The thriving greenhouse industry in Southwestern Ontario is accompanied by challenges of changing legislations, water availability, labor shortages and corporate social responsibility. Responding to the increasing demand for effective solutions that support growers in making their production more sustainable, Ridder Canada moved into a new and larger location in Leamington, Ontario.
To commemorate the opening of their new Leamington location, Ridder organized an Open House on September 9. Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald was on hand for the grand opening.
Ridder’s Canadian office is one of the 7 international locations of the Dutch developer of advanced greenhouse technologies. “We have been present with a local office in Canada for more than 10 years. The forward-thinking and innovative mindset of the local growers, greenhouse manufacturers and installers has always been the driver to establish our local business to serve this growing industry”, says Wil Lammers, General Manager at Ridder North America.
“Current trends related to changing laws and legislations, labour scarcity, supply of fresh water and increasing energy prices have made our local service and solutions even more relevant.”
Lammers explained that the services and solutions of Ridder include various innovative new technologies that help growers cope with significant challenges. “Currently, growers are struggling with all sorts of challenges in the field of labour; from having trouble finding enough skilled workers, to keeping the workforce productive as operations get larger and harder to manage.
“In Southwestern Ontario we are helping many greenhouse companies with this; we have a complete suite of labour management systems available that help them to gain insight, get a grip on their costs and handle their workforce more efficiently. During the open day, we showed our latest solutions, and we even discussed one of the most innovative solutions for the tight labour market: our GRoW Tomato Harvesting Robot.”
Ridder has been active in the Canadian market since the early 70s.
Members of the public who are interested in learning more about Ridder’s integrated greenhouse technology are welcome to visit the new Leamington location and talk with Ridder specialists.
Ridder is located at 229 B Talbot St. W., Leamington, Ontario.