Moving Boldly Into Automation

Canada’s Bold Robotics brings flexibility and speed to greenhouse product labeling.

Greenhouse production is a numbers game with the quantity of products that growers ship during their busy season. Medium-sized farms might label 2 million pot covers annually, for example, with bigger entities tagging as many as 20 million plants per year, says Bill VandenOever, co-founder of automated equipment provider Bold Robotic Solutions.

As its name suggests, Bold Robotics offers high-tech answers for oft-painful questions presented by repetitive packaging processes. Instead of developing one machine for each crop, the Ontario-based company builds separate modules for every task, giving operators much-needed speed and flexibility in tackling the job at hand.

“They’re getting more usage out of a machine and with minimal set-up, because you just swap out a part and keep running,” says VandenOever. “In the past, a greenhouse would have six people around a table labeling those covers. Now they have one person running a machine part-time, reducing labor requirements and costs. The return on investment is very appealing.”

VandenOever launched Bold Robotics in 2017 with colleague Willem Bijlsma, harnessing automation skills developed in the steel and lumber industries. The company, which runs its shop from a greenhouse in Vineland, Ont., saw first-hand the need for flexible automation in a diversified North American marketplace.

Unlike European greenhouses that are mostly uniform in their offerings, North American producers supply a wide array of potted items – a challenge when volume can fluctuate depending on the season. Many of Bold Robotics’ customers are busiest during the holidays, says VandenOever.

“When we first started, we wanted to cover as much of the greenhouse as possible, such as cut flowers and potted plants,” he says. “But over time, we realized that there was a ton of opportunity in potted plants alone. So, let’s concentrate on this specific part of the industry.

Knowing the grower

A full-time greenhouse workspace provides Bold Robotics deep insight into grower pain points, VandenOever says. A mylar packaging machine, for instance, handles packing specifications for a dozen different products. Users program the machine to manage disparate pot sizes – the robot picks the plant from a belt, adding the mylar, UPC and sleeves. Each step is a separate module, allowing operators to add, customize, or remove each one.

Over time, greenhouse-heavy Ontario became an ideal test bed for Bold Robotics’ ever-evolving innovations, notes VandenOever.

“Originally, we focused on the Niagara area, where there were lots of greenhouses close by,” VandenOever says. “It was a good opportunity to incubate our product with nearby customers. We then refined our technology and branched out to more proven solutions.”

Bold Robotics has completed about 85-90 product installations in Canada, though the business is currently making inroads into the northern United States as well. Smaller growers in Canada and stateside encounter similar problems, including orders of various size that require (too) many “touches” before it ships, says VandenOever.

“A simple machine Bold offers is the “VL-43” which is a “Value Add” Labeler, and can easily be installed inline with a current process. The machine will print the label on demand, and present it so a worker can easily manipulate the cover to the printed label and place it on the packing line. This simple machine eliminates the need to pre-print labels in the office, de-palletize the items, apply the labels, re-palletize, store, and then bring back to the packing line when the packing process begins, only to de-palletize again, and place on the packing line. Oh, and, only to find out that the wrong label was applied and it all has to be done all over again. Reducing touches will reduce human error.”

“The CL-26 Case labeler is a machine that can save time on that one last process, VandenOever says. Instead of stickering boxes on pallets after they are stacked, the case labeler will apply the label consistently on the case as it moves down the line at the case sealer – this also is a print on demand application.”

A more enjoyable workplace

Bold Robotics continues to identify automation gaps seven years into its life cycle – a process that encompasses new technology along with improvement of existing products, says VandenOever. A pot and tray machine currently in development utilizes an articulated robot with improved flexibility, reach, and strength. Such features are valuable in untangling and organizing intertwined plants, whereas a regular robot might knock over a pot, VandenOever says.

“We’ll get (this technology) to local customers – once its proven, we can start sending it out throughout the North American market,” says VandenOever. “It’s about filling gaps where companies can’t find labor. We’re also creating more highly skilled jobs for people and getting rid of boring tasks that can be a turn-off. Automating those jobs makes the workplace more enjoyable.”

Company officials train growers in programming equipment, as well as making the necessary adjustments for smaller product orders. Bold Robotics tests each program for every product, ensuring complete optimization before a machine arrives at the greenhouse.

“It’s a risk for greenhouses when they change their process – it can be quite daunting when it affects their workflow,” VandenOever says. “But these guys are seeing the benefits of utilizing automation to make things better.”

Operators making their first foray into automation should start small with one of Bold Robotics’ customizable, off-the-shelf solutions. “Baby steps” will lead to bolder usage and even greater flexibility, says VandenOever.

“The goal to have everything automated is not realistic for most people,” he says. “But there is a lot of room for growth. We’re excited to see where it goes and how we can be part of it.”