HDM

Innovation Journey in Developing Sustainable SPC Panels for Walls, Floors, Ceilings, and Facades

In the search for circular panels for walls, floors, ceilings and facades, HDM adapted its entire production process to be the first in Western Europe to develop its own SPC panels. Currently, HDM is expanding its circular offer with the development of ecological panels for bathrooms.

HDM produces panels for covering floors, walls, ceilings and facades. Until 2017, it was part of a German group. Meanwhile, the company developed a patent Solid Paint as a film for outdoor applications. Although that yielded an initial patent, it was not possible to make ready-made products with it without a suitable carrier. A first option HDM found in Taiwanese Stone Polymere Composites (or SPC) carriers.

HDM's ambition was to develop circular exterior panels that are easy to install and recycle. This turned out to require the development of a proprietary SPC carrier, which caused the company's entire production process to be modified. This was made possible thanks to VLAIO's strategic transformation support. The result: HDM is the first in Western Europe to produce its own SPC panels and has an enormously flexible production process.

Currently, the base of the panels consists of 20% recycled material. Thanks to the Click 'N Screw mounting system, the installation and removal of the panels is also made easier. At the end of their lifespan, HDM will take back all panels supplied to be fully recycled in the production of new panels. Meanwhile, HDM together with Sirris submitted a project application for the Belgium Builds Back Circular call. For this, the companies want to develop an innovative panel for use in bathrooms, as an ecological alternative to ceramic tiles. Those ceramic tiles are fired at a temperature of 1,000 to 1,200°C, while the SPC panels are extruded at 200°C, resulting in a sharp drop in energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions.