Heau
Heau and Voxdale: Revolutionizing Showers, One Drop at a Time
"How can we effectively design and manufacture an instant hot shower system that is both durable and cost-effective while minimizing energy consumption and maximizing ease of installation?"
- Philippe and Alexander, Heau’s Founders
Heau vs. water waste: A common problem, a bold solution
We all know the problem. You step into the shower, and, if like most of us, you don’t plunge into the cold, you wait. And while you wait, water goes down the drain—unused, unretrievable, wasted.
Heau co-founders Philippe and Alexander recognized this familiar frustration and decided to tackle it head-on.
“It’s something that people have gotten used to,” Philippe explains. “It became a normal problem: you open the shower and you have to wait. Was this how we were going to do it, continuously? It’s in every hotel room, every hospital, every sports facility, every household. When you add up the amount of waste to all these units, the result is ridiculous.”
Seeing that the average person in the Benelux wastes nearly four thousand litres a year, and that water is our most precious resource, the founders felt a responsibility to contribute to a more sustainable world. Beyond selling a product, the mission became clear: to stop this wasteful practice through technological innovation.
At the core of the innovation is a device that stores heat from previous hot showers, which would provide consumers with instant hot water. Evidently, bringing this concept to life presents a unique, and complex set of challenges: the technology must be effective, but also durable and easy to install.
“For the plumber, it has to be plug and play,” Philippe stresses. “Hardware is also quite expensive. It must be durable: if after five years, the product breaks, it would be bad. Quality is very important to us, as well as getting as much production and assembly done in the region.”
From idea to reality: Heau's Voxdale-powered shower revolution
Being civil engineers with expertise in construction but limited experience in product development, it did not take long for Heau to seek out a company like Voxdale.
“We approached Voxdale and their competitors, who also made an offer,” Philippe says. “But we had a strong feeling, which turned out to be true, that Voxdale would be more flexible, would be able to adapt to our norms. We are only a startup. They would be fast, be able to help us with our specific needs, and allow us space for things we didn’t need help for.”
Working in increments, Heau benefited from Voxdale’s expertise in design, engineering, and product specialisation. For both parties, the partnership extended beyond professional collaboration. Heau considered Tom and Stijn, who worked closely with them, as integral parts of their team. Heau turned to Tim, CEO of Voxdale, who provided invaluable guidance with business matters.
Prototyping was a critical phase in Heau’s journey, and Voxdale’s hands-on involvement in creating prototypes ensured that the technological aspects aligned seamlessly with the design.
“They have a large workshop, and each project has a designated table, full of material, with experts in these kind of machines, machines that are sophisticated and relatively complex to operate,” Philippe emphasizes.
“When something is required quickly, in a snap of a finger somebody’s there to help you. We put it together, then in the machine, and one and half hours later, we have it. Then we can move on. This makes the process go way faster—we don’t have to drag steps out by outsourcing everything.”
The process was bumpy—from fears that the bended parts required to comply with the design could not be manufactured, to debates over how many shampoo bottles the device must be able to hold. aim high with the quality of the design, and suggested we apply to prizes. It was a great partnership, we all wanted this to succeed and go in the same direction.”
Beyond prototypes: iF Recognition in just 18 months
Philippe tells this story while he and Alexander stand in Berlin amongst some of the biggest brands: Heau has won the iF Design Award. This achievement can be credited to the co-founders’ partnership with Voxdale’s Design Director, Tom Dewaele, and Product Designer, Stijn Kok. As a startup, winning a prestigious, globally recognized award is the iron stepping stone, a pivotal emblem of recognition, ensuring widespread awareness and continued success.
At the time of this writing, they are also overseeing the next stage: from prototype to first production batch. Heau is also in negotiation with three of the biggest sanitary wholesalers in Belgium. But above all, Heau is only a year and a half into its journey, from conception.
“People are a little amazed about the speed at which we go. This is hardware, and in hardware, this kind of speed is hard to achieve,” Philippe declares.
“We are already talking with major companies. We have a clear plan forward. We know who our market is and what we want to do. And it’s because of the partnership we have with Voxdale. We help each other. We have a common goal.”
Philippe Bijnens, Founder of Heau
Conclusion
Voxdale collaborated with Mahindra Racing to optimize and design the gearbox casing and construct the body for the racing simulator. These improvements enrich the overall racing experience and enable the team to better prepare for upcoming challenges.
“We appreciated Voxdale’s honesty and transparency, their ability to tell us when we’ve got something wrong. It was always constructive from both sides, with the best intentions for the project. Great partnerships happen when you are honest with each other, and that’s something they really do,” Philippe says.
Voxdale’s multidisciplinary expertise, flexibility, and collaborative spirit, were instrumental in bringing Heau’s product from concept to reality. The blend of experience and youthful innovation within the Voxdale team created a dynamic partnership that transcended conventional client relationships.
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