Over the Honext project we have upscaled and started up satisfactorily the industrial process to manufacture Honext boards from waste. This took longer than expected due to the complexity of the equipment and the high level of automation of the demonstration site, but it has resulted in a fully automated and robust and stable process, manufacturing Honext boards meeting quality specifications on a regular basis.
In parallel to the process fine-tuning we have been working on improving the material’s mechanical properties, having developed successfully material versions with better reaction to fire, humidity as well as a mechanically transformed product with outstanding sound absorption properties.
During the project we have put a lot of effort on achieving all the required technical certifications so Honext can be applied as an internal partition in construction, such as the European Technical Assessment which defines the requirements for our novel material, as well as a certified data sheet validated by a renowned third party. We have also certified the outstanding environmental profile of our material and production process, having achieved Cradle-to-Cradle and Material Health Silver certifications, as well as the GBCe (Green Building Council Spain) report identifying the value that Honext adds to construction projects that aim at a sustainable certification, such as LEED and BREEAM.
Since the start of the project we have also dedicated a lot of effort in reaching market visibility, through:
1) Creating a new brand identity, Honext, that reflects all our values, such as sustainability, transparency, honesty... Together with the new identity we have developed a new website to better explain our project.
2) Being published in some of the most relevant publications of the architectural world, such as Dezeen, and featured in sector events like Surface Design Show or general audience newspapers, like El Pais or La Vanguardia.
3) Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic we attended several of the most important construction & furniture fairs and exhibitions, such as Smart City Expo Barcelona, Ecobuild London, JEC Show Paris and Rebuild Madrid, among others, to let a broad audience know about Honext.
4) Establishing collaborations with woodworking industrials, to adapt their processes to Honext and thus ensure the best user experience and guarantee the highest quality of transformed Honext.
5) Holding individual meetings with potential clients, such as architects and construction companies, with the aim to introduce Honext in highly visible projects.
Once we have validated the industrial technology as well as Honext market, we have focused our efforts on improving our production equipment as well as designing the next step of our expansion plan, which is to set up a production line within a Paper Mill. The project’s final result is an Investor’s Ready Business Plan which is the key to raise capital and accelerate our growth strategy.
