Textile shading solution for plants in greenhouses

The partners developed an elastic screening system which maintains a constant climate and, thus, optimum conditions for plant growing in greenhouses. OMBRA-DLS is the name of this innovation which is produced on a raschel machine with magazine weft insertion facility.

The OMBRA-DLS project

When growing plants under glass, it is extremely important to maintain the correct climate inside the greenhouse. Factors such as light, moisture and temperature have a pronounced effect on the quality of the plants and plant yields. Uncontrolled fluctuations put stress on the plants immediately. A constant level of light in the greenhouse, or one which can be adjusted as required, is one of the basic requirements for maximising plant yields.

In 2009, Leo Jasper, managing director of the Contechma B.V., came up with the idea of developing an elastic screening system that would enable the light to be adjusted flexibly.

Working with his company he first of all determined the requirements of dynamic light-managing systems. A strategic marketing and business plan was then drawn up.

The path from the initial idea to the new, innovative product could only be taken successfully by working with the right partners. Contechma therefore looked for companies with a customer-oriented and project-based set-up, which would be prepared to cooperate, and which would be open to the ideas of everyone involved in the project. The focus of the cooperative venture was to produce a saleable product, not to generate profit at any price. The search for suitable partners led to a cooperative venture being set up between the following specialists:

-Contechma B.V.

This company used the market study and organisational strategy to assess the demand for a dynamic screening system and evaluate its characteristics. The company had already built up an extensive network of associates by cooperating with universities and the umbrella organisation, Wageningen UR, which incorporates the University of Wageningen and nine research establishments.

-Penn Textile Solutions GmbH

This textile producer brought many years of experience, a flexible, project-oriented organisation, and a focus on finding solutions at every level to the partnership. What is more, Penn Textile Solutions is not afraid of tackling difficult questions, and was the perfect companion along the road to developing new innovations.

-KARL MAYER Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH

New product innovations usually depend on new developments being made in the production technology. A reliable partner from the machine building sector was found in the shape of KARL MAYER – a company that has faced its own very difficult technical challenges by coming up with new, reliable and profitable solutions.

-Lemur SA

On the basis of its extensive know-how, this company developed a yarn that meets all the requirements of this special application. The yarn had to have long-term elasticity, a flat force curve, long-term UV resistance and a reliable performance profile, even under the difficult conditions inside a greenhouse.

OMBRA-DLS was developed as a result of the cooperation between these companies and the company, Elasol.