MOODY HELP DELIVER UK'S GREENEST TOMATOES

Process equipment specialist, Moody Systems, has supplied two large heat exchangers to greenhouse systems specialist CambridgeHOK. The heat exchangers have been installed as part  of the expansion of British Sugar UK’s Cornerways Nursery which has now become the country’s largest and most eco-friendly tomato nursery.

As the UK’s leading producers of retail structures, commercial glasshouses and associated equipment, CambridgeHOK are constructing and equipping
a new 80,000m² Venlo glasshouse to extend Cornerways from its current 11 hectare site to 18 hectares.
The project will ultimately raise the Norfolk nursery’s production from its current level of 80 million tomatoes,
with 500,000 plants now capable of yielding 140 million tomatoes annually. Moody’s two heat exchangers form
a key component in the energy saving heat and carbon dioxide system used at Cornerways which draws on resources from British Sugar’s neighbouring factory to save fuel and boost tomato growth.

More than 140 miles of pipework is used to carry hot water from the Wissington sugar factory’s Combined Heat
and Power (CHP) plant to the Cornerways Nursery. This hot water helps maintain the balmy temperatures which suit optimum tomato growth. The two plate heat exchangers Moody Systems provided are used to transfer this waste heat into the water pipework system within the new greenhouse. Waste carbon dioxide from the factory
is also pumped into the glasshouse to be absorbed by the plants during photosynthesis rather than  vented
to atmosphere.

The efficiency of service that Moody Systems provided was essential for the  success of the project. Steve Hinch, Director at CambridgeHOK takes up the  story.

"We started to speak with Moody Systems when we established mid-project an urgent need for two sizeable
heat exchangers to overcome pressurization issues. Their speed of response, clear understanding of our requirements and sensible pricing were excellent. It was vital that they understood fully our need to have 
the heat exchanger units delivered not only quickly, but more importantly, that  we could rely on the agreed
delivery date".

Steve adds, "The detail they provided enabled us to pre-install all of the connecting pipework such that on
delivery the units simply slipped into place and fitted perfectly. The off-loading went like a dream, exactly to
the day promised by Moody Systems”.

Also helping to make Cornerways the greenest nursery in the UK will be a large lagoon created by
CambridgeHOK to harvest rainwater, recycling it to irrigate the tomato plants. Meanwhile, over 5,000 bumblebees, living in 100 beehives, pollinate the crop and are part of the nursery's integrated approach to crop management using natural agents and predators in preference to agro-chemicals. All the produce at Cornerways is packed
on-site in a modern packhouse, minimizing handling and transport and allowing produce to be despatched for supermarket shelves often less than 12 hours after being picked.

The Cornerways Nursery extension project was completed in December 2010.

Part of the Moody Group, Moody Systems is a specialist supplier of new and used processing plant to the food, beverage and processing industries worldwide, with a product range offering individual equipment through to complete tailored  process plant and packaging systems.

Cornerways Nursery recently featured on BBC TV's Jimmy's Farming Heroes. Click here to watch the clip on YouTube.

For full product information and to view a list of equipment available, please visit www.moodysystems.co.uk