Press Release
9th December 2021, Ghent, Belgium.

hsbcad raises €3 million to empower and enable sustainable offsite construction

hsbcad, the world leader in offsite timber construction software, raises €3 million to expand its platform to make the construction industry more efficient and climate neutral.

The global leader in offsite and mass timber construction software, hsbcad, announced today that it has successfully raised €3 million to expand its activities and further internationalize its business. A big part of the agenda is to help the construction industry become carbon neutral. The investment round was supported by shareholders, a broad group of hsbcad employees, investment firm PMV, investors Peter Hinssen, Nele Van Damme & Koenraad Belsack (co-CEOs of Upgrade Estate), and several investors focused on high growth companies.

 

Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, hsbcad reached €5.6 million in sales in 2020 with 60 employees spread over its subsidiaries in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, Ecuador, and Australia. Its extensive product range supports companies with highly flexible and efficient software for computer-aided design (CAD), offsite manufacturing and automation, onsite assembly, and the creation of “digital twin” models in accordance with the most advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) standards in the construction industry.

 

A Global Leader 

hsbcad is an international leader in software solutions for offsite construction, focusing on mass timber structures. This innovative segment adopts an industrial approach to building. Different elements of a project (e.g., walls, floors, roofs etc.) are designed and manufactured in an offsite factory environment and then assembled onsite. The principles of lean manufacturing initially derived from the automotive industry have now been adapted for the construction industry, which is facilitated through hsbcad solutions.    

 

As an internationally recognized leader in offsite construction, hsbcad solutions are used by large-scale housing providers like Boklok/Ikea (Europe), Entekra (USA and Ireland), Kingspan (Ireland), CCG (UK), Space4/Persimmon (UK), and Myresjohus (Sweden). The software is also widely used in the construction of high-end private housing by players like Sibomat and Mi Casa (Belgium), Baufritz and Luxhaus (Germany), and Rubner Haus (Italy). In Japan, complex timber construction contractors are often only eligible for a tender if they use hsbcad software.

 

As explained by hsbcad CEO Johan Vinckier:

“Offsite timber construction doesn’t have to be limited to classic structures, as proven by some of the world’s most iconic architectural creations, like the Kanazawa high-speed train station in Japan, the Olympic Athlete Plaza in Tokyo, the HoHo Wien in Austria, the world’s tallest wooden structure with 24 floors, or The Ark Encounter, a 150 meter-long replica of Noah’s Ark in the US. For all those architectural gems, people have put their trust in hsbcad software and expertise”.

 

High productivity gains with next-level software

The combination of wood and offsite construction is now one of the fastest-growing segments in the construction industry, driven by two main factors.

 

The first factor has to do with productivity gains, which in the traditional construction industry have been slow and limited in recent decades compared to other industries. However, this is rapidly changing, with a growing number of offsite construction companies making significant productivity breakthroughs by adopting an industrial approach to building. This new software-driven approach brings advanced automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, firm quality control, and optimal materials management to the mix, challenging conventional construction by offering more value for money and a faster time to market.

 

The second factor has to do with sustainability. Timber construction is the most environmentally friendly segment of the construction industry. This is because it uses the most efficient technology to extract carbon from the air: forestry. Studies have shown that timber construction, combined with sustainable forest management, is an important lever to make the construction sector carbon neutral.

 

Within this context, hsbcad launched a new generation of its design solution this year, now compatible with the Revit® platform from Autodesk, the world leader in software for architects and construction. Autodesk’s Revit® is also a driving force behind the introduction of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry. Now, thanks to hsbcad, it will also be possible to deliver a “digital twin” once the structure is built, complete with detailed digital data on the building’s characteristics and properties, including the detailed description of each beam, connection, or component.

 

Peter Hinssen, co-founder and partner at nexxworks, is one of the new investors with a strong belief in the potential of hsbcad. He explains:

 

” The construction sector will go through a true transformation in the coming years, not only a necessary digital transformation but also an ecological one. The focus and expertise of hsbcad forms the ultimate combination to fill the gaps in the market.”

 

Nele Van Damme and Koenraad Belsack, co-CEOs of Upgrade Estate, have also expressed their support for hsbcad: 

“We strongly believe in hsbcad’s intelligent and groundbreaking software applications for timber construction. This investment is closely aligned with our mission to make a positive ecological impact.”

 

Karel Vinckier, founder and chairman of the board of directors at hsbcad, expressed his approval of the new investment round: 

 

“hsbcad’s innovative software has long been a well-kept secret, known to design specialists in offsite construction companies. Today we advise the top management on optimally organizing an offsite business process from design to manufacturing to assembly. This investment round will enable us to accelerate the expansion of the hsbcad software range and to extend our offering further worldwide.”

The investment company, PMV, also provided a statement:

“The transition to a carbon-free economy will have to happen on several fronts and in the case of the construction industry, at every step of the construction process, without reducing the quality. The fact that hsbcad, as a world leader on an industrial scale, can offer software that meets these requirements within a strongly growing segment is a confirmation for PMV of their potential,” says Roald Borré, Group Manager Venture Capital at PMV.

 

About hsbcad

With over 30 years of industry experience, hsbcad is a global provider of software solutions for the offsite construction industry. Its extensive product range supports offsite companies with essential software for computer-aided design (CAD), offsite production, onsite assembly, and the practical implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, with €5.6 million in sales in 2020, hsbcad’s global team comprises 60 people, spread across their international subsidiaries in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, Ecuador, and Australia.

 

About PMV

PMV is an investment company that helps shape the economic future of Flanders. It finances promising companies from start to growth to internationalization. PMV offers tailor-made financial solutions to all entrepreneurs with a good business plan and a strong management team through funding, loans, and guarantees. In addition, PMV takes on projects that are important for the prosperity and well-being of Flanders. This is done in collaboration with various partners, with and for the government. PMV currently manages a portfolio of €1.4 billion. For more information, visit the website.

 

Addendum

 hsbcad customers that are active in offsite construction projects:

 

1.    Large-scale housing providers like:

 

●       Entekra (USA and Ireland)

●       Kingspan (UK)

●       CCG (UK)

●       Myresjohus (Sweden)

●       Space4/Persimmon (UK)

 

2.    Modular construction companies like:

 

●       Boklok (Ikea/Skanska)

●       TopHat (UK)

●       Scandi Byg (Denmark)

 

3.    CLT and Glulam structures like:

 

●       Stora Enso (Finland)

●       KLH (Austria)

●       Hasslacher (Austria)

●       Södra (Sweden)

●       CLT-s (Belgium)

●       Shinohara Schoten (Japan)

 

4.    High-end private housing like:

 

●       Sibomat (Belgium)

●       Mi Casa (Belgium)

●       Baufritz (Germany)

●       Luxhaus (Germany)

●       Rubner Haus (Italy)

 

5.    Hinged roof constructions in the Netherlands like:

 

●       Vadeko (NL)

●       Linex (NL)

●       Veenstra & Stroeve (NL)

 

List of iconic architectural creations made with hsbcad software:

 

1.  Pyramidenkogel

© Pyramidenkogel, Wörthersee, Austria, by Rubner (Italy)

2.    Refuge du Goûter

© Refuge du Goûter, Mont Blanc, France, by JPF Ducret (Switzerland)

3.   Kanazawa High-Speed ​​Train Station

© Kanazawa High-Speed ​​Train Station, Japan, by Chuto (Japan)

 4. Tree of Life

© Tree of Life, Milan 2015 World’s Fair, by Woodbeton (Italy)

5. HoHo Vienna

© HoHo Vienna, Austria, with 24 floors, the second tallest skyscraper in the world in wood, by Hasslacher (Austria)

6. The Ark Encounter

© The Ark Encounter, 150m replica, USA by Rocky Mountain Joinery Center (USA)

7. Taiyuan Botanical Domes & Tea House

© Taiyuan Botanical Domes & Tea House, by StructureCraft, Canada & Hasslacher, (Austria)

8. Shangrila Orchid Pavilion

© Shangrila Orchid Pavilion, Singapore by TimberConcept (Germany)

9. CERN Globe Visitor Center

© CERN Globe Visitor Center, Geneva, by JPF Ducret (Switzerland)

10. Hotel the Police

© Hotel the Police, Charleroi, by Sibomat (Belgium)

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Author:
Keith Cotter
Sales Manager