Located east of Lake Michigan, just off I-94 in Kalamazoo, Harbor Farmz is on a mission to bring the Michiganer spirit of care and craftsmanship to cannabis.

Challenge

In 2016, when CEO Michael Ward first questioned whether to get into the business of medicinal cannabis, he visited grow ops across North America to learn more about how the industry operates. He was struck by what he found.

“Going from grow to grow, I saw many of the mistakes people make by shortcutting things and not creating the right environment to maximize your space,” said Ward. “I come from a manufacturing background, and the utilization of space is paramount.”

Ward has always believed in the palliative power of cannabis, but he knew he’d have to do things differently.

And like any competitive grow op in North America, his layout wasn’t his only concern—so were reducing labor costs, reducing downtime, hitting production schedules, and turning out high-quality products consistently, not to mention Harbor Farmz’s dedication to cannabis plant  tissue culture, which requires quality control and a dedicated, sterile work environment for their in-house microbiologists.

So, Ward and the rest of the Harbor Farmz family brought in the vertical racking experts at Montel to design a full production vertical racking system and build out the grow op of their dreams. 

Solution

All Montel racking for vertical farming saves space so growers can care for more plants with less square footage.

Originally, Ward estimated that he would need a facility with around 90,000 square feet, but with the right vertical racking he was able to cut his spatial requirements by nearly two-thirds.

But it’s what Harbor Farmz does with their extra space that really shows the power of imagination and better vertical racking.

Product description

GREENRAK high-density mobile systems for grow and veg rooms

Currently, Harbor Farmz has three-tier GREENRAKs in their 11 grow rooms, four-tier GREENRAK in their four vegetation rooms, two 2-tiers in the mother room,  and moveable carts in its clone room.

Head grower Chris Teeters loves having Montel GREENRAK in each of his eighteen grow rooms. GREENRAK were designed with growers in mind, so it’s no wonder that Teeters can do much more with them than he could with traditional racking. 

With no side members on any carriage and a collapsible, two-aisle design, GREENRAK conserves space while providing greater access to the canopy. There’s even extra foot clearance so Teeters and his fellow growers can water, deleaf, cultivate, and monitor their plants—even the hard-to-reach ones—comfortably and with plenty of room to work.

“Montel vertical racks even allow us to move the plants in a way that we can adjust airflow without having to move other equipment, just by moving the racks themselves.”

Even cleaning is a breeze thanks to the slatted racks, which prevent dirt from accumulating. GREENRAK has many rustproof items and rust-resistant components which are designed to prevent mold or bacteria proliferation.

Mobile drying racks and dry carts in the drying rooms

Properly harvesting and drying flower is crucial to producing consistently stellar cannabis, so it’s no surprise that Harbor Farmz raves about Montel drying racks and dry carts.

Montel’s mobile drying racks are so strong that a single bay or section of racking can hold up to 2,400 lb. Their intuitive sliding design pairs well with the drying process, making the transition from cultivation to drying a snap.

Dry carts have a full range of movement and are resistant to rust and most chemicals, and their wheels are specially engineered to leave no scuffs on the floor. They even stack for added storage power.

“They make it super easy to move from our flower room to our drying area at our production facility,” said Teeters.

But while they certainly make Teeters’s workday a whole lot easier, the drying racks and dry carts also prevent work-time waste. The trick is finding harmony between people and the tools they’re provided to do their jobs.

SmartShelf easily adjustable static shelving in the tissue room

Debra Sweeney, resident microbiologist and director of plant tissue culture at Harbor Farmz, is proud that her company is an industry leader in tissue-culture cloning. And we’re proud that Montel’s SmartShelf complements her team’s vigor and precision in the Harbor Farmz clone room.

Sweeney and her team have enough on their minds without having to think about whether their shelving is up to task. They oversee 1,200 tissue cultures and maintain each one on a two-week cycle. Fortunately, Montel SmartShelves are powder coated and adjustable in one-inch increments without special tools or a call to a service professional.

“We would never be able to do what we have to without vertical shelving,” said Debra.

But 1,200 vessels is just the start. Harbor Farmz plans to expand its tissue culture operations in the near future, and when that time comes, the SmartShelf system is easily expanded to continue their success with the shelving that supports them as well as their tissue cultures.

SmartSpace 2MA for general storage

For general storage, Harbor Farmz chose a beloved Montel classic: SmartSpace 2MA mechanical-assist mobile storage.

No matter where you use it, SmartSpace 2MA cuts the traditional storage footprint in half, which means more space for plants, cultivation, and innovation. But when Harbor Farmz does need access to its general storage, the SafeCrank handles on the SmartSpace 2MA can safely move up to 2,000 lb per single section of racking with just one pound of force.

Benefits

“To me,” said Ward, “Montel is the best way to utilize your space. There is no better vertical farming system on the market today.”

We’re thankful for Michael’s kind words, and for how welcoming the folks at Harbor Farmz were to Montel during the installation process. It’s our mission to create innovative and intelligent vertical farming and storage solutions that overcome obstacles and empower people to do great things.

In a few weeks’ time, all Harbor Farmz products will come from cannabis grown from in-house tissue cultures, a first in the industry and a major milestone in what will most certainly be a historic legacy.

Congratulations, Harbor Farmz! We’re excited to see what you have in store.