Fluence Bioengineering will leverage German horticultural wins to spread SSL presence

Fluence Bioengineering, an Osram company focused on horticultural LED lighting, has announced a series of partnerships that the company suggests will help it build a presence in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). The German region of Emsland has long been associated with horticultural expertise, growing tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, and herbs. Fluence will partner with growers operating out of Papenburg, both gaining new customers and potentially influence across EMEA.

Startup Fluence began operations in Austin TX, back in 2013 focused on customizing LED spectra to mimic sunlight for specialty applications. The company has since focused most of its energy on horticultural solid-state lighting (SSL). Back in 2017, Fluence showed early expertise in horticultural-centric metrics that would be far more beneficial than those developed for the human eye. The following year Osram took a stake in Fluence and is now the parent company.

While Osram is clearly a global operation, Fluence has been more focused on North America, and especially cannabis operations. But the company has always also offered luminaires designed for vegetables and other cultivars. Moreover, the company sought to expand aggressively beyond the North American continent. The result is the Papenburg partnerships.

In the German region, Fluence has partnered with system integrator Elektro Evers to sell and install its horticultural systems. “We are excited to collaborate with Fluence and bring the team’s deep horticulture lighting expertise to Papenburg’s growers,” said Norbert Bröring, managing director of Elektro Evers. “As an extension of German lighting innovator Osram, we know we’ve found the right partner in Fluence. Together, our advanced solutions will empower customers to cultivate plants under optimal conditions while mitigating energy demands.”

Fluence has won success with a 100-hectare food cooperative called Gartenbauzetrale that represents 49 family farms. The farms produce vegetables and herbs year round. The Gartenbauzetrale organization recommends the Fluence products to its members and helps its members obtain European Union environmental funding for investing in LED lighting.

“Our members seek the most innovative, reliable technology for their farms,” said Marco Lüpken, head of controlling for Gartenbauzentrale. “High and consistent product quality as well as year-round predictable yields are key in our business. Fluence’s precise, high-intensity lighting solutions enable our growers to meet and exceed their growth goals efficiently with better-tasting plants.”

Examples include Friedrich Schulz’s 5.5-hectare farm that relies on Fluence VYPR 2p luminaires to grow herbs year-round in addition to lettuce, peppers and chives. “Switching from high-pressure sodium lights to Fluence’s LED lights doubled our light intensity, leading to faster, more efficient grow cycles,” Schulz said. “The red lettuce grown under Fluence’s technology produced enhanced coloration within the first week alone. Fluence lighting achieves larger, higher-quality yields while also keeping us energy efficient.”

Meanwhile, Fluence hopes to use its success in Papenburg to expand its EMEA base. “We are delighted to become an integral part of Papenburg’s cultivation ecosystem to enable growers to succeed in an extremely competitive environment,” said Timo Bongartz, Fluence general manager of EMEA. “With our horticulture lighting solutions, they are producing higher- and better-quality yields in less time while garnering significant energy savings. We’re delighted to nurture these partnerships through continued collaboration in the region.”

Meanwhile, we are beginning to formulate our program for our next HortiCann Light + Tech Conference that will take place Oct. 20 in San Jose, CA at the Doubletree Hotel that is adjacent to the airport.