• Mechanical construction nearing completion and water tests now starting

• Production to start on schedule in Q2 2021

• Pre-marketing activities underway

• Full workforce as of end-January 2021

Clermont-Ferrand, 17 December 2020 – (FR0004177046 METEX), METabolic EXplorer (METEX), a specialist in the design, development, industrialisation and sale of environmentally responsible bioprocesses to produce functional ingredients, issues a new update on the construction of the first phase of METEX NØØVISTA. As previously announced, METEX NØØVISTA is a joint venture between METabolic EXplorer, as majority shareholder, and Bpifrance-managed Société de Projets Industriels (SPI)[1], that will produce and market in the first phase of operations 5kt of PDO (1,3 propanediol) and 1kt of BA (butyric acid) in markets such as cosmetics, animal nutrition, and food products.

Production to start in Q2 2021

Since the report, last June, on the health crisis’ impact on the timetable for the construction of the METEX NØØVISTA plant, work on the production unit has continued in line with the revised schedule, with production slated to begin in the second quarter of 2021.

Installation of the power supply and remote-control systems and commissioning of the compressed air production unit have begun and will continue until early January 2021. With the steam production unit now in operation, it has been possible to begin the water testing of all networks and equipment prior to the start-up of production at the plant. These tests will continue until the end of February 2021.

The next steps will include installation of the thermal insulation on the many pipe networks and connection of the control systems.

A video showing progress in the work thus far can be viewed on: https://youtu.be/qWBLPGxNhSo

As METEX previously announced, the office building, the finished products storage building, and the technical buildings, for which the local authority CASAS (Communauté d’Agglomération de St-Avold Synergie) is the project owner, are slightly behind schedule, but this will not prevent the production unit from starting up at the planned time.

Antoine Darbois, CEO of METEX NØØVISTA, says : “We can confirm that the mechanical construction of the plant will be completed before year-end and that the objectives of commissioning the plant in late February 2021 and starting the production and sale of products in the second quarter of 2021 will be met.”

A new website for METEX NØØVISTA is being created in conjunction with the launch of the METEX NØØVISTA production unit. This new site, www.metex-noovista.fr, will be online as of tomorrow, 18 December.

Pre-marketing and pre-sales activities now underway

As previously reported by the METEX group, METEX NØØVISTA has signed an exclusive, global strategic alliance with DSM, a major player in the personal care industry, for the marketing of the first non-GMO, cosmetic-grade PDO. It has also concluded a commercial agreement with ALINOVA (an affiliate of the AXEREAL group, France’s leading grain cooperative), for the marketing of the first bio-based butyric acid on the French animal nutrition market.

Last September, DSM commercially launched TILAMAR^® PDO with NØØVISTA™ with its international customers. TILAMAR^® PDO with NØØVISTA™ is a multifunctional ingredient with proven performance as a solvent, humectant, and preservative booster for all cosmetics applications. It has also been awarded the “Microbiome-friendly” label by an independent certification organization.

METEX NØØVISTA and ALINOVA are working together in pre-marketing activities to promote the commercial development of butyric acid derivatives, which offer recognized benefits for animal growth and health.

Initiatives to have butyric acid referenced with major flavors and fragrances accounts are also being carried out, notably with prospect sampling for the METEX NØØVISTA offering in this competitive market.

Full workforce by end-January 2021

As previously announced, this new METEX NØØVISTA plant will directly create about 50 jobs at the Chemesis site, thus contributing to the economic revitalization of the Moselle region. At end-December 2020, METEX NØØVISTA will have 24 employees. The aim with the hiring now underway is to have a fully staffed workforce by end-January 2021.

[1]     The SPI investment fund is underwritten by the Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir and the European Investment Bank.

– END-

About METabolic EXplorer – www.metabolic-explorer.com

Using renewable raw materials, the company develops and industrialises innovative and competitive industrial fermentation processes as alternative to petrochemical processes to meet consumers’ new societal expectations and the objectives of the energy transition. Its functional ingredients of natural origin are used in the formulation of cosmetic products, nutrition-animal health or as intermediates for the synthesis of biomaterials.

The construction of its first production unit, through its subsidiary METEX NØØVISTA, will bring 1.3 propanediol (PDO) and butyric acid (BA) on the market.

Based at the Clermont Limagne technology park, near Clermont-Ferrand, METabolic EXplorer is listed on Euronext in Paris (Compartment C, METEX) and is included in the CAC Small Index.

Get free financial information on METabolic EXplorer by registering with:
www.metabolic-explorer.com

Investor relations – ACTIFIN –
Benjamin LEHARI
Tél : + 33 (0) 1 56 88 11 11
mail : blehari@actifin.fr

Media relations – ACTIFIN –
Isabelle DRAY
Tél : + 33 (0) 1 56 88 11 11
mail : idray@actifin.fr