| Title |
Economic Analysis on the Automation System of the Cultivation Process in the Plant Factory |
| Authors |
Jung, Mincheol ; Kim, Handon ; Kim, Jimin ; Choi, Jeongmin ; Jang, Hyounseung ; Jo, Soun |
| DOI |
https://dx.doi.org/10.6106/KJCEM.2022.23.4.057 |
| Keywords |
Plant Factory; Automation; Cultivation Process; Economic Evaluation; BEP (Break-Even Point) Analysis |
| Abstract |
A plant factory is a facility that creates an artificial environment in a controlled space and produces plants systematically through automated facilities. However, automation in the cultivation process is insufficient compared to the internal environment control technology in plant factories. This causes the problem of an increase in operating costs due to the input of a large number of workers. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate economic feasibility by comparing before and after introducing automation in the cultivation process of plant factories. The target plant factory to be analyzed was selected, and the break-even point analysis method was used by comparing the cost required compared to the operating period. As a result, the break-even point was analyzed to be 3.4 years when automation was introduced into six processes for plant cultivation. Therefore, it can be judged that the introduction of automation is excellent in terms of economic feasibility when the target plant factory has been operated for more than 3.4 years. This study is expected to be used as basic data to analyze the economic feasibility of introducing automation in domestic and foreign plant factories. |