentiful and grow outward to the edges of the container • No signs of root rot (brown and mushy) • Not rootbound or tangled
Remember: maintaining healthy roots is essential for producing healthy plants!
Air Movement
The growth environment, including air circulation and ventilation systems, can also play a role in determining a plant’s health. Proper intake and exhaust ensure sufficient amounts of CO2 for photosynthesis and prevent environments favorable to microbial growth.
This is why destratification techniques should be utilized to minimize any microclimates caused by transpiration from plants and other factors. Vertical Air Solutions Air Circulation System keeps consistent airflow throughout every part of a vertical grow and allows cultivators to take control of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels.
Watch how to maximize airflow throughout the pruning process below:
Brix
Brix (symbol °Bx) is a measurement of the sugar/sucrose levels in plants. A higher brix count typically indicates a healthier, more nutritious plant. Use a refractometer to measure Brix (sugar) and ensure that it is in the ideal range for healthy photosynthesis. This range is between 12%-30% and is a good indicator of plant health.
Runoff is the water stream that goes beyond the root zone of the cannabis plant. This water is full of useful information about plant nutrient levels, fertilizer, and more. Measuring the concentration of solubles (PPM) and soil acidity (pH) in runoff can be an excellent indicator of overall plant health.
When performing these measurements, compare PPM/EC & PH of runoff to input PPM/EC & PH. Runoff should be considerably lower in PPM/EC, showing the plant is effectively taking in nutrients. These levels can easily be determined by using test strips from a local hydroponic store or, for more accurate measurements, use a digital EC/PH/Temp monitor.
Visual Pest Inspection
As discussed, precise temperature, airflow, and humidity levels are all essential to growing nutrient-rich plants. However, these conditions can often harbor unwanted pests and insects. The ability to identify these insects, their preferred environmental conditions, and how fast they can multiply throughout a canopy is essential to plant preservation. Visually scouting for these pests can be done by the human eye or through cameras, AI, and pest control software.
Consider utilizing yellow sticky traps, microscopes, AI, and companion plants in the pest management process. After taking all the necessary measures, the absence of or limited amount of certain pests is a good indicator of plant health.
Trichomes
Trichome color and appearance can help gauge timing for an optimal harvest. Typically healthy trichomes at their peak concentration will have a slightly milky white color, meaning they are full of THC. At this stage, use an HD digital camera/microscope or a small hand-held microscope to observe overall ripeness.
When taking an up-close look, keep an eye out for any burnt or amber colors as this could indicate some damage. Ensuring proper room temperature, humidity, and light exposure throughout the entire growth process can keep trichomes from suffering any destruction.
Summary
In conclusion, it’s essential to recognize the signs of an unhealthy cannabis plant before it spread throughout the canopy. Pipp Horticulture’s vertical farming equipment can also assist with keeping plants healthy, increasing ROI, and getting more from every harvest.
Grow trays might be a second thought when selecting supplies and equipment for your cultivation space. But the wrong choice could result in broken equipment or pathogen friendly growing environment. Grow trays are vital to every cannabis grow and in this article we’ll review the different options and their pros and cons.
Cannabis grow trays are offered in various levels of quality and format. As with most things in life, investing in something that will last and provide a clean, safe environment for your plants pays off.
What is a Grow Tray?
Grow trays are molded containers that are designed to hold plants and enable easy and efficient irrigation. They are typically long, rectangular, and shallow. The most common dimensions for grow trays are 4’ x 8’.
Grow trays were certainly not invented for the modern-day cannabis industry. They have been used in greenhouse settings since the 18th century in North America. Some believe that Chinese farmers were cultivating cannabis in grow trays as far back as 500 BCE or even earlier.
While plant-growing trays are a common item on every cultivation facility’s supply list, it’s worth reevaluating the quality and value of trays you might be purchasing at local stores. The materials used in manufacturing the trays have a big impact on their performance and contribution to the growing environment.
Two Irrigation Methods
Irrigation in outdoor gardens is different from the methods we describe below, which are ideal for greenhouse or indoor gardens. Here is an overview of the main two ways grow trays are utilized in cannabis cultivation facilities:
Drain to Waste
One of the most common indoor cultivation setups is called Drain to Waste. The grow trays hold the plant containers which connect to numerous irrigation lines. A reservoir pumps nutrient solution to the trays and the lines release it to the tops of the plants. The solution drips through the plant medium, feeding the roots, and flows out the bottom of the plant containers. This run-off is then drained from the trays to ensure there’s no standing water in the trays that can be a host to many issues in the grow facility.
Fostering healthy root systems is vital to increasing yields. Placing several drip lines onto each plant ensures that the nutrient solution drains through the plant’s roots evenly and thoroughly. The entire surface area of the plant’s grow medium should be moistened. The faster the grow media drains, the more emitters the drip system will need.
Ebb and Flow
A less commonly used approach in commercial indoor cultivation is the ebb and flow method. Similar to the ways the ocean ebbs and flows on the shore, this method periodically floods the grow tray. The roots are fully flooded each time from the bottom, while Drain to Waste is a slow drip to the top of the grow medium. A drainage hole at the bottom of the trays brings water back to the reservoir where it can go through filtration and treatment to be used again.
Challenges with Low Quality Trays
Cutting costs when it comes to grow trays can mean increased costs down the road. A healthy grow environment stems from multiple factors, including the materials and equipment used in the setup. Below are some major challenges associated with growing plant trays:
Sagging
Low cost trays are often thinner to save on manufacturing costs. When they are loaded with cannabis plants, they often sag or bow, which causes water to pool. Standing water is a grower’s nightmare. It can attract pests and encourage mold, bacteria or fungus to take hold.
Cracking
Over time, exposure to UV radiation can degrade plastic trays that were not made with special UV-stabilized plastic material. These trays have a shorter shelf life and can become brittle and crack. A chalky appearance and color shift on the surface are indicators of degradation.
Cracks lead to leaks and a host of added problems, like standing water on the floor and mold or microbial issues.
Sanitization Challenges
Between every round, cultivators sanitize their facility and the tables and trays in the grow rooms. With repeated scrubbing and cleaning, cheap plastic grow trays will bend, warp, or crack. Investing in grow trays manufactured of a more durable material affords long-term use and ability to withstand repeated vigorous cleanings.
Lack of Integration
Grow trays aren’t made to fit all cannabis facility designs and growing spaces. This is especially true for vertical farming operations. Purchasing trays produced by the same vendor that manufactured the vertical racking systems will ensure a proper fit and seamless integration with other equipment like HVAC and lights.
Pipp’s Top of the Line Grow Trays
Our cannabis industry product line is manufactured using the highest quality materials and manufacturing processes. With the expertise of industry mavens, we’ve designed superior grow trays and vertical racking systems. Below are the different grow trays that we manufacture, right here in the USA.
ABS Combo Grow Trays
ABS is a thermoplastic polymer typically used for injection molding. The benefits of ABS trays are that they provide UV-stability, make cleanup very easy, and are extremely durable.
Pipp’s ABS Combo Grow Trays provide the best balance of cost and performance, as they can be used for both drip-to-drain or ebb and flow irrigation styles. These grow trays are designed to sit level to provide cannabis plants with a flat growing surface. A network of sloped canals within the ABS Combo Grow Trays ensures proper drainage.
Our ABS Trays have a proprietary coating with anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. Investing in trays that have been treated in this specific way helps prevent issues that impact crop production and business profitability.
GHI Aluminum Grow Trays
Aluminum trays are a bigger investment, but they are corrosion resistant throughout the tray’s life. They have a robust aluminum construction with great durability and a reflective white powder coat finish that absorbs or wastes very little light.
Pipp’s GHI (Greenhaus Industries) Aluminum Grow Trays are one of the only aluminum grow trays a commercial cultivator will find suitable for a large-scale operation. Built-in slopes allow run-off to move efficiently to drain fittings, while integral supports provide attachment points for lights and HVAC. The 1” pilot hole pattern allows simple attachment of any accessory.
GHI Aluminum Grow trays can be used for either drip to drain or ebb and flow irrigation styles and are also treated with our anti-microbial and anti-fungal coating.
Finding a Quality Grow Tray
At Pipp Horticulture, we know our business. Our innovative products have been designed in partnership with cannabis growers and engineered in-house. Only through first-hand cultivation tech experience and leading manufacturing practices were we able to develop and produce our grow tray offerings. Given the many vulnerabilities and challenges of lower quality grow trays, Pipp’s ABS Corrugated or Aluminum Grow Trays stand out.
Pipp Mobile Storage Systems thought it would breeze into the cannabis space, take direction from growers, and roll with flow. But that wasn’t exactly the case for North America’s largest provider of mobile shelving and storage solutions. In 2017, vertical farming hadn’t yet been dialed into perfection and Pipp realized, rather quickly, the legal cannabis industry was new territory for everyone.
“Our customers were looking to us to help guide the process, determine proper work-flow, spacing, elevation, plant density, and other key elements that are affected by or attached to our racking systems,” says Pipp’s sales management team.
Pipp entered the horticulture space with nearly 40 years of experience in the retail industry. As a business that has traditionally selected a single market to serve and lead, the team says Pipp hit the jackpot with the horticulture industry. The Walker, Michigan-based company didn’t wait long to get schooled in the world of growing. Pipp attended seminars, acquainted itself with appropriate suppliers, dropped into trade shows, hired experienced growers, and developed a green thumb of its own.
“The horticulture space demands focused attention to detail, deep analysis, continual improvement, innovation, corporate strength and staying power,” says the team. “These requirements speak directly to the attributes that embody Pipp Mobile Storage Systems, Inc., and now Pipp Horticulture.”
Pipp’s mobile vertical grow racks and Greenhaus grow tray systems allow cultivators to increase production by maximizing their cubic canopy footprint without increasing the square footprint of the growing room or building. Designed to meet the requirements of each and every specific customer and project, racks can be built up to 56 feet long and 23 feet high.
Pipp’s vertical grow racks also incorporate:
• Mobile carriages
• A drive system
• Vertical rack structures
• Integrated grow trays
• Airflow components
• Anchorage
• Anti-tip features
• Catwalk platforms
• Ladders
Pipp Horticulture is on a neverending mission of continual product improvement and advancement and has been awarded several U.S. patents for its technological innovations.
A Vision for Vertical Farming
Advancements in technologies will continue to push the horticultural industry forward and further expand its reach. The future is bright for growers and Pipp sees tremendous growth ahead rooted in what indoor cultivation will mean to families, cities, and the world. Vertical farming maximizes production, reduces operating costs, and increases overall revenue per square foot by as much as three times.
“People will be accessing and consuming fresher and healthier foods, while new employment opportunities will present in major cities previously unable to cultivate locally,” says Pipp’s sales team. “The possibilities are limitless, and we are humbled to have a place in it all.”
When it comes to vertical farming there have always been two primary dilemmas: rails on the floor and servicing upper levels. To address these high-demand concerns, Pipp designed a new TRAK-FREE Carriage System as well as a mobile elevated platform. “We see horticulture, indoor cultivation and processing, specifically, as the future for our organization and we are committed to hitting the ball out of the park for our customers, suppliers, employees and all who we serve.”
Pipp’s TRAK-FREE Carriage System leaves a smooth surface with no bumps or barriers to maneuver over between racking rows while the company’s ELEVATE Platform System enables cultivators to walk freely along upper grow levels without being hindered by rolling ladders or scaffolding. All Pipp rails are thoughtfully designed and meet ADA compliance standards.
The sales management team says the company won’t release a product or product feature without an extensive factory and client beta site testing. Although Pipp’s entry point into the horticultural industry was through the cannabis market, the company didn’t want to limit Pipp Horticulture to any specific cultivation or plant processing category. Instead, the company looks forward to building and developing solutions for all growers.
Green By Nature
The cubic space utilization of Pipp mobile systems is, by nature, a greenfriendly phenomena. Less space, electricity, lighting, water, gas and other critical resources are needed due to the efficient use of space. “Pipp is committed to being a green friendly supplier in the horticulture space,” says the sales team. The company’s recycled content for steel and aluminum products is an industryleading 66 percent while the majority of its packaging materials come from recycled materials.
Additionally, Pipp Horticulture offers LEED certification assistance to each and every customer. With hundreds of projects on the go and completed installations under its belt, Pipp’s knowledge base only continues to grow. The company’s in-house team now includes professional engineers, CAD designers, sales support, and experienced operators to provide partners with outstanding support before and after installation. “This is not a micromanaging culture, but rather a highly committed team that respects one another and understands that our individual performances affect and benefit the group, including our customers, as a whole,” says the sales team. “We are dealing with and affecting a living product that moves to its own schedule, not ours. Because of this, our performance is essential, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
Stay tuned as Pipp Horticulture continues to enhance its current offering and create new products to improve plant health, operational efficiencies, and environmental benefits for cultivation facilities worldwide.
