
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
26 | CAMBRIDGEHOK
sold across the UK and we still use
a number of the same techniques
today. Something else that remains
is our enthusiasm for innovation, a
passion that has become embedded
within the business. An important part
of this process is our staff retention,
which has provided the opportunity for
expertise and experience to stay within
the business. One sales manager
only retired this year after 49 years of
service and there are plenty of other
examples of this kind of commitment
throughout our history.
Over a number of years, we developed
a strong reputation for providing
robust glasshouses that stood up to
severe winds and inclement conditions,
from the Scottish mountainsides
to hurricane winds in Jamaica. In
1996, the business was purchased
by the former director of a rival
glasshouse company in Hull who
made the decision to move the
business from Cambridge up to East
Yorkshire. Under new ownership,
it built on its reputation within th e
horticultural industry and began to
work with universities on research and
education projects as well as Victorian
glasshouses and garden centres.
In 2004, I conducted a management
buyout with two colleagues, Steve
Hinch and Ross Hibbs. Together we
have brought about a lot of change
while still building on our original
horticultural roots. Our work is very
much shaped by diversity and the
horticultural environment, and we
have really expanded our reach and
focus. We still offer glasshouses and
garden centres but have also made
a significant expansion into vertical
farms in the last ten years. We are truly
ahead of the curve in terms of vertical
farming solutions and are market
leaders in this field.
Offering turnkey solutions is our key
specialism, with all civil, structural,
mechanical, electrical and control
panel design completed in-house.
Our in-house manufacturing and site
installation teams also ensure that
we are able to offer an end-to-end
service. We have acquired various
companies over the years including
Hotbox International in 2007, a world-
leading manufacturer of horticultural
equipment, which provides a range
of products for both professional use
and the serious hobbyist. In 2011,
we established CambridgeHOK
Construction, an autonomous civil
engineering company that now acts
as principal contractor in its own right
while at the same time ensuring we
can deliver each project without relying
on external civils subcontractors.
Vertical farming – the
future for grown
produce?
The largest tomato
growing glasshouse using
waste heat in the UK
Our philosophy
is centred on
close
collaboration
with our
clients
“
“
27CAMBRIDGEHOK |
CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING
Embracing sustainable energy
sources
In recent years, we have increased our
focus on renewable and sustainable
energy solutions that aim to provide
energy intensive sectors such as
manufacturing and food production
with renewable, low-carbon energy
solutions to meet the EU emissions
and environmental taxation regulations
they face and to improve their
corporate sustainability.
There have been a number of levies
and restrictions placed on companies
of all sizes to significantly reduce their
carbon footprint and impact on the
environment. In response, a number of
these companies are now investigating
renewable energy sources. We
specialise in on-site energy generation
and can deliver tailored technology
that suits the client’s requirements.
We take a holistic approach to each
and every site individually, assessing
the current and future needs before
providing a bespoke solution tailored
to that client for that site.
Our energy solutions not only reduce
carbon footprint and emissions but can
also reduce energy usage and costs
to the client by upgrading existing,
inefficient equipment on site. The
options we offer include heat pumps,
combined heat and power energy
centres, biomass engines, battery
storage, solar and photovoltaics
to name a few. Sustainability is
paramount for the future of all
businesses both in the UK and globally,
and it is likely we will see further
government intervention. As a result,
we are confident that the market for
these solutions will continue to grow.
In horticulture we have found
combined heat and power energy
centres to be particularly effective.
We can use them to generate the
electricity required to power the vast
commercial glasshouses while also
providing heat, which is stored in
the form of hot water before being
distributed throughout the glasshouse
during low temperatures. The carbon
dioxide produced as a bi-product of
the CHP process is also piped into the
glasshouse in order to help the yield
and crop growth. This is both more
efficient and environmentally friendly.
As we move forward, we want
to continue to lead the charge in
vertical farming. We want to promote
automation in order to raise efficiency,
negate the requirement for crops to
be sprayed with pesticides and make
use of currently derelict buildings
throughout the UK. Using derelict
buildings within city centres also
has logistical advantages, reducing
the transportation requirements to
the supermarkets, therefore saving
additional CO2 and greenhouse
emissions from the transport wagons.
Through automation, we are able to
input a seed at one end and bring a
controlled crop out at the other. This
is sustainable and water efficient. This
remains a process in its infancy and we
are confident we will continue to find
new applications in the future.
Offering
turnkey
solutions is
our key
specialism
“
“
A combined heat and
power, or CHP, energy
centre
Vertical farm
growing containers
are shipped globally