Robo pot: Aphria says automation pivotal to low-cost cannabis production

On a eve of ratified recreational pot and concerns about supply shortage, one of Canada’s largest producers believes programmed machines will be a pivotal to producing some-more cannabis. 

Leamington-based Aphria now has supply agreements with each range and Yukon, braggadocio about skeleton to furnish roughly 20,000 kilograms of pot a month by spring. 

As they enhance their footprint to 3 million block feet, they’re constantly looking during automation to revoke costs and say quality, pronounced co-founder John Cervini.

“It’s what’s finished us a low-cost producer, helped us to say that low-cost writer status,” he pronounced during a new debate of a facility. 

Robots and humans

One partial in a routine of flourishing pot that Aphria said is roughly prepared to turn programmed is a commencement of a plant’s life cycle. 

In a bright, white room with industrial equipment, there are 3 machines that have a claw-like arm unresolved above a conveyer belt. 

This appurtenance will use a robotic scratch to kindly place cuttings from Aphria’s mom plants into trays to grow new plants. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

“This sold drudge in front of us is fixation cannabis cuttings into a uninformed Rockwool brick to grow roots,” pronounced Cervini, who was display a routine with a video. 

Once a 3 machines are running, Cervini believes it will usually take 5 days to process 250,000 cuttings, that grow to turn plants.

Currently, Cervini said 6 full-time employees can furnish 15,000 cuttings a week — prolongation levels that a 3 machines would be means to strech in 3 hours. 

Job waste from robotic gains?

Aphria has between 400 to 500 employees and are constantly looking to sinecure some-more competent people, pronounced Cervini, and automation won’t extent a flourishing workforce. 

“Honestly we don’t see any tangible pursuit detriment from a automation. What we’re going to see is maybe some repurposing of jobs,” he said.

Aphria co-founder John Cervini says some-more automation will come as they work toward scaling their trickery adult to 3 million block feet. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

Using a automation of cuttings as an example, Cervini said the 6 to 8 people now in assign of primer processing, and potentiality more, will be in assign of creation certain those aloft targets are reached with automation.

Aphria is still weeks divided from removing those machines running — though even after they’re entirely functional, the programmed routine won’t be means to start until Health Canada gives them a immature light.

‘Ebb and flow’ of Health Canada

As Aphria anticipates those approvals, Cervini said the supervision physique has been doing a legalization of an whole attention well. 

“You could see there was times when approvals took longer and afterwards all a remarkable approvals took reduction time, so there’s been an lessen and upsurge of timing with Health Canada,” he said. 

An worker sorts pot on a prolongation line during Aphria in Leamington. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

“If we demeanour during what’s been achieved in a really brief duration of time in Canada around regulations for cannabis, we have to do zero though praise Health Canada.”

He pronounced a automation skeleton go over a cuttings process.

The packaging and labelling aspects are also prepared for automation, according to Cervini, as good as a pleat line now staffed with about 12 people, that he envisions to be finished by robotic arms in a future.

Tap on a actor next to watch Aphria’s pot bots in action:

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/automation-aphria-leamington-cannabis-before-legal-marijuana-1.4857992?cmp=rss