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Three hsbNext 2026 sessions will examine digital design, manufacturing data and factory-floor production as hsbcad develops a more connected approach to offsite delivery.
hsbNext 2026
Software developer hsbcad will hold three live online sessions this month examining how design information can be carried more directly through to manufacturing and factory-floor production in offsite timber construction. (main image: hsbMake in use at OBOS-owned Myresjöhus’ timber housing factory in Sweden, where digital production information is being introduced directly to factory-floor workstations.)
The hsbNext 2026 program will focus on a recurring issue for prefabricated manufacturers: maintaining reliable information between design, engineering and production without repeated data entry, reinterpretation or disconnected handovers.
For manufacturers operating CNC equipment and increasingly automated production lines, those information gaps can extend beyond documentation. Material specifications, dimensional data, production instructions and assembly information ultimately need to move from the building model into manufacturing systems accurately and consistently.
The company says hsbNext will combine industry discussion, software developments and live demonstrations around that design-to-production workflow. The sessions are aimed at engineers, BIM and CAD teams, production managers, factory operators and offsite manufacturing businesses.
The opening 90-minute keynote on Tuesday 15 September will be led by hsbcad CEO Hilde Sevens and members of the company’s product team. It will cover developments across hsbDesign for Revit and AutoCAD, hsbMake and offsite manufacturing, together with an initial look at a new AI application being developed by the company.
A second 45-minute session on Thursday 17 September will concentrate on new versions of hsbDesign for Revit and hsbDesign for AutoCAD, with demonstrations examining how timber design information can feed manufacturing workflows.
The final session on Monday 21 September will move further into production, looking at hsbMake and the connection between design data, automation and factory operations.
Extending the digital workflow
The direction builds on a broader strategy outlined by Sevens in an interview with Built Offsite at LIGNA 2025 in Hannover.
Founded more than 35 years ago, Belgium-based hsbcad develops design-to-manufacture software for offsite construction, with applications across timber and light gauge steel systems. Its platform is structured around Design for Manufacture and Assembly principles and connects building design with production data, CNC machinery, assembly and logistics.
Sevens told Built Offsite that the value of the technology increasingly lies in connecting those stages rather than treating design as an isolated part of the process.
“We’re not just creating geometry. We support the entire workflow — from designing how the parts fit together, to how they move through the factory, and how they’re loaded onto trucks in the right sequence for site delivery. That complete DfMA chain is where our value lies.”
That approach is also reflected in hsbcad’s push towards more digitally connected factory environments.
Sevens has described the transition as a move towards the “paperless factory”, where production teams work from current digital information rather than relying on multiple sets of drawings and revisions.
Importantly, she has argued that offsite adoption does not necessarily require manufacturers to move immediately to fully automated or volumetric production.
“Modular construction requires a significant investment — in machinery, systems, and volume,” Sevens told Built Offsite. “That can be a barrier. But many companies are starting their offsite journey by prefabricating just a few elements.”
That incremental approach is relevant to the hsbNext program, which spans both design and production rather than concentrating solely on high-level factory automation.
“We’ve got the right foundations,” Sevens said in the 2025 interview. “We’re well known for our design capabilities, but the future is about connecting design, manufacturing, and assembly in one continuous process.”
Australian applications
hsbcad has maintained a direct Australian and New Zealand presence through its Melbourne operation, with Regional Managing Director Frank Davern working with manufacturers and designers across the local offsite sector.
Built Offsite recently examined the technology in operation at Green Timber Technology in Orange, New South Wales, where hsbDesign and factory-facing hsbcad systems are integrated with HOMAG WEINMANN timber processing equipment.
Within that workflow, architectural and structural models are developed into manufacturing information rather than being recreated for production, while factory teams can access current digital model information at workstations.
The Green Timber Technology case study demonstrates the practical value of a connected design-to-production workflow, reducing redraws, manual handovers and the risk of outdated information reaching the factory floor.
All three hsbNext sessions are live, online and free to attend. They begin at 15:00 CEST — 11:00 pm AEST — and include live Q&A. Registered participants who cannot attend live will receive recordings of the sessions they selected.
Register HERE
Find hsbcad HERE
