How One Greenhouse Automation Company Is Continuing to Innovate
October 6, 2022 
ISO Group Sorter and Planter
Back in 2018, the ISO Cutting Planter from ISO Group was named Greenhouse Grower’s first Technology of the Year winner during Cultivate in Columbus, OH.
“We continue to look for new ideas from growers and to help them find the solutions they need,” said Raymond van den Berg of ISO Group in accepting the award.
Since then, the company has backed up these words, introducing more machines and further establishing its presence in the U.S. with the planned opening of an office in Richmond, VA, in January 2023.
On the heels of Cultivate’22, five years after the Technology of the Year award was bestowed on the ISO Group, Greenhouse Grower Senior Editor Brian Sparks reconnected with van den Berg to learn more how the company has grown over the past few years.
Brian Sparks: Can you talk about the new facility in Richmond and how it will operate for growers here in the U.S.?
Raymond van den Berg: The purpose of us becoming more local in North America is the growth in the amount of growers using our machines. At this point, we have 45 customers and we have more than 100 machines that are operational. To give you a comparison, five years ago we had three growers and 10 active machines. In the last five years, there’s been an exponential growth in the number of growers that are using our machines. We always choose as a company to work directly with the grower so there’s no middleman. Everything is still serviced and installed from Holland, and that has always been the case. Prior to 2020, we made plans to expand in the U.S. We all know what happened in March 2020, so everything was put on hold, and nobody knew how long that would last. As things began opening up in 2021 and 2022, we knew this would be the year for us. Everything will still be owned, managed, and built here in Holland. But sales and service will all be provided from out of Richmond, VA.
Sparks: With the strong couple of years many growers have had, have you seen rising interest from the market for using the technology that you offer?
van den Berg: Automation is definitely something that people are interested in, especially if they rely on seasonal labor. There has been a lot of difficulty with getting people across borders, so any automation helps. We also see that the quality of the machines has been a big influence. Growers are looking for consistency in production and ways to flatten the curve of the peak of the season.
Sparks: When you first introduced your cuttings technology, it was pretty revolutionary for the industry. What has your company been doing since then, and what are some of the next stages of innovation that might come out of your company?
van den Berg: We are not yet at the highest point of what we can achieve with our planting and sticking technology. Last year, for instance, we installed a machine at a grower that not only sticks plants, but also sorts the unrooted cuttings. It is a combination machine that we call the ISO Sorter and Planter. Due to the versatility of the software, we see other types of demands for our sticking machine, not only for sticking but also for sorting and quality control. We are also going to use more 3D technology in our machines. One example is the ISO grade 8000 machine, which we displayed at Green Tech 2022. There was a huge demand for it, especially from potted plant growers who want to get more out of their sorting machine.
The other thing we are working on right now is the 3D development around the rose cutter and planter machine. We introduced that machine in 2016, but since then we’ve seen demand for new plant handling techniques.
Sparks: Can you talk more about the process of working directly with growers on new technology?
van den Berg: All of the new technologies we introduce come out of the minds of growers and their needs. They see our machines, especially when we display them at shows, and they tell us how the machines should work for their own plants and production systems. When we received the Technology of the Year award, we were only sticking annuals, chrysanthemums, and perennials. At this point, we’re also sticking trees, soft fruit, tissue culture, and herbs. In that way, we are still looking at what growers want and what they can do with the machines. And that is also one of the purposes for coming to North America, to be closer to the market. There are a lot of similarities between Europe and North America because a lot of the propagators that make new plants are also based in Holland, but we think there’s more to gain for the North American market.
There will be a demo machine available at our facility in Richmond, VA, so that we can invite growers and possible users of the machine to test and do trials at our location.
Although the basis of our machinery is still annuals, we see that there are still a lot of growers doing things by hand in other markets, so we feel there is potential for growth in those market for our machines.
Sparks: If you take a step back, where do you see some of the most critical gaps in information that growers are looking for when it comes to technology in general?
van den Berg: There is a lot of uncertainty about the supply chain, especially in Europe, and there’s also a lot of uncertainty about the energy market. While growers do not have control over those, what they do have influence in is their costs for labor. Automation can help you deal with that uncertainty.
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