RENCO Named to TIME's Best Inventions List, Opens Automated Florida Plant

RENCO, a maker of composite structural building components, has been named to TIME's annual Best Inventions list, which this year recognizes 300 innovations. The company also announced the opening of a fully automated manufacturing facility in Jupiter, Florida.

The plant uses compression molding machines with robotic arms and pultrusion lines to produce every component of the RENCO system. The company says it can produce enough components to build the equivalent of 6,000 apartment units a year.

"This is one of the biggest changes in the construction industry in a century," says RENCO president Ken Smuts. "Being recognized by TIME shows us the world is ready for our innovation."

How the system works

RENCO components are made from a proprietary "renewable composite" of glass fibers, resin and naturally occurring minerals. 

The precision-molded pieces interlock and are bonded with adhesives into a single monolithic structure. Color-coded plans guide on-site assembly, which the company says requires no cutting and produces little waste.

According to RENCO, the system is more durable than concrete systems pound for pound at one-fifth the weight. It is rated to withstand Category 5 hurricanes and resists fire, water, mold and pests.

At the company's first U.S. development, a 96-unit apartment complex in Palm Springs, Florida, a crew of 11 unskilled workers built each of four three-story structural shells in about eight weeks, according to Fast Company.

"We are simplifying construction with a complete system that arrives on site ready to assemble," says RENCO managing director Patrick Murphy. "With robotic manufacturing and a system any crew can learn quickly, we can build stronger homes faster and for less."

Prior recognition

RENCO previously took first place for building innovations at the JEC Composites Innovation Awards in Paris and won Best Construction Product Design at the BLT Built Design Awards in Switzerland.

TIME compiled its list from nominations by its editors and correspondents worldwide and from an online application process. Entries were evaluated on originality, efficacy, ambition and impact. The full list is available on TIME's website.