Search [![Gearbox Innovations logo](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/static/gearbox-logo-color.svg) Gearbox](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en) Menu Menu [Crops](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/crops) [Solutions](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/our-solutions) [Contact](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/contact) - EN - - [NL](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/nl/klantcases/sk-roses) [Contact](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/contact) - [Home](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en) - [Customer cases](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/customer-cases) - SK Roses # Customer case ## SK Roses 35 million roses a year Family business [GearStation floriculture](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/our-solutions/gearstation-floriculture) Quality Control 100% Labour Savings 30% ROI <3 years ## Achieving consistent rose quality with the GearStation **How do you increase processing speed whilst ensuring consistent rose quality? SK Roses found the answer by partnering with Gearbox to implement AI Vision technology in the company’s processing area. Grower Tom Koene is enthusiastic about the solution. “The GearStation Roos ensures consistent quality assessment, making the processing process faster and more consistent. This enables us, as growers, to guarantee a higher standard of quality to our customers.”** SK Roses processes over 35 million roses annually. The nursery previously relied on the team’s judgement, says the grower. “We wanted to move towards a system that automatically assesses the quality of roses. That led us to an AI-driven camera system.” ### AI-driven camera system “Together with three other rose growers – Porta Nova, Marjoland and van de Berg Roses – we approached Gearbox and began the development process for the GearStation. The GearStation has now been integrated into a total of twelve processing lines, two of which are operating in our processing area.” According to Koene, the project consists of two phases. Phase A (taking over the human quality assessment) is the solution that has now been running at the company for a year. “The GearStation works very well,” says the grower. “The quality of the roses is very consistent and we’re making significant savings on labour. Thanks to the system, the hanging speed per employee has increased by 30%.” “The implementation of Phase B is currently in its final stages,” he continues. “In this phase, we’re taking it a step further: staff in the processing area will only need to hang the roses, whilst the assessment and sorting take place fully automatically. The system actively manages quality and the capacity of the bunching stations through smart prioritisation. Via a user-friendly interface, we can adjust the settings ourselves and immediately see the effect this has on the distribution of the roses across the various output lines. In addition, forecasts provide insight into what can be expected based on the settings and historical data, and we link data from other systems, such as harvest and staff information. This gives us a complete picture of every rose, from the greenhouse to the bunch.” ## Quote ''The GearStation works very well. The quality of the roses is very consistent and we’re making significant savings on labour. Thanks to the system, the hanging speed per employee has increased by 30%.'' **Tom Koene – Managing Director at SK Roses** ## Media Uw browser ondersteunt de video tag niet. ### Good Collaboration with Gearbox and Other Growers Koene finds working with Gearbox a positive experience. “They’re a great team; the people really think things through with you. If there are any problems, they’re resolved quite quickly – they can monitor our operations remotely. It’s also beneficial and desirable to collaborate with several growers on this. To achieve the best quality assessment, it’s important to put a lot of effort into training the AI network. This can be a time-consuming process, so it’s better to tackle it collectively. It’s also beneficial to collaborate with several growers on new developments. Ultimately, we’ll all reap the benefits of this and help drive the sector forward. ### Further innovation with Gearbox SK Roses regards innovation as an essential part of its business operations. The nursery now wants to embark on its next project with Gearbox: further developing automation in the greenhouse. “At the moment, operational staff decide for themselves which roses to cut, but even that can be automated using camera technology. We’d like to work with Gearbox to turn this innovation into a workable product.” Finally, what advice would Tom Koene give to growers looking to automate or introduce robotics? “Start with a clear and well-defined objective. Innovation projects can be complex; a clear scope helps with this.” [More about the GearStation](https://www.gearboxinnovations.com/en/our-solutions/gearstation-floriculture) ## Smarter growing starts here. Curious to find out what digital employees can do for your business? Let’s get to know each other. [Get in touch](mailto:sales@gearboxinnovations.com) Thomas - Sales Manager