At some point in the not-too-distant future, needy residents of Broward and Palm Beach counties desperate for affordable, storm-resistant housing may find a technologically advanced option in a new community nearby. I don't know.
More than 30 years after Hurricane Andrew pummeled southern Miami-Dade County in 1992, Texas-based home construction company Onks set up a factory in Pompano Beach to build homes that can withstand Category 5 hurricanes. The company is said to be producing major components. Winds up to 175 mph.
The company, which began operations in 2021, is based in New Carrollton, Texas, near Dallas. Late last month, the company opened a 150,000-square-foot parts manufacturing facility on the west side of Interstate 95 in Pompano Beach, called the X+ System Factory. The factory, which employs his 50 people, relies primarily on robotics to manufacture roof components and walls with hurricane-resistant windows. It's the perfect time for the opening. Forecasters expect the 2024 hurricane season to be “very active.”
“You don't see many companies in South Florida doing what Onx is doing,” said Matthew Rocco, president of the 180-member South Florida Manufacturers Association. “The way we transform our manufacturing processes and the components we use to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes will be a game-changer for South Florida.”
The revitalization of this plant represents another major step in economic development for Pompano Beach. Pompano Beach is in the midst of a multi-pronged effort to simultaneously increase its profile as a destination for luxury coastal living, entertainment and innovation.
Automated factories are the cornerstone of a company's strategy to quickly build components and move them to regional headquarters for assembly.
From the Pompano Beach plant's elevated steel-grilled catwalks, visitors can get a wide view of the automated process that quickly forms interior and exterior walls and roof components made of concrete. The windows are embedded in an 8-inch-thick modular core wall, and lightweight steel roof trusses are more durable than wood and are prepared for delivery and final installation into the home.
Since last year, South Florida's first Oncs community has sprung up in the Homestead area, not far from the city's two company-operated assembly plants.
One of them, the X+ Pod Factory, produces 20 bathroom/kitchen pods every day, according to the company profile. The other is the “X+ Component Factory”, which builds the foundation.
According to the literature, “just-in-time delivery requires six to eight trailers per household.”
The company also notes that 22 subcontractors take 8 to 12 months “to build an average home.” Onx says he can build within 30 days. why? “Onx's house is built as one system.”
maintain control
“We currently have 12 communities underway in Florida,” said Melissa Pinto, vice president of marketing. “It’s a mix of single-family homes and townhomes.”
Some have four bedrooms. Others include five.
She said the company manages all aspects of land acquisition, development, manufacturing and installation, and sales and marketing. “We buy the land and do it from start to finish.”
There are no individual sales. Onx homes are only available within communities developed by Onx.
Officials say the price is a “market price” tailored to the local area. Homes in the Homestead area are priced between $400,000 and $500,000, according to the brochure.
Onx connects with potential customers through digital marketing, Pinto said. You can view the design options on the company's website and choose the one you like.
In Florida, “500 homes have already been built and nearly 1,800 people live there,” she said.
Pinto said the buyer's profile is “driven by location.” In Miami-Dade, elderly parents live with their children in five-bedroom homes, creating a “blended family kind of place,” a type of “multigenerational living.” There are also smaller townhomes for professionals in the tourism and medical industries, as well as military personnel.
In Fort Myers, retirees live in a golf-centric community, while near Orlando, “digital nomads” who don't want to commute into the city live in suburban communities in Lake County. “We're seeing a lot of young families moving from urban areas to the suburbs,” Pinto said.
3rd year resolutions
Onx, a privately held company founded in 2021 and funded by friends, family, and high-end investors in Silicon Valley and Toronto, is founded by its founders as they assess the U.S. housing market and take a chance on rising costs. It started with what I discovered. This confuses prospective buyers.
“We are from Dubai,” Chief Operating Officer Ravi Butt said in a phone interview. “During COVID-19, we were basically looking at the U.S. housing market and what we could do about it.”
He said the founders chose the Miami area and Austin, Texas, as a starting point to establish themselves as the most “toughest” markets in the U.S. There were two reference points: the strict architecture of both regions. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and unrelenting heat have highlighted the state's vulnerability to standards and weather conditions.
When Hurricane Andrew hit south Miami-Dade in 1992, destroying thousands of homes and businesses and prompting a population shift to Broward County and other parts of the north, Homestead was “one of the hardest-hit areas.'' ” Burt said.
The company claims its homes can withstand Category 5 hurricane winds of up to 175 miles per hour. Burt and Pinto said the claim was based on artificial intelligence simulations conducted by engineers in both Dubai and the United States.
“My plan is to subject the whole house to wind tunnel testing,” Burt said.
“We have plans to expand from the southern tip of Florida to Orlando, Fort Myers and everything in between,” he added. “We have plans to go all over Florida and build these durable homes.”
In Fort Myers, which was devastated by Hurricane Ian two years ago, “people love our homes.”
As for when Oncs homes will be built in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Pinto said the search for development space is underway.
“We are looking for land in Broward County and Palm Beach and also in Pompano itself,” she said.
