Maricann Group, Inc. Adopts a Connected Enterprise Solution from Rockwell Automation to Produce Consistent, High-Yield Crop in Medicinal Cannabis Industry
TORONTO, ON–(Marketwired – November 22, 2017) – Maricann Group Inc. (CSE: MARI)(CSE: MARI.CN)(CNSX: MARI)(OTCQB: MRRCF)(FRANKFURT: 75M) (“Maricann” or the “Company”), a medicinal cannabis company, is working with Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) to develop a connected, scalable plant-wide platform to connect the key functions of Maricann’s cultivation facility to produce a consistent, high-yield crop.
Maricann will utilize Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk software, Logix hardware and Ethernet/IP network connectivity to streamline communication between process control functions, building automation, and material handling. This connected and scalable system offers a single, integrated plant-wide platform for process automation, environmental monitoring and building management.
“The Rockwell Automation system that we are adopting will enable us to monitor and control the variables required for growing medicinal cannabis, capture the ideal nutrient mix, temperature, humidity, light cycle and repeat to produce a consistent, high-yield crop, regardless of changing weather conditions,” said Jeff Ayotte, Maricann’s Director of Infrastructure. “Our system’s unified platform will ease compliance, reduce costs and enhance productivity. It’s also highly expandable, putting the blocks in place to facilitate rapid growth.” Said Ben Ward, CEO.
This is our first large scale integration in the medical cannabis industry. It’s significant because it demonstrates our ability to successfully transfer parallel expertise from life sciences to the medical cannabis industry. We’re helping Maricann improve their asset utilization, shorten time to market, and lower costs.
Tessa Myers, Rockwell Automation’s vice president of North American sales, services and solutions
Utilizing FactoryTalk energy metrics, Maricann can optimize its carbon footprint by controlling all lights, fans, and other environmental specifications, enabling it to achieve more than a 90 percent energy efficiency rating. The building management system will interface to ensure tight control over the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, lighting and fertigation.
“Automation will enable us to replace ergonomically challenging, labor-intensive jobs with technically advanced operators who have higher skill sets,” said Ayotte. “This creates a lower headcount with a higher paygrade, enabling us to correct a hurdle in agriculture agronomics.”
Rather than have an employee retrieve each plant on a harvest day, Maricann’s new material handling system can stage each plant without anyone present. Maricann expects to increase efficiency between 65 to 75 percent as it advances towards a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) rating and exceeds Health Canada’s established tracking requirements.
Maricann’s platform buildout is currently in Phase 1 with a tie into Phase 2. By utilizing Rockwell Automation, the Company will easily be able to replicate a bolt-on solution for Phase 2 through Phase 3.
For more information about Maricann, please visit our website at www.maricann.com.
About Maricann Group Inc.
Maricann is a vertically integrated producer and distributor of marijuana for medical purposes. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Toronto with a facility in Langton, Ontario, where it operates a medicinal cannabis cultivation, extraction and distribution business under federal licence from the Government of Canada. Maricann, which has federal licences to cultivate, process and distribute cannabis, services a patient base with more than 8,000 total registered patients since inception. Maricann is currently undertaking an expansion of its cultivation and support facilities in Canada in a fully funded 217,000 sq. ft. (20,159 sq. m) build out, to support existing and future patient growth.
Maricann, which has federal licenses in Canada to cultivate, extract, formulate and distribute cannabis, is rapidly expanding its Canadian production, based in Norfolk County, Ontario, adding 22,245 kg of annual production of dry flower to come online in Q2 2018, with additional production planned. Maricann is focused on expanding capacity in a truly differentiated product offering, in support of its previously announced joint pharmacy initiative and future global export opportunities.
For more information about Maricann, please visit our website at www.maricann.com.
