Skolkovo resident increased Biogrin's productivity by 30%

2024: Completion of the first stage of comprehensive modernization

The ITera company completed the first stage of the comprehensive modernization of NPO Biogrin in the Samara region, a full-cycle mushroom factory for the production of exotic mushrooms using sterile technology. Skolkovo reported this on April 5, 2024.

source = Skolkovo

The modernization of the plant included the replacement of most of the climatic equipment, air ducts, adaptation and introduction of existing equipment into the technological cycle, turnkey installation of new autonomous mushroom growing chambers, complete replacement and automation of the cooling system throughout the enterprise, at the same time, ITera, within the framework of the project, applied patented technologies for creating optimal climatic growing conditions by introducing a software and hardware complex (PAC) that provides automation of the entire climate management process.

PAC combines the functionality of SCADA, MES, the Internet of Things, allows you to control all climatic parameters, mushroom growth programs in the "remote technologist" mode, including such options as means of visual monitoring of mushroom growing processes using round-robin cameras, real-time accounting for harvest, the amount of packaged products, its availability in the warehouse, the volume of shipped goods. PAC notifies the authorized employees of the plant by SMS, mail and messenger in the presence of process deviations from optimal conditions and emergency situations.

Our company has gone a long way from creating small smart city farms to implementing a large-scale project for the comprehensive modernization of one of the Russian industrial production of mushroom exotic. As of April 2024, ITera is ready to offer high-tech solutions for mushroom production on the domestic market, including seamless modernization of existing capacities, as at NPO Biogrin. There may be several reasons for modernization, for example, equipment is not supported by its manufacturer who left the Russian market, or the technology was not initially optimized, "said Viktor Nikitin, founder of ITera.

The Skolkovo Foundation's biomedical technology cluster and Agrotech Hub provides comprehensive support to resident companies in their efforts to successfully implement import substitution projects. The modernization project of a large mushroom plant carried out by ITera is an important step in this big and difficult business, "said Natalya Chernysheva, director of the Agrotech Hub of the Skolkovo Foundation.

Thanks to the coordinated organization of the project on both sides, it was possible to carry out modernization almost without stopping the work of the plant. As of April 2024, the main task of the company is to train personnel to work in modernized production. The plans include the second larger stage of modernization of the plant as part of cooperation with ITera.

This project was successfully implemented only thanks to investments and effective cultivation technologies proposed by ITera in symbiosis with competent engineering and first-class instrumentation and automation. Already in the process of modernization, instead of the produced problematic mono-strain of the mushroom with the advent of ITera, a whole assortment matrix of mushroom exotic appeared, in demand in retail. At the same time, according to the latest data, the productivity of the plant has already increased by 25-30%, marriage has decreased by 8-10%%. I am sure the potential is far from exhausted. In terms of price/quality ratio, flexibility of execution and applied adaptability of the ITera solution, we are definitely a priority for us, and the mobility, functionality and reliability of the domestic product is not inferior, but largely surpasses Western counterparts. As of April 2024, all technological processes for growing mushrooms at the enterprise comply with the specified regulations and are constantly under full control - at any time, on any device, anywhere, - said Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director General of NPO Biogrin.