Story: An international network is now emerging around nutrients

What makes CE-Line’s ‘in-house’ laboratory unique in horticulture? “A grower had two options up until now,” says Simon. “Install an EC meter, then you only have the average of the greenhouse. Or send a sample to a lab, but then you have the result within three days at the fastest. That is actually too late to be able to properly manage your nutrients. With CE-Line you literally get directly above water what goes into the plants and what comes out. That gives you a lot more handles.”

Separate tab

The most ideal situation is of course if you see the data from the CE-Line directly in the climate computer. “For a very long time it was impossible to analyze the nutrients in the irrigation system in the greenhouse itself so quickly,” Simon continues. “So the dashboards of the climate computers do not have a tab for that. Because this is unique, we do not have a platform to land in. Now we are building this connection from scratch.”

Research opportunities

“The same goes for research. Now that WUR and Delphy have seen our system, and companies like Certhon and Denso, many research opportunities are emerging. For example, into the correlation of light spectrum and nutrition, but also measuring the relationship between evaporation and fertilization. Perhaps we can even further develop the CE-Line so that it measures diseases. Because real-time sampling of water never existed, there is still a lot of overdue research in this area.”

Horticulture is becoming increasingly automatic and circular, so you have to measure in order to manage properly.

– SIMON MEIJER, CEO CE-LINE

International network

And something else interesting is emerging because of the uniqueness of CE-Line. “You can see that an international network is now emerging around the subject of nutrients in horticulture,” says Simon. “As CE-Line, we are also slowly starting to function as a matchmaker on this subject. Connecting customers with researchers and vice versa. That is nice to see.”

The endless possibilities of CE-Line’s compact laboratory make it a clear example of a future-proof technology, for which the company has been nominated. “Horticulture is becoming increasingly automatic and circular, so you have to measure in order to manage properly. Systems are needed for this at every level within the greenhouse, including for nutrients. That is our focus, but because we have now mastered this sensor technology, we can continue to develop it for other applications.”

Future proof team

“We also have a truly future-proof team,” Simon proudly says. “They are young, ambitious people who want to prove themselves. And they are also widely deployable, we really aim for more generic skills. When we hire new people, we really look at whether they fit in with us. That way, we create a safe working environment for everyone.”

You can see the enthusiasm at CE-Line for their system and for horticulture in everything. “We notice especially internationally how quickly things can go. Often in the USA or Japan, the greenhouse belongs to a manager with a retail contract, for example, who prefers to solve cultivation specialization with sensors and automation. They often dare to take more risks there. From the Netherlands, we have to continue to prove ourselves, but by operating smartly, we can market our knowledge excellently.”