DENSO acquires Certhon Group, a greenhouse provider based in the Netherlands
Due to climate change and fewer people taking up farming as a profession, agricultural production has become unstable, which means there is a need to develop sustainable systems of production by establishing a cultivation environment that is less dependent on the climate and labour shortages.
To help address these food and agriculture issues, DENSO and Certhon formed a capital alliance in March 2020, and in May of the same year jointly established DENSO AgriTech Solutions, Inc., which sells horticultural facility products in Japan and other Asian countries. Since then, the two companies have been involved in the sale of agricultural greenhouses suited to each region of the world and have jointly developed solutions to solve future labour shortages.
However, DENSO’s acquisition of all the shares in Certhon will further accelerate their efforts to solve global food challenges by leveraging the strengths of both companies and the results of their past collaboration.
With a more than 125 year history, Certhon is a leading company renowned for its world-class advanced technologies in horticulture, which not only excels in the development of solutions tailored to diverse customers, but also in integration capabilities that combine multiple systems to make optimal proposals. As a member of the DENSO Group, Certhon aims to develop innovative farm models that will change the way agriculture is conducted and to globally deploy solutions that meet regional characteristics and requirements, by combining DENSO's process design and automation technologies developed in the automotive field, with its cultivation technologies and horticultural system technologies.
DENSO will continue to work towards solving social issues in the agricultural and food sectors and strive to provide new value by establishing a food value chain business encompassing production, distribution, and consumption.
Hidehiro Yokoo, Senior Executive Officer in charge of the Food Value Chain Business Development Division at DENSO, said: "Through the complete acquisition of Certhon, we will accelerate our efforts to solve global food and agricultural challenges. We firmly believe that Certhon is a unique partner with shared values and complementary technologies, and together we will continue to grow. DENSO will continue to collaborate with Certhon to provide solutions that deliver food safety and security, anytime, anywhere, and to anyone, forever.”
"DENSO has an international network and a strong reputation for developing cutting-edge technology and we look forward to further shaping the ground-breaking collaboration," said Lotte van Rijn, CEO of Certhon. "DENSO's investment ensures that we can maintain continuity for our employees, customers and suppliers, also in the future. It provides opportunities that are essential for a company like Certhon, which always wants to push the boundaries of quality and innovation."
Certhon Group overview
Company name: Certhon Build B.V.
Established: 1896
Head office: ABC Westland 555, 2685 ZH Poeldijk, The Netherlands
CEO: Lotte van Rijn
Capital*: €21.4 million (as of 2022)
Revenue*: €84.5 million (as of 2022)
Number of employees: 123 (full-time)
Business activities: Development and sales of horticultural facility solutions
*From the audited financial report for 2022
DENSO and Certhon will contribute to achieving the SDGs by helping resolve social issues through business operations:
References
DENSO and Certhon Establish DENSO AgriTech Solutions
https://www.denso.com/global/en/news/newsroom/2020/20200601-g01/
DENSO invests in Certhon Group, a greenhouse provider based in the Netherlands
https://www.denso.com/global/en/news/newsroom/2020/20200401-g02/
New horizons in agriculture through AI-based robotic “eyes”
https://www.denso.com/global/en/driven-base/tech-design/robot/
Further details of the DENSO Aftermarket programme are available online at: www.denso-am.eu