At the end of 2019 PARCITANK S.A. starts a second project co-financed by CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial) and FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) whose objective is to include technological developments that allow increasing productivity, versatility and production control in Farmitank, as well as reduce electricity consumption from the grid and the resulting waste.
Project´s name: SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF VERTICAL FARMING TANKS WITH CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
Place of execution: PARCITANK S.A. (VILLARROBLEDO)
Start date: December 12, 2019
End date: June 12, 2021
To achieve the general objectives, the project is divided into 3 lines of research and development:
- Research in new crops and automation of cultivation processes.
- Research on 4.0 technologies to facilitate management, control and maintenance.
- Research of solutions that contribute to improve the carbon footprint and sustainability of the product.
Technological and research centers associated with this project:
Aidimme: The Metal-processing, Furniture, Wood and Packaging Technology Institute is a technological center whose purpose is to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the metalworking sector, mainly in the field of design and development of innovative products and materials. Collaboration with AIDIMME in this project revolves around the automation of transplantation operations through the use of a collaborative robot and the implementation of solutions based on augmented reality and virtual reality to enhance the areas of remote marketing, training, assistance and maintenance.
CEBAS-CSIC: It is a state agency for scientific research and technological development whose purpose is the promotion, coordination, development and dissemination of scientific and technological research. In this sense, CEBAS provides technological support to monitor the quality of horticultural crops obtained under Farmitank technology.
TECNOVA: Tecnova Technology Center promotes applied innovation and technological development to improve the competitiveness and profitability of companies in the agro-industrial sector. Specialized in the auxiliary industry, post-harvest and fruit and vegetable packaging, its collaboration in this project focuses on the definition of cultivation parameters for the production of new varieties, on the study and monitoring of the results and the analysis of the conservation capacity and quality postharvest.
Wageningen University & Research: Public university classified as one of the best universities in the world in the field of horticulture and food science. His work in the project consists of technical advice on crops and equipment, mainly in terms of fertilization and water treatment.