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FERNELMONT: A 4.0 PLANT FOR ISOHEMP BLOCKS
A production unit at the cutting edge of digitalisation
By means of a real industrial production chain, IsoHemp aimed to comply with three development axes: the short circuit, natural raw materials and an environmentally friendly plant.
The current production and storage site will be substantially extended to reach a total of around two hectares in 2021, with a view to becoming a ‘4.0 industry’ integrating sensors, ERP, robots and cobots so as to increase its production capacity fivefold, i.e. to five million blocks. The installation process has therefore begun on the new site acquired from BEP Expansion économique in early 2020. This site is located along the motorway, near the new road leading to the Fernelmont business park on which construction work is also set to start.
“Today we have solutions that enable us to pollute less and these solutions are increasingly profitable!”
Hemp
IsoHemp is an industrial manufacturer of sustainable products for the construction and renovation sector based on totally natural raw materials that have little environmental impact: hemp, lime and water. The company offers its customers sustainable and efficient insulation envelope solutions for all new construction or renovation projects in the residential, tertiary and industrial sectors. It has developed the Hempro system to construct buildings entirely of hemp.
The company employs around thirty people in Belgium and abroad.
This Namur-based firm (already established in Fernelmont) has been taking part for years in actions of the BEP and the eco-construction cluster in particular, such as the projects BatiC² and BatiD²; the latter aims to encourage bio-ecological construction through the development of short circuits and to promote the economic expansion of SMEs in the eco-construction sector. The company has been supported by BEP teams on a regular basis throughout its development.
Indeed, it was further to its participation at the international conference ‘Build & Connect’ 2018 with the BEP and the lecture given by Bertrand Piccard on this occasion that IsoHemp embarked upon the path that led it, in June this year, to obtain its Solar Impulse Foundation label!
‘SOLAR IMPULSE EFFICIENT SOLUTION’ LABEL
Three members of the non-profit association Cluster Eco-Construction asbl have obtained this ‘SOLAR IMPULSE EFFICIENT SOLUTION’ label, an assessment tool for solutions that are both clean and profitable and that have a positive effect on the quality of life. Congratulations to IsoHemp SA, and to Gramitherm from Sambreville and Home Eos Acoustique – biosourced sound insulation.
This label is awarded by a committee of independent experts on the basis of three criteria:
1. Technical feasibility
2. Environmental and social impact
3. Economic interest
More information about the Solar Impulse label and an article by Innovatech
More information about Isohemp
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