Schneider Electric leverages AI to accelerate growth for Jones Food Company

Schneider Electric, a specialist in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced a new partnership with Jones Food Company to design and install leading AI-driven software designed to optimize growing conditions and improve energy efficiency.  

Jones Food Company (JFC) is one of the UK’s leading agri-tech companies, building vertical farms that supply 24,000kg of fresh produce weekly to customers around the UK.

Schneider Electric is providing Jones Food Company with the state-of-the-art AVEVA Flex subscription, supplied by Aveva Select UK and IR, creating a centralized, automated model for data analysis that is flexible and scalable to JFC’s requirements. The subscription model includes the AVEVA Advanced Analytics Module. The AI-driven software solution enables JFC to make real-time changes to growing conditions (including temperature, humidity, nutrient mix, and water quality) to produce a higher yield at a lower energy cost.  

Vertical farming is an energy-intensive process by nature, using controlled environments and growing vast amounts of fresh produce. In the current energy market environment, spiraling costs mean that Jones Food Company must ensure that every kilowatt of energy input returns the maximum output.  

Schneider Electric has helped JFC to achieve this by using AI to accurately detect and adjust the growing environment to the optimum temperature. As a result, the yield produced has more crops grown to specification dimensions, reducing food waste and handling time in the sortation stage. This will ultimately enable JFC to deliver value quicker to its customers by accelerating the speed to market.  

“Jones Food Company is one of the most exciting young companies in the UK agri-tech scene – they’re revolutionizing the way that agricultural supply chains are built," said Mark Yeeles, VP of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric. "Real-time, rich data is essential for JFC to create the foundation upon which they can develop and meet ambitious growth targets, and I am thrilled that they have selected us as a partner to support them on their journey."

“Automation is at the heart of everything we do," added James Lloyd-Jones, CEO & Founder of Jones Food Company. "Without it, we wouldn’t be able to produce our high-quality, high-yield crops sustainably. Schneider Electric’s advanced technology and premium service level has meant we can continue to innovate at breakneck speeds. At the same time, our employees learn from Schneider’s support team, expanding their knowledge of the technology at our disposal."