Agriculture

Mini-Air is a new covering system for soft fruits such as strawberries and blackberries. Developed by Meteor Systems from the Netherlands, Mini-Air provides protection from the elements and an ideal growing environment. Meteor Systems utilises Granite® from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products to create growing gutters which are an integral part of the Mini-Air system. Normally used for cladding, roofs, and gutters, Granite® can also withstand the aggressive growing environment required for strawberries and remains food safe over the decade-long life of the tray.

The ideal climate for crops

Meteor Systems developed the Mini-Air system to create the ideal climate for crops. The low structure offers good ventilation, which is necessary to minimise the chance of disease or moisture affecting the crop. Gutters at the roof level gather rain from the covers which can be stored and used to water the plants. Underneath the cover, the Granite® growing beds are raised to create an ergonomic working environment for pickers and maintenance personnel.

Granite® roll-formed on site

A key advantage of Mini-Air is that it can be tailored to the constraints of each location, as Sebastiaan Smeur, account manager for Meteor Systems explains: “Mini-Air is designed to be installed on site by a fruit grower or local contractor. They just need simple tools to complete the installation. For example, the Granite® steel is roll-formed into growing gutters to ensure there are no joins.”

Each gutter can be up to 300 metres in length, although 100 metres is usually specified as it is the best length for maintenance and picking. However, the exact length can be decided by the grower in line with their practices and the area available.

Meteor Systems typically uses Granite® Standard or HDS to form the growing trays. The steel is either 0.6 or 0.8 mm thick, depending on the fruit to be grown. As well as supporting the growing plants, the gutter enables growers to re-use excess water. “Growers typically give plants 125 percent of the water and nutrients they need,” explains Mr Smeur. “The water the plants don’t use is collected and analysed. For example, growers can check the volume of water consumed, and what nutrients are left in the water. This allows them to closely monitor the health of their plants and adjust the parameters if required.”

Food safe and sustainable

The substrate used to grow strawberries is very aggressive. Nutrients which are added to the irrigation water can also have an impact. “Granite® is ideal in this application because it has multiple coating layers,” notes Mr Smeur. “We can specify polyurethane and polyester coatings on one or both sides, depending on the plants to be grown.”

Granite® is part of ArcelorMittal's Nature range. These steels do not contain hexavalent chromium (recognised as a human carcinogen) or heavy metals and comply with Europe’s REACH regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation, and restriction of chemicals.

A long-term partnership

ArcelorMittal and Meteor Systems first started working together in the late 1990s. At that time, Meteor Systems began producing its first growing gutters using steel from ArcelorMittal. “We’ve been making these systems for almost 20 years and the first project we installed is still in use,” says Mr Smeur.

Flat pack on an industrial scale

Introduced in 2016, the Mini-Air system is now being used by fruit growers around the world to grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. “Mini-Air was developed with the involvement of growers and to solve their problems,” says Mr Smeur. “We continue to work with them after the system is installed to find ways we can make it easier to install and use.”

Growers typically order a Mini-Air system directly from Meteor Systems. The company then ships everything as a flat pack. “It’s like an IKEA product but on a much larger scale,” says Mr Smeur. “Everything the grower needs is there, including an installation manual. They can build it themselves or hire a local contractor to do the installation.”

Contact with our support teams

Meteor Systems is regularly in contact with ArcelorMittal’s technical support teams. “ArcelorMittal is very reliable and produces good quality steels,” says Mr Smeur. “With ArcelorMittal we have a long and close relationship and we work very easily together. If we have a problem, we know they can help.”

Granite® is the perfect choice for the Mini-Air growing gutters because of its environmental credentials says Mr Smeur: “Fruit growing needs to be a safe and sustainable industry. Because it is made of steel, Granite® is fully recyclable. And its stable coating is fully food safe.”

About Meteor Systems

Meteor Systems was founded in 1997 to manufacture drip irrigation systems for vegetable and fruit growers. Today the company develops, produces, and supplies the international horticulture industry with complete and moveable systems for cultivation, irrigation, and growing. Meteor Systems is headquartered in Breda, the Netherlands and has offices and a production facility in Ontario, Canada.

More info: www.meteorsystems.nl

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Photos: Meteor Systems

Check out our new Granite® colour palette!

The Granite® family of prepainted steels from ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products offers an outstanding selection of colour, textures, and finishes. Whether you need a high gloss finish or an extremely tactile surface, Granite® has what you are looking for.

Our Granite® family includes:

•    High quality steels guaranteed up to 35 years against perforation and paint delamination and up to 10 years against UV, wherever the Granite® coil is produced. All our steels have been tested outdoors in different environments, resulting in proven corrosion and UV resistance.
•    Different textures and finishes to match almost any request
•    A wide choice of colours, from light to dark, including metallic finishes. We can provide specific colours and gloss units (GU) on demand.

Granite® is part of ArcelorMittal's Nature range of organic coated steels. That means it is free of heavy metals and chromates in compliance with the European Union's REACH regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation, and restriction of chemicals.

BUCON is a major producer of corrugated steel tanks which are widely used in the horticultural and agricultural industries. The company’s round and square tanks are made with Magnelis® from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products to ensure their long life and durability. Now BUCON is exploring a new application for their tanks as low-cost housing for Africa. As well as being easy to construct, the housing units can be quickly adapted as family needs change and are fully recyclable at the end of their long life.

A key advantage

BUCON was founded in 2015 as a producer of corrugated tanks for the storage of water and other liquid products used in the horticultural industry. The initial design, known as BUCOtank®, features a traditional round design which is made from Magnelis® provided by ArcelorMittal Liège, Belgium.

“A key advantage of Magnelis® is that it can withstand the aggressive environments found in horticulture and agriculture,” notes Erik Passchier, CEO of BUCON. “For example, manure tanks are subject to high levels of ammonia.”

Magnelis®: zinc runoff to soil minimised

Another major benefit of using Magnelis® is the reduced level of zinc runoff to soil compared to hot-dip galvanised solutions. “Zinc runoff is a major concern in agriculture and horticulture, but Magnelis® stays on the steel,” says Passchier. “This was one of the main reasons why we chose Magnelis® on a strong steel (S350GD) substrate.”

Magnelis® is an affordable solution for BUCON’s horticultural customers notes Passchier: “In industrial applications, our tanks represent just a small percentage of the overall project budget. But in horticulture and agriculture they account for a much bigger percentage – margins are much lower. Our customers need affordable and long-lasting solutions. Something we can provide with Magnelis®.”

Tanks with Granite® HDX and BUCOsquare® tanks

BUCON also produces coloured tanks in either light grey or dark green. In these cases, the steel used is Granite® HDX from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. “We offer a light grey which matches the windows of greenhouses and is usually used inside,” says Passchier. “The dark green finish is mainly used in outdoor applications where it blends into the environment.”

More recently, BUCON has introduced a new range of tanks known as BUCOsquare®. The tanks feature rounded, angular corners which create a rectangular or square tank. The square tanks are ideal for greenhouse applications where they can fit in with the shape of the building.

“Square tanks are only possible due to BUCON’s high-quality equipment,” explains Passchier. “Normally corrugated steel buckles when bent at the angle required, but our machines can bend the corrugated sheets tightly enough to create a ‘square’ corner.”

All of BUCON’s tanks are assembled using the company’s own patented bolt system. The system uses bolts and washers which have the same shape as the corrugated steel sheets they will join. This ensures much tighter contact between the sheets. As well as helping to prevent moisture penetration, the connection has a much higher tensile strength than can be achieved with normal nuts and bolts notes Passchier: “The connection can handle twice the tensile strength of normal bolts. That allows us to build larger or taller tanks safely.”

FLEXbuild turns tanks into homes

BUCON has adapted its square tank designs to create affordable housing units which can be modified or expanded to meet the changing needs of families. Known as FLEXbuild, the modular building system makes it possible to rapidly deploy a range of relatively inexpensive and sustainable architectural solutions almost anywhere in the world.

“The basic elements of the houses are corrugated Magnelis® panels which are engineered to precision at our facility in the Netherlands,” says Passchier. “As we are located close to the port of Rotterdam, the buildings can be shipped almost anywhere. And when they arrive on-site, the structure can be assembled easily by people with very little construction experience.”

While the basis of the houses are corrugated tanks, they can easily be fitted with insulation or other materials to create a more aesthetic finish. They can also be painted with BUCON’s Adgreen coating which reflects ultraviolet light back into the atmosphere. This reduces the internal temperature of the building by up to 20°C.

BUCON relies on ArcelorMittal’s expertise whenever they have questions explains Passchier: “We’re always innovating, and ArcelorMittal’s technical people have a lot of knowledge about steel. Their answers are based on knowledge and numbers – they don’t make promises they can’t keep. And they strongly believe in long-term relationships and working together to find the best solution – both technically and commercially. What’s technically possible is not always commercial, but ArcelorMittal’s people understand this.”

About BUCON

BUCON Industries was founded in 2015 and began producing its first corrugated steel panels by the end of that year. To date, BUCON has produced tanks which are used to collect and store water, manure, and other liquids used in horticultural and agricultural applications. BUCON has a small staff of enthusiastic and highly committed people located in the heart of the Netherlands’ horticultural industry to the north of Rotterdam. BUCON’s tanks are sold and installed by a global network of authorised dealers and distributors.

More info: www.bucon-industries.nl

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products, Constructalia
Image copyrights: BUCON Industries

Today, organic coated steel offers exceptional economic and technological advantages, explaining its extraordinary success story in construction.

The main advantage of organic coated steel is its consistent quality: paint film thickness, corrosion resistance, and durability in addition to colour matching and surface appearance being reproducible with narrow tolerances from batch to batch.

The flexibility of the coil coating process allows us to produce a range of different surface finishes such as smooth, orange peel, grained, textured, or embossed, all of which are available in a wide choice of colours (solid, metallic, pearlescent, etc.) and the required degree of gloss: anything from matt to high gloss.

The pre-painted steel range of ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products offers architects, designers, and investors in building a unique range able to satisfy the most stringent criteria required by the construction industry in terms of aesthetics, durability performance, and sustainability.

AESTHETICS

The richest colours available on the market with surface textures of high aesthetic appeal such as matt satin, smooth, grainy, or impression finishes can give a unique identity to each building.

DURABILITY PERFORMANCE

Our guaranteed pre-painted steel is able to withstand the most extreme conditions in terms of temperature and weathering.

It is suitable for marine environments and other corrosive environments, offering scratch-resistance and colour brilliance with a minimal amount of maintenance.

ArcelorMittal has many years of experience in delivering high-quality organic coated products. Thanks to our know-how and skills acquired, we are able to offer long-term warranties on our steels for external applications with a validity of up to 30 years.

Our steels are subjected to comprehensive tests by our expert R&D team under extreme conditions of corrosion and weathering, both in the laboratory and on external sites.

After running our internal testing, we turn to independent institutes and laboratories that conduct a wide variety of tests in order to obtain external certification by bodies such as the CSTB in France, the BBA in the United Kingdom, the DIBt in Germany, and many more. So, our products can be chosen safely.

SUSTAINABILITY

The Nature collection includes the full range of ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Product’s organic coated steels that are in compliance with both present and future REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations from the European Union.
For example, the Nature collection is already 100% free of hexavalent chromium and heavy metals.

In addition, we are assessing the environmental impacts of our organic coated product range in accordance with the European Standard EN15804, and we offer EPD (Environmental Product Declarations) certified by third parties. These EPDs are increasingly relevant for the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) of buildings and related building scheme regulation and certification.

DIGITALISATION

The use of digital tools is growing rapidly in the construction market.

Building Information Modelling, known as BIM, enables collaborative work between all construction project stakeholders, from the design stage to the in-use stage.

Among other digitalisation initiatives, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is now providing designers, investors, and contractors a full set of BIM objects dedicated to our organic coated product range. These provide the full set of product information, 3D rendering views, and they are compatible with most popular BIM software on the market.

Detailed product information, EPDs, and BIM objects are all available right here on our information platform dedicated to construction:
https://constructalia.arcelormittal.com

Text: Constructalia

Photos: Adam Pejcha/ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products, Jeroen Op de Beeck