Bristol green technology firm ModCell has opened an office in San Francisco just three years after launching in the UK.
The firm specialises in modern building methods, particularly the production of straw bale, pre-fabricated panels, for the construction of large-scale, zero-carbon buildings.
The timber frame panels are filled with locally-sourced straw or hemp and are constructed off-site in ‘flying factories’, often in farmer’s barns close to the projects. The panels provide better thermal insulation than traditional methods, resulting in up to 80% reduction of heating bills.
Established by managing director Craig White, ModCell has completed projects in schools, housing and light industrial buildings. It is also working on feasibility projects with some of the UK’s large supermarket chains.
ModCell began working with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) South West in 2010 to break into the US market. The company signed up to the UKTI Passport to Export programme as an introduction to trading overseas, which gave it valuable insights into specifically operating in the US.
A year on and ModCell has established an office in San Francisco where the company’s business development manager Miles Ford is developing licence agreements for the US and Canada.
The company, which in May won the design category in the UKTI Business Innovation Awards in America, is also planning to expand across Europe and is taking part in a UKTI trade mission to Berlin later this year.
Mr White said: “We have worked with UKTI for over a year now and its support has been instrumental in giving us the confidence to set up international operations.”
