Aphria Inc. APHA

RE:From Aphria's Facebook page - how cool is this?

[Viking49]

ediabid wrote:

We’re currently installing our automated overhead crane systems in our Part 4, 750,000 sq. ft. greenhouse. These cranes will pick up empty tables from the harvest robots and bring them to our wash bays at which point they’ll be sanitized and thoroughly cleaned, and then staged for the transplanting robots as part of an on going cycle.

Yes, automation in all phases of operation!
Aphria One,  1,000,000 square feet of grow area.
                         300,000 plants growing when in full rotation     
                           33,000 plants average harvest per week
2 shifts processing, 80 hours per week
                            412 plants per hour processed
                               1 plant processed every 8.7 seconds and 1 planted and positioned in its place.

This is required to get the expected 110,000 kg capacity from the facility. Workflow balanced between an integration of human labour and automation. 

I have been trying to model a facility of this capacity with no automated, planting, handling, trimming, processing, transporting, etc..  Strictly manual labour in facility over 1,000,000 square feet poses extreme workflow challenges.  4 shift per week option helps, but adds cost.
These facilities are large and manual handling and transportation will require a lot of manpower.  And bigger can actually srart reducing your efficiency if average travel distances increase.

Aphria’s commitment to automation and advanced methods make me feel confident that they will achieve their capacity goals.

Those LPs in big greenhouses without automation.........GOOD LUCK!