Before the demolition of the site, this iron foundry was known as 'Usine H'. Fondatel established itself near the Herne station at the end of the nineteenth century. The company was primarily active in the road construction sector and produced, among other things, street drains and manhole covers. At its peak, the company employed more than one hundred people from the region.

Following persistent complaints from local residents about odor and noise nuisance, the company decided to move its operations to Andenne, where sister company Fonderies Lecompte is located. As a result, the site in Herne became vacant.

The municipality of Herne commissioned a spatial implementation plan to enable the rezoning of the sites. Starting in late 2019, the industrial buildings were demolished. The freed-up space will be used to establish a new residential area with 98 homes... With this, yet another piece of Flemish industrial heritage is permanently wiped off the map.