Case Study: High-Yield Cannabis Grow Facility

For more than 45 years, Spacesaver has been helping businesses, hospitals, libraries, and other organizations save space while keeping materials organized and protected. Today, those same innovative technologies are being used in brand new applications…including indoor growing facilities in the cannabis cultivation industry.

Recently, a cannabis growing facility located in the San Francisco Bay Area wanted to increase the yields of their existing rooms, without building expensive additions or constructing a new facility. To achieve this goal, they installed Spacesaver’s ActivRAC® Mobilized Storage System.

The Problem: Expensive Space

Space comes at a premium in the Bay Area, which is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the United States (even industrial warehouse space). In addition to real estate costs, cannabis growers need to efficiently control the temperature and humidity of their indoor growing areas. The larger the facility, the greater the expense.

However, packing the plants too closely together can lead to additional concerns like restricted air movement, uneven lighting and shade, mold and mildew growth, and pests. Cramped quarters can also make it difficult for employees to reach and tend to every plant without straining.

With these concerns in mind, the owners of one Bay Area cannabis growing facility were determined to make every square inch count.

The Smart Solution: ActivRAC® Mobilized Storage System

This facility worked with their local Spacesaver consultant to design a new solution using ActivRAC. Originally designed for heavy-duty industrial applications, ActivRAC consists of shelving or pallet racking mounted on “carriages” that move along rails installed into or on top of the floor.

The local Spacesaver consultant designed an ActivRAC system specifically for this facility, with 42-foot long rows. This system was installed in a phased approach, starting with a single room.

The increased productivity in that room quickly confirmed the need for new ActivRAC systems in the additional rooms. The Spacesaver distributor worked with staff to time each installation so it coincided with the end of each room’s harvest, ensuring minimal downtime and disruption.

The Results: Maximum Efficiency

Because the Spacesaver system is so strong, it’s able to support two levels of plants, lights, fans, and irrigation systems, enabling the facility to nearly double its yields. Taller strains are grown on the bottom rows and shorter strains are grown on the upper level, allowing all plants to receive adequate light and air exposure.

In fact, the ActivRAC systems have increased capacity in the flowering rooms so much that the facility is now considering adding more ActivRAC systems to the veg and curing rooms, just to keep up with the flowering rooms’ higher yields.

Mechanical-assist handles are used to open and close the aisles, which can be opened wide enough to allow multiple employees to work on both sides of the rows.

“Our goal was to maximize our space – and we’ve been able to do it with Spacesaver’s help,” said the growing facilities general manager. “We went from 10 long tables to 18, and now we have way more aisle space. That keeps the employees safe and happy.”

Ready to Grow More?

You’re the expert at growing, and we’re the expert at growing more. Contact us today to learn about options available to your cannabis growing facility.