CANNAINVESTOR Magazine December / January 2016 | Page 48

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Customers in

Different Segments

Heliospectra’s customers can be split into three different segments. All segments are growing rapidly according to independent analyzes. The traditional greenhouse growers are still, in terms of volume, the largest customer group but vertical and indoor cultivation are growing faster. Medical cannabis growers are mainly found in North America but is one of the fastest growing customer groups there.

TRADITIONAL GREENHOUSE CULTIVATIONS

Climate change has caused a deterioration in farming conditions in many places around the world with storms, flooding and extreme weather and temperature conditions. Greenhouse growing provides a safer and more stable cultivation. Culti- vations in greenhouses also reduce the need for toxic substances to prevent pests, disease and weed in cultivations. Herbal plants such as basil, parsley, dill, chives and mint are suitable for the light from Heliospectra’s technology. The majority of this market is in the northern hemisphere where the winters are cold, relatively long and dark. The greenhouse market is changing, with a need for an increase in automation and qualitative productivity at the same time as production is moving closer to, and into, cities. According to the analyst company MarketsandMarkets, the traditional greenhouse market will grow an- nually by 27 percent between 2015 and 2020. HPS lights remain the largest competitor of LED plant lights in traditional greenhouse cultivations. For large, commercial greenhouse cultivations, product quality is more important than price.

Customer Case: Spisa AB

Founded in 1995, Spisa is today Europe’s largest supplier of ecological potted herbs with operations in seven European markets. In addition to growing herbs, Spisa is also a large provider of different salad greens. The environment and qual- ity have always been a key focus with high standards of food safety, environmental protection and regular quality controls, and therefore Spisa has always continuously seeked out new technologies and improvements. As Sweden’s northern weather did not supply the daily amount of light needed for healthy and good-looking plants, Spisa needed high-quality, energy-efficient supplemental lighting for long winter months, and was looking to replace wasteful HPS lamps. Heliospectra calculated the need for PAR for their crops and provided lights with a spectrum specially designed for them. Today Spisa is using Heliospectra LED lights, including both the LX602G and E60, in three locations in Sweden. Additionally, in the autumn of 2015, Spisa bought another1,400+ Heliospectra LightBars for their propagation facility.

RESULTS COMPARED TO THEIR FORMER HPS LIGHTING SOLUTIONS INCLUDES:

-46 percent decrease in energy consumption

-Improved plant vigor

-Improved taste

-Improved shelf-life

-Improved plant quality

-The survival rate of younger plants has increased and waste has been reduced

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