A particular highlight of the evening was the case study presentation by Homes Factory, a valued client of Nobleo Manufacturing. They explained how their factory has embedded the fundamentals of modularity and standardisation by adopting the philosophy of purposeful improvement, supported by the KATA method.

Thanks to this approach, Home Factory has made impressive improvements to its production environment. The result is a breakthrough in productivity that aligns perfectly with what we at Nobleo Manufacturing describe as ‘New Level Manufacturing’.

On behalf of Nobleo, we would like to thank Homes Factory for sharing their experiences, insights, and inspiration. Their case study showed not only what is possible, but also how a culture of continuous improvement can lead to sustainable growth.

The next session will focus entirely on digitalisation and automation, two essential pillars for the factory of the future. This event will take place in 2026.

Would you like to attend? Please contact us at info-manufacturing@nobleo.nl.

The day began with a substantive session on professional commissioning and cooperation between municipalities, housing associations, developers, and builders. For both Nobleo and Fontys, this provided valuable insights into how this collaboration works and what role conceptual and industrial construction plays in it. During the morning sessions, Stijn and Marco also spoke with various network members about developing a specific field of study for the new roles within the conceptual and industrial construction sector, something Nobleo and Fontys already have ideas about.

After the main programme, there was a visit to the Fijn Wonen demo homes on Suikerlaan in Groningen. There, various configurations and variants were on display. These were produced by the Fijn Wonen factory in Heerenveen. The wide range of options, including façade elements, enables the creation of customer-oriented homes, while ensuring that production remains manageable via the Configure-to-Order customer order decoupling point.

The day ended in Heerenveen with a visit to the housing factory itself. Here, Stijn and Marco observed the industrial manufacturing process of the homes, which involves complex, largely automated procedures.

It was a special visit, and it was wonderful to see the link between the end product and the complex and largely automated production in the factory, especially since Nobleo Manufacturing has been supporting the Fijn Wonen factory for some time in optimising production planning, sequencing, scheduling and volume ramp-up to full capacity.

All in all, it was a valuable day that motivates us to take the next steps in conceptual and industrial construction together with our partners!

At Nobleo Manufacturing, we recognize strong parallels with developments in the automotive and high-tech industries. In these sectors, industrialisation has not been an ambition but a reality for a long time. We believe that our expertise in digitalisation, process optimisation and smart manufacturing can help precast manufacturers to produce faster, more efficiently and in a scalable way. We are bringing exactly that experience to the construction industry.

That is why, alongside several of our customers, we have joined the Conceptual Construction Network (NCB): a network of leaders in the conceptual construction chain, from developer to manufacturer.

The Conceptual Building Network is commited to make sustainable and affordable housing feasible again. By encouraging cooperation between clients and suppliers, the network aims to contribute to faster and better building, accessible for everyone.

Nobleo Manufacturing brings years of experience in manufacturing excellence from the high-tech and automotive industries to the construction industry. We support construction companies in standardising processes, optimising production flows and smart application of digitalisation.

Our aim: to make conceptual construction scalable, repeatable and flexible.

With our approach, companies can reduce failure costs, shorten lead times and increase production capacity, without compromising on quality. Together, we make the step from traditional construction to industrial efficiency.

We are excited to collaborate with fellow member of the NCB to develop solutions that make a difference. Curious how your organisation can transition to industrial housing production? Feel free to contact us!

The event was led by Patrick Lennertz, Technical Director at Mondi Group, who facilitated discussions on the latest innovations in manufacturing. Frank Sperling, Technical Director at Nobleo Technology, guided the attendees with a tour of advanced test setups and an impression of our technical expertise.

The discussions became even more tangible with a deep dive into the Van Wijnen housing factory in Heerenveen, Europe’s largest industrial construction initiative. Hilbrand Katsma, CEO at Van Wijnen Components, was featured on video sharing his experiences building a state-of-the-art, future-proof production facility.

The evening concluded with interactive intervision assignments, where attendees collaborated on real-world industry challenges. The discussions carried on well into the informal networking session, reflecting the strong engagement and enthusiasm for the future of manufacturing.

At Nobleo Manufacturing, we focus on practical innovation and sharing knowledge to drive real impact in the industry. These events highlight the value of collaboration in advancing smart manufacturing. A special thank you to all speakers, and participants for making this an inspiring and insightful evening. We look forward to continuing these valuable exchanges in the future!

Want to learn more about our insights on Smart Industry? Read the full article about SIRI here.

Here is how it started: two years ago, Nobleo Technology and Nobleo Manufacturing started collaborating with Besi, a leading supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment for the global semiconductor and electronics industries.

The main principles where to create detailed and qualified designs based on their requirements. Since then, we have successfully completed three projects together. Two of them consisting of a complete module development for their machines. From prototype realizations to guiding the NPI at an Asian volume supplier, plus supporting integration in their newest Hybrid bonding machines.

This award is a true recognition for what we stand for. We simply don’t follow a ‘black box’ way of working – transparency, co-creation and true partnerships are what we believe in. We would like to thank Besi for this recognition and valuable collaboration.

About a year ago I completed my Master’s degree in Systems and Control at TU/e. My interest in process thinking and technical and engineering challenges made me decide to join Nobleo Manufacturing last September. In my role as System Analyst & Industrial Engineer, I am part of a project team, in cooperation with Nobleo Technology, that develops and realises high-precision actuator prototypes. In addition to realising actuators, I was given the opportunity to be part of a project team within the Manufacturing Intelligence program line. In this project, I am involved with both the translation of the factory processes into models and data, and the translation back from the data from our developed tooling into improvements and actions.

My start at Nobleo coincided seamlessly with the ten-week Green Belt training. The Green Belt training combines the principles of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma in improvement projects to eliminate waste and reduce process variation. Using both principles leads to improvements in performance and maintenance of product quality. In my prior studies, I gained little theoretical knowledge in the field of business administration and process improvement. Therefore, the Green Belt training offered me an excellent opportunity to acquire this knowledge alongside my work in a short period of time.

Within my current projects at Nobleo, I haven’t had the opportunity to apply the method as an autonomous solution. However, I have been able to use separate tools from the Lean Six Sigma principles to identify process variation and mitigate risks, among other things. Furthermore, in a temporary project of mine, I notice the results of the improvement projects done by colleagues and see the value it ultimately brought to our customers.

Running two long-term projects and a temporary third project is both educational and challenging. In addition to the projects, attending training and courses provides me with tools to develop myself. By attending training courses in groups, you learn from each other’s experiences in projects and apply the theory immediately. It is great to be part of this team and I am looking forward to what the projects and the coming time at Nobleo will bring.