In an interesting news article on startup factory-builders from Crunchbase was the following keen insight. “In an interview last year, Veev CEO Amit Haller told Crunchbase News that the goal of more affordable housing will require building at scale. In a more ideal world, he envisioned that building homes would be more like churning out iPhones. The resultant product would be available at mass scale and of high enough quality to appeal to consumers of all means. But this presents a sort of chicken-and-egg dilemma. It’s tough to make affordable housing without scale. And it’s difficult to scale something that people can’t initially afford to buy.” Note that per left-leaning Wikipedia: “Crunchbase is a company providing business information about private and public companies. Their content includes investment and funding information, founding members and individuals in leadership positions, mergers and acquisitions, news, and industry trends.”
More on that further below in Part II in the additional information with more MHProNews analysis and commentary segment, which will explore what these insights may mean for HUD Code manufactured home builders. But first, that article on Crunchbase sparked inspired a survey of what is the latest news about a range of such startups. Not just Veev, but Icon, S2A Modular, Mighty Buildings, Plant Prefab, Admares, Boxable, and others.
With mainstream sources say that from 3.8 million, to 6 million, to perhaps as many as 20 million new U.S. housing units needed, the opportunities to earn money serving the U.S. affordable housing market ought to be obvious.
Part I – Crunchbase, AP, AI and Other Sources Provide Updates on 2023 Updates on New Factory Builders
In no particular order of importance, are insights and updates on factory-builders that have launched in recent years which have targeted the U.S. affordable housing market.
Veev
Veev, a modular housing company based in Hayward, California, is reportedly shutting down after facing funding issues 123. The company had raised $400 million in March 2022 2. Veev aimed to build higher quality homes faster, smarter and more sustainably by reimagining every step of the home building process 4. However, it seems that the company was unable to secure the funding it needed to stay afloat 2.
I hope this information helps.
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According to Crunchbase.
Previously, it [i.e.: Veev] had raised $585 million in venture funding, including $400 million just last year.
Veev is a prominent name in a long list of affordable housing-related startups that scaled up during the boom years. While the San Mateo, California-based company only produced a limited number of dwellings to date, it had a longer-term vision of enabling mass-production of new homes with prefab components and standardized building processes.
It was one of several hefty fundraisers in the space. In our last report on funding to affordable housing-related startups in the summer of 2022, we put together a list containing 24 U.S. companies that had collectively brought in close to $2 billion.”
> “News about Oakland, California-based Mighty Buildings, a maker of factory-built, 3D printed panels?”
Mighty Buildings, a company based in Oakland, California, is a manufacturer of factory-built, 3D printed panels for constructing sustainable and affordable homes. The company has recently raised $22 million in funding to expand its operations 1. Mighty Buildings has also completed the world’s first 3D-printed net-zero home as part of a 40-unit community in Desert Hot Springs, California 2. The company’s CEO, Slava Solonitsyn, has stated that Mighty Buildings has a master plan to solve productivity for construction in a sustainable way 1.
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> “News about 3D builder ICON?”
I found some news about ICON, a company that develops advanced construction technologies using 3D printing robotics, software, and advanced materials. According to their website, they are currently accepting architecture submissions for their Project Olympus 1. They have also been featured on CBS’s 60 MINUTES, where journalist Lesley Stahl reported on ICON’s story of building 3D-printed homes on Earth and developing space-based technology to build on the Moon 2. In August 2021, ICON landed a $207M Series B funding to construct more 3D-printed homes after seeing 400% YoY revenue growth 3.
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> “News about Admares in U.S.?”
ADMARES, a company that specializes in industrialized manufacturing of buildings and homes, plans to construct its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Waycross, Georgia. The company expects to create over 1,400 new jobs and invest $750 million in Ware County 123. The latest news on Admares can be found on their official website 4.
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MHProNews reported on Admares plant in the report linked below.
> “News about Boxabl in U.S.?”
Boxabl, a modular home builder, has received commitments for $3.2+ million in new funding under the SEC’s Regulation Crowdfunding, fully subscribing in 9 hours 1. The company’s mission is to revolutionize the standard of housing construction and affordability with its innovative, technology-based solution to mass-produce homes through advanced manufacturing 1. Boxabl has also signed a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense for an initial order of $9.2 million and announced a partnership with homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc. that includes an order for 100 units and investment in the company 2. However, Boxabl is currently under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for unconventional marketing of securities offerings and pending lawsuits 3. The details of the inquiry are not publicly known, but the regulator has subpoenaed at least two people 3.
I hope this information helps!
Learn more:
- finance.yahoo.com 2. boxabl.com 3. therealdeal.com 4. msn.com 5. stock.boxabl.com 6. prnewswire.com”
MHProNews has reported on Boxabl in reports like the one linked below.
> “News about S2A in U.S.?”
I found some news about S2A Modular, a green modular company based in Hemet, California. According to 1, S2A Modular is offering custom and predesigned floor plans with Tesla Powerwall and graphene solar panels for a “net-zero” or “net-positive” house for $165 per square foot. The first units are expected to be out by 2021. In 2, S2A Modular announced that its High-Performance PV GRAF all-black residential solar panels are now available for purchase by other solar companies. Finally, 3 reports that S2A Modular is on course to build 35 “MegaFactories” by 2023.
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MHProNews first reported on S2A in the report linked below. Note that while S2A apparently failed to meet its expansion schedule by a wide margin, at least they had chutzpah.
In a follow up inquiry by this writer for MHProNews Bing AI said this.
> “According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, the article titled “Texas S2A ‘megafactory’ site leaves doubts with no progress” reports that the construction of S2A Modular’s “MegaFactory” in Texas has not made any progress, leaving many people skeptical about the company’s ability to deliver on its promises.”
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, the article titled “Texas S2A ‘megafactory’ site leaves doubts with no progress” reports that the construction of S2A Modular’s “MegaFactory” in Texas has not made any progress, leaving many people skeptical about the company’s ability to deliver on its promises.” …
> “What’s the news on factory-builder Plant Prefab?”
I found some news about Plant Prefab, a California-based company that specializes in prefabricated custom homes. According to 1, Plant Prefab has secured $42 million in funding to expand its capacity and increase multi-unit housing production. The company is expected to deliver up to 900,000 square feet of “extremely sustainable” and “extremely healthy” housing per year 1. In addition, Plant Prefab has opened a second factory in Ontario, California, and is constructing a third factory, which is set to open in 2022 2.
Is there anything else I can help you with?
Learn more:
- techcrunch.com2. plantprefab.com3. plantprefab.com4. plantprefab.com5. plantprefab.com6. plantprefab.com”
MHProNews reported on Plant Prefab on February 18, 2019.
> “What has been the market for accessory dwelling units in California before and since statewide preemption went into effect?”
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Note: featured images generated for MHProNews in part by Dall-E. Note 2: Bing AI has added an interesting disclaimer in small type: “Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible.” That disclosure by Bing confirms MHProNews’ analysis on that topic.
Part II – Additional Information with More MHProNews Analysis and Commentary
It required a follow up prompting by this writer for MHProNews, but Bing AI got it right on the second try when asked about Minneapolis Federal Reserve senior economist, and National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) professional James A. “Jim” Schmitz Jr. Per left-leaning Wikipedia: The National Bureau of Economic Research is an American private nonprofit research organization “committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community.” Here was the first of two inquiries related to this topic.
> “Provide some pull quotes by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve’s James Schmitz on affordable housing must be made in a factory?”
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> “Didn’t Schmitz say affordable homes for low income families must produce in a factory?”
In that university presentation by Schmitz said: “It took me years and years to unravel the sabotage [of manufactured homes and factory-built housing] I have found.” There is “Absolutely no way I could have done so without the help of those in [the] construction industry producing factory homes,” it went on to say. A source with knowledge said there is implicit thanks to this writer for MHProNews, along with other researchers and professionals involved in MHVille and the housing construction field for the insights that continue fueling he and his colleagues’ research.
That research helps explain the manufactured home, modular housing, and factory-built housing industry’s 21st century underperformance. But first, let’s pivot back to what Crunchbase noted above, because they made a valuable point worthy of the interest of investors, affordable housing advocates, and a range of professionals as well as taxpayers and other stakeholders.
“In an interview last year, Veev CEO Amit Haller told Crunchbase News that the goal of more affordable housing will require building at scale. In a more ideal world, he envisioned that building homes would be more like churning out iPhones. The resultant product would be available at mass scale and of high enough quality to appeal to consumers of all means. But this presents a sort of chicken-and-egg dilemma. It’s tough to make affordable housing without scale. And it’s difficult to scale something that people can’t initially afford to buy.”
To more fully appreciate what Haller told Crunchbase, note that Investopedia explained that: “What Does “Scale” Mean in Business? … To scale—or scale up—a business means growing it in such a way that its revenues increasingly outpace its costs.”
“In business, the definition of “scale” is to increase revenue at a faster rate than costs. Businesses achieve this in a number of ways, from adopting new technologies to finding “gaps” in their operations that can be streamlined.” So said TonyRobbins.com.
The import of Haller’s remarks is that if the volume of home sales are too low, then the cost per unit will necessarily be higher to keep from selling at a loss (or to reduce the loss per unit). Meaning, there would need to be several things in place for many factory-builders to be profitable.
One of those things that are needed would be distribution channels. If a builder or builder/developer might be interested in a factory’s product, they would naturally want to see a prototype. Until they see a prototype, they may not commit to the product. That is “the sort of chicken-and-egg dilemma.”
In the survey above, notice that there have been some firms that have survived their initial startup period. Others, like Veev, have closed down despite hundreds of millions of dollars being invested. A production center is needed. Hiring and training a staff is needed. The necessary components and raw materials are needed. Building inspections that will satisfy this or that zoning department are needed. These are all among the potential hurdles that a start up in a non-HUD Code manufactured housing producer would likely face.
But investing in an existing or properly organized start-up in HUD Code manufactured housing, some hurdles are mitigated. How so? Let’s look.
By definition, HUD Code manufactured homes are built to federal standards which are preemptive of local or state mandates. There is at least in theory no need for inspectors from various jurisdictions to come to the plant, because that process has been simplified by HUD which has contracted that third-party inspection process out. Much of what is needed could be pre-arranged.
To illustrate, this question was put to Bing AI.
> “HUD uses third-party inspectors for HUD Code manufactured housing, isn’t that correct? Give some details on that process which explains how it simplifies construction inspections.”
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Next, it is possible to begin the process of establishing distribution with HUD Code manufactured homes prior to the start of production. Why is that so? Precisely because HUD certification and inspections are involved. Consumer protections are built into the HUD Code manufactured home process. Especially since the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA), even installation is better regulated than in the decades since the HUD Code went into effect on June 15, 1976. To illustrate, consider the following.
> “Bing, is it fair to say that consumer protections are built into the HUD Code manufactured home process? Isn’t that especially since the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA), even installation is better regulated than in the decades since the HUD Code went into effect on June 15, 1976? Please elaborate.”
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For decades prior to the MHIA, manufactured homes were generally sold through three distribution channels.
(1) Street retailers (a.k.a. “home centers” or “dealers”).
(2) Manufactured home land-lease communities (a.k.a. often errantly called “mobile home parks” or worse, “trailer parks”).
(3) Developers that sold land-home packages.
Bing AI aptly confirmed these points: “Yes, that is correct…”
While the numbers of manufactured home retailers and communities has been dramatically cut in the 21st century, nevertheless, other than Hawaii, Puerto Rico and to a lesser extent Alaska, retail distribution has existed for decades for HUD Code manufactured housing.
Not to give away too many insider secrets, but a variety of ways could be utilized to speed the process of being a new start-up in manufactured housing being market-ready that may ease the costs pre-launch.
So, in comparison to the hurdles faced by the firms named herein above, or others like them who decided to invest in affordable housing construction using factory-building, it should be apparent that it would be wise to consider the multiple possible advantages of going with a HUD Code manufactured home certified building center.
More Evidence…
To further illustrate the point, consider the following. The recent deal by Skyline Champion (SKY) to acquire Regional Homes revealed several factors in the process. Regional Homes, per a Skyline Champion’s (SKY) investor relations pitch-deck in 2023, launched in 2006. So, in under 17 years, Regional Homes established one of the largest network of vertically integrated production and sales centers in the U.S.
Regional was also, according to Skyline Champion, the #4 builder of HUD Code manufactured homes. Put differently, from start up to one of the largest in the country was accomplished in a relatively short time frame. Odds are good that this was accomplished by Regional with less funding than several of the non-HUD Code factory-building start-ups named in Part I above.
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Next by way of example. As our periodic review of ‘most read’ reports reveals, a perennial top read article on MHProNews is the one about Rollohome linked below.
While some contemporary factory-builders think that the original news source that supplied some of the details used in that report erred on some facts, either way, Rollohome was a notable success story in the mobile home era.
> “What can you tell me about the history of mobile home builder Rollohome?”
> “Various aspects of factory home building and manufactured housing has attracted some of the largest corporate names and wealthiest investors in the U.S., isn’t that correct? Warren Buffett, Sam Zell, Elon Musk, BlackRock, Amazon, The Carlyle Group, and others are among those who have invested in some aspect of manufactured housing and/or factory built housing, isn’t that correct?”
Yes, that is correct. The manufactured housing industry has been on an upward trajectory in the past decade, and an increasing number of institutional investors and owner-operators have been diving into the segment 1. Some of the largest corporate names and wealthiest investors in the U.S., such as Warren Buffett, Sam Zell, Elon Musk, BlackRock, Amazon, The Carlyle Group, and others, have invested in some aspect of manufactured housing and/or factory-built housing 123… ”
> “Scan the web and tell me who in the manufactured housing industry has reported on the research by James A. Schmitz Jr. and/or Samuel “Sam” Strommen which sheds light on the question of manufactured housing industry underperformance during an affordable housing crisis?”
I found a few articles that might be of interest to you. According to a press release by MHLivingNews.com, Samuel “Sam” Strommen has conducted legal research on the monopolization of the American manufactured home industry and the formation of REITs, alleging evidence of “felony” “antitrust” and RICO creating “human suffering” 1.
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Few know the industry from the trenches in the industry, from the reporting, and thought leadership process as the leadership of this platform can factually claim. Who says? Some of supporters as well as our critics. Third-party researchers looking in have said similarly. So, when it comes to authentic insights into manufactured housing that isn’t purely self-serving or often obscured-agenda driven, there are good reasons why such a wide range of professionals, public officials, attorneys, and others turn to MHProNews. We are true believers who are willing to call out the scoundrels, identify the roadblocks, and point to the tremendous potential too. ##
Part III – is our Daily Business News on MHProNews stock market recap which features our business-daily at-a-glance update of over 2 dozen manufactured housing industry stocks.
This segment of the Daily Business News on MHProNews is the recap of yesterday evening’s market report, so that investors can see at glance the type of topics may have influenced other investors. Thus, our format includes our signature left (CNN Business) and right (Newsmax) ‘market moving’ headlines.
The macro market move graphics below provide context and comparisons for those invested in or tracking manufactured housing connected equities. Meaning, you can see ‘at a glance’ how manufactured housing connected firms do compared to other segments of the broader equities market.
In minutes a day readers can get a good sense of significant or major events while keeping up with the trends that are impacting manufactured housing connected investing.
Reminder: several of the graphics on MHProNews can be opened into a larger size. For instance: click the image and follow the prompts in your browser or device to OPEN In a New Window. Then, in several browsers/devices you can click the image and increase the size. Use the ‘x out’ (close window) escape or back key to return.
Headlines from left-of-center CNN Business – from the morning of 12.6.2023
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