AGronomic IQ

This interview details AGronomic IQ, a company based in Canada. The interview is with Jeffrey Baylis, Business Development and Sales Manager, Indoor Produce at AGronomic IQ

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What is the origin story of AGronomic IQ?

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AGronomic IQ was birthed from a long history in high enthalpy dehumidification and cooling applications in the indoor pool market, dating back to the 1970s. When the CEA market started calling our pool brands looking for large process sized dehumidification and cooling capacities, we knew this was a market we were well suited for.

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We started by utilizing our standard pool equipment into the space, but after several years of success, we fully redesigned our equipment to be optimized for the CEA market adding a wider range of capacity, control, and efficiency based on the unique application challenges. We officially launched the AGronomic IQ brand name in early 2018 and have since grown in the industry as both a thought leader and trusted HVAC partner to many projects.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing AGronomic IQ in the future?

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Customer requirements are always changing as the industry matures from more extreme room conditions, to increased control and a growing focus on unit economics requiring increased electrical efficiency. Pricing pressure has also been increasing as many large growers are transitioning from developing technologies at a single farm to multiple large commercial farms. We work hard to keep ahead of the curve by constantly innovating and upgrading our product to offer the best value to the industry.

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The volatility, and long sales cycle in vertical farming, greenhouses, and indoor cannabis makes it difficult for equipment manufacturers to keep up with demand during the peaks and keep the factory workers busy during the lulls. Fortunately, AGronomic IQ is owned by a large, well-capitalized, and diversified organization that allows us to thrive in the volatility of the market. This allows us to invest and develop during the lulls to keep lead times down.

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What is unique about AGronomic IQ compared to competitors?

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There are many different HVAC options in the market that are being used in this space - from DOAS and chilled water to Natatorium equipment. What makes AGronomic IQ units unique is that they are designed, manufactured, and sold exclusively into the CEA space. Our whole team, from manufacturing and design to our sales and service technicians focus completely on this market to be product and application experts. We developed our products specifically for this application, which means focusing on the biggest challenges, control, efficiency, reliability, and value return on investment. 

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Our team focuses not only on product development, but on thought leadership, market understanding, and ensuring we can support our customers with the best solutions.

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What are some other relevant metrics of the company (growing area size, production quantity, team size, etc.)?

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We currently have over 170 sites with 1400 units in the field that total over 35,000 tons of AGIQ HVAC equipment. This works out to approximately 2,625,000 sq.ft. of canopy area, primarily under lights.

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AGronomic IQ units are manufactured in a dedicated factory in North America.

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AGIQ has the largest factory-direct service network in the industry, ensuring a worry-free, trouble-free ownership experience.

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What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for AGronomic IQ?

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We are looking to release our new greenhouse specific product along with our updated large room compressor wall product that is looking to take advantage of rooms requiring several units to meet the load to bring the best value to the customers of that scale.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about AGronomic IQ?

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The easiest way is to visit our website at AGronomicIQ.com, which has many informative videos and product information, or simply call our general line at 1.833.327.AGIQ (2447).

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