Advanced Intelligent Systems Inc.
Practical, Autonomous Robotic Solutions for the Horticultural Industry including Greenhouse and Nursery Automation.
Labor shortage in the nursery and horticulture industries
The need for labor in the nursery and horticultural industry has been steadily climbing, at the same time, year after year, the industry faces shortages in finding people to perform repetitive and labor intensive tasks. This chronic shortage of labor is due largely to the repetitive and labor intensive nature of the tasks that is required by workers. Not only are these tasks physically taxing, they can lead to injuries.
Other factors make a nursery job undesirable. Being a highly seasonal industry, that is most often based in rural areas, where housing and transportation pose challenges for workers, the industries’ appeal is low. Without an adequate number of workers, the industry is not always able to meet demands and many seasonally dependent fruits and vegetables go to waste.
Nurseries suffer from not only a lack of workers, but existing workers who sustain on-the-job injuries erode nurseries’ already shrinking profit margin. With fewer workers, there is a demand for higher wages. Combined with resulting inefficient processes, which lead to the overuse of resources like water and fertilizers, the profit margin of many nurseries is at an all time low.
With the increased importance placed on the public’s consumption of fruits and vegetables, for health reasons, the demand has increased. It is unfortunate that the industry is facing substantial challenges that result in a decline in production. The industry is ripe for a disruptive solution that solves these significant challenges.
Increase in demand for labour
Housing and transportation
pose challenges
Fewer worker increase demand
for higher wages
Increased public consumption
of fruits and vegetables
AIS Nursery Automation.
A timely solution.
Where is it difficult to find people for repetitive manual labor intensive tasks, our autonomous mobile robots perform these tasks tirelessly for a fraction of the price. Not only do they fill the growing labour gap, AIS plant nursery robots consistently perform at about 1.5x of manual labour.
In addition to filling labor gaps, plant nursery automation increases job satisfaction among existing workers and may result in a lower attrition rate. The automation of repetitive tasks allows workers to perform more value-added tasks, reducing work-related injuries and increasing job satisfaction. By operating in an efficient, predictable and accurate manner, nursery robots not only increase productivity, performance and worker satisfaction, they also save nurseries valuable, costly resources. Properly spaced pots save nurseries in resource costs by using less fertilizer and water. Not only does plant nursery automation save money, it provides environmental benefits as well.
AIS’s BigTop is currently in operation at one of Canada’s largest nursery operations: Van Belle Nurseries. Van Belle grows more than 400 varieties of plants on 100 acres located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Find out how nursery automation has increased productivity and performance at Van Belle.
“Our client base is desperate to fill open headcount. They just can’t find people for these labor intensive job openings. AIS is laser focused on providing practical, cost effective robotics that can be put to work in the very near term to fill a gap that will only grow.”
Robert LandoAgrinomix