“The global population is growing rapidly and is increasingly urbanized, while climate change is making growing conditions less predictable”

• Global scale-up of vertical farming offers promise of healthier, fresher and more sustainable food for people around the world
• Collaboration combines innovative strengths of 80 Acres Farms, Siemens and Philips Horticulture LED Solutions
• Increased standardization, digitization and automation will drive global scale-up

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, announces a collaboration between Philips Horticulture LED solutions, 80 Acres Farms and Siemens for the global scale-up of vertical farming. “We envision a future where vertical farming contributes to a healthier lifestyle for consumers around the world. In our collaboration with 80 Acres Farms and Siemens, we are reimagining farming,” says Ellis Janssen, Global Director City Farming at Philips Horticulture LED Solutions.

Knowledge sharing and collaboration key to success

Proving enough food for the future is one of the world’s most urgent challenges. The global population is growing rapidly and is increasingly urbanized, while climate change is making growing conditions less predictable. Vertical farming has the potential to improve the way we feed the world. It can provide reliable, sustainable production of healthy food, grown close to the consumer.

But vertical farming is a relatively new and still small industry. Unleashing its potential demands more commercially successful farms and global scalability. Successful global growth will require a greater diversity and uniqueness of products that add value to consumers’ plates, such as new crop types and increased nutritional value. “The vertical farming industry needs to mature,” says Ellis Janssen. “To scale up, we need integrated farming systems with higher standardization, automation and digitization that provide increased efficiency. This collaboration will enable the knowledge sharing and collaboration that are the keys to success.”

80 Acres Farms and Philips Horticulture LED Solutions: early partners in growth

With headquarters in Ohio, U.S, 80 Acres Farms is one of the pioneers in vertical farming and one of the first companies to master the art of scale-up. In 2016, it opened its first R&D farm, supported by know-how from Netherlands-based technology subsidiary, Infinite Acres.

Philips Horticulture LED Solutions’ collaboration with 80 Acres Farms began in 2017. “Anyone can grow plants indoors, but, until recently, almost no one has figured out how to make vertical farming scalable and profitable,” says Tisha Livingston, co-founder of 80 Acres Farms and CEO of Infinite Acres, the company’s Netherlands-based technology subsidiary. “Getting there has taken focused, long-term collaboration with some of the best technology companies in the world.”   Philips Horticulture LED Solutions provided knowledge on the effect of lighting on plants, on how to align lighting with climate and irrigation strategies, and on yield predictions. Philips Horticulture LED Solutions also developed customized light recipes for Infinite Acres.

Since 2016, 80 Acres Farms has opened new facilities each year, introducing new crop types and new levels of automation. Technology and business growth on this scale require a rapid and steep learning curve. Plant growth, irrigation, climate control and lighting all require the latest specialist knowledge. “We believe in working closely with partners in egoless collaboration,” says Tisha. “That’s why we invest in long-term, highly collaborative relationships.”

More technology power from Siemens

To optimize costs and production processes, vertical farms need to digitize and automate their operations. But many companies struggle to do so. Fast-changing technology and limited focus on standardization make it difficult to gather the qualitative data from systems that provide the required levels of transparency across different workflows.

The joint development with Siemens, a leading technology company and supplier of automation and industrial software, will enable rapid global scale-up for 80 Acres Farms. With knowledge and experience gained from a great diversity of industries, the Siemens’ Xcelerator open data platform will provide the required technology and ecosystem for digitization, automation, and standardization throughout the whole supply chain.

“Open ecosystems are super important to take the next steps toward autonomous farming,” says Rick Schneiders, Global Business Development for CEA at Siemens. “In digitization, collaboration is key to strengthening each other’s business models and creating smart, scalable systems. We can change the industry with open platforms where companies work together. Collaborating with leaders like 80 Acres Farms and Philips Horticulture LED Solutions, we can define the standards needed to scale smart farming solutions.”

Join our journey to reimagine farming

80 Acres Farms, Siemens and Philips Horticulture LED Solutions envision a future in which clean, efficient, profitable vertical farming brings healthy food to millions of people around the world. The opportunities and potential benefits to society are formidable. Teaming up is the smart and fastest way to scale up. Do you see a role for your enterprise or knowledge in this cooperative venture? We invite you to get in touch. Join us on this journey to reimagine farming and visit us at booth 01.620 at GreenTech Amsterdam.

For further information, please contact:

Philips horticulture LED solutions by Signify

Daniela Damoiseaux – global marcom manager

Tel: +316 40578311

E-mail:Daniela.damoiseaux@signify.com

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2021, we had sales of EUR 6.9 billion, approximately 37,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for six consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.

New Zealand Contact:

Graeme Neale

Business Development Manager

Specification, Systems and LED Agriculture Solutions

Mobile + 64 21 2254526

Email   graeme.neale@signify.com

Level 3, 123 Carlton Gore Road,

Newmarket, Auckland  1023

Australian Contact:

Aart Slobbe

Account Manager Horticulture LED Solutions

+ 61 448 881 338

Email  aart.slobbe@signify.com  

Suite 022, 44 Lakeview Drive

Scoresby, VIC 3179, Australia

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 38,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light with smart lighting solutions that improve quality of life, and by working towards a sustainable future. We became a carbon-neutral company in 2020, since our stock market listing, we have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for four years in a row and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.

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