Potato Grower

Since its founding in 1916, the Modine Manufacturing Company has operated on one guiding principle, a mantra that has informed virtually every business move the company has made in the ensuing century: "Business built on innovation." In 1918, innovation was born out of necessity when A.B. Modine, looking for a more efficient way to keep his factory workers warm enough to continue producing high-quality automotive radiators, built his first unit heater out of spare parts. In a nutshell, he put a radiator in the building's steam system, installed a fan to push the warm air through the building, and— voila!—he had a warmer building. That invention has proven to be an inarguable success, as Modine unit heaters continue to be one of the company's staple products. In those earliest years, Modine didn't make a point of marketing to the agriculture industry. But in 1950, an employee—whose name is, alas, lost to history—suggested marketing Modine unit heaters to greenhouse owners. The products the company was already manufacturing fit into the greenhouse market; it just became a matter of installing them in a manner that helped the growers. "Greenhouses are obviously a little more challenging than some other applications," says Modine product manager Jamie Tuinstra. "The buildings and layouts are unique, with high humidity levels and an overall harsher environment for this kind of equipment. But we've always looked at our equipment and asked, 'How can we make this better for the customer?'" Today, Modine is among the market leaders—if not the market leader— in greenhouse heating, consistently outselling competitors in the market. While affordability is obviously a key component, Tuinstra says the quality of Modine units is what has led to its success in the greenhouse world. "When you see a greenhouse that's really successful," he says, "there's going to be a Modine heater in there. We've always made it a point of emphasis to be in those operations. "When you get into areas where there's a harsher environment," he continues, "some manufacturers may not want to partner with those people. Components can fail more easily. But that's always been an area we've wanted to continue to operate in." Just as it has been for any equipment manufacturer this century, "efficiency" has been a buzzword for Modine, and the company has answered the call. The company's recently released building management system that is built into Modine's highest-efficiency units that allows greenhouse operators to see what is going on in their buildings whether they are present or not. "We're continually looking for better connectivity for these guys. It's a way to engage the greenhouse grower whose livelihood it is," says Tuinstra. "They can integrate their existing system right into our unit, which gives them more visibility to all their units. They can understand what they're running, what they're actually spending on the unit, where breakdowns are…They want to know what's going on, and this helps with that." Historically, greenhouse agriculture has been concentrated in the South, but Tuinstra says Modine has seen a growth in business in the Midwest and West in recent years. With the improved efficiency of heating units, colder climates aren't the no-man's land they once were. Wherever its products find themselves installed, 28 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2019 Heat Check Modine's unit heaters keep greenhouses going By Tyrell Marchant Photos courtesy Modine Manufacturing

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