Horti Fair Innovation Award for Mardenkro

With its new product ReduFuse, Mardenkro B.V. is the winner of the Fair Innovation Award 2011 in the category dedicated to Technology. This announcement was made by Geert van Oosterhout, the chairman of the jury, on behalf of the international jury of experts, on the first day of the trade fair being held in the Amsterdam RAI.

Jury’s report
‘Mardenkro B.V has succeeded twice in developing a new product with a wide range of application’, said Mr Van Oosterhout, the chairman of the jury. ‘This product, ReduFuse, responds to the findings of recent research that has shown that the use of diffuse glass generates a dramatic increase in production for various crops. When applied to the roof of an existing greenhouse, the actual light loss is very limited because ReduFuse diffuses the.light.
It can be used for a wide range of crops, retains its light-diffusing property for a longer time, and can simply be removed in the fall. It therefore requires only a small investment that is quickly recouped.’

International jury of experts
The jury evaluated almost 100 new products this year (20% more than last year) and selected the winners from among 13 that were nominated. The new products usually involved technological solutions and simple principles with a wide range of application and that focused on the Cultivation New Style, energy, quality and cost saving, and less focused on marketing and sales concepts.
In addition to the chairman of the jury, Geert van Oosterhout (Director, LTO Groeiservice) the international jury of experts consisted of Jeroen van Buren (Market Group Manager, Potplanten at DLV Plant BV), Heinrich Dressler (Gb Das Magazin für Zierpflanzenbau, Germany), Cor van de Kaay (vegetable grower), Linda Kaluzny-Pinon (Culture Legumière, France), Frank Kempkes (technology researcher at Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture), Leo Marcelis (Professor in Crop Production in Low-energy Greenhouses at Wageningen UR), Eric Moor (pot plant grower) and Steven Vale (Commercial Greenhouse Grower Magazine, Great Britain).

Team achievement
After receiving the beautiful trophy, Jort Gerritsen, Mardenkro’s managing director, thanked the whole team for the cooperation which resulted in this achievement.
Mardenkro whishes to thank all growers and custom applicators for their assistance and involvement during the trials.


Mardenkro also wins the Press Award

Besides the prestigious innovation award, a jury of press representatives from major horticultural titles chose as being the most striking new product exhibited at the Horti Fair and decided to give Mardenkro the Horti Fair Press Award.
From innovations previously nominated by a jury of international experts, representatives from trade magazines Groenten & Fruit,Glastuinbouwtechniek/Sierteeltmarketing, De Bloemenkrant, KAS and Onder glas, selected the winner that they thought was the most outstanding and deserving of the Press Award 2011.

Jury’s report on the winner, ReduFuse
‘With its ReduFuse’, according to the jury’s report, ‘Mardenkro has a new product which is applicable throughout greenhouse horticulture: a removable coating that for all intents and purposes can be used at every business in horticulture under glass. Last year, much was said and written about diffuse glass. Research had shown that this glass generates a 7 to 10% increase in production. But the application of diffuse glass is possible only once a grower decides to build a new greenhouse or replaces the roof of his existing greenhouse. For this reason, many greenhouses with diffuse glass will be built in coming years.
This new product was the subject of much discussion at last year’s Horti Fair, but it was not yet available for commercial use. Due to its immense added value, low investment and its broad range of application, Mardenkro’s ReduFuse was the unanimous winner of the Press Award.’