The Paris-headquartered former Sanofi business floated on the Euronext exchange in May 2022 said the project, which foresees increasing its manufacturing capacity up to 2025 while reducing its environmental footprint, will receive €7.9 million in funding from three French government investment incentive budgets.

As part of the plans, the facility in Département Seine-Maritime will house what EuroAPI said is a “new generation” of fermentation that allows a production increase of 60%. The new technology also will enable development of a more robust nitrite-free process that will cut waste and decrease water consumption by 50% while at the same time reducing the number of manufacturing steps.

To prepare for the B12 capacity upgrade, EuroAPI in July last year invested €24 million in a new 17 MW biomass boiler that will reduce CO₂ emissions at the site by nearly 76% up to 2026.

CEO Karl Rotthier said the “key investment” in France will enable the API specialist to increase its productivity in a dynamic vitamin B12 market that is growing at 6-7% annually. Additionally, he noted, it will also increase the level of differentiation of the company’s portfolio, while implementing technology for greener production.

With its large scale fermentation and downstream processing facilities, EuroAPI said the Saint-Aubin-lès-Elbeuf plant is the only Western manufacturing site for B12, and the company sees itself as “playing a crucial role” in the global supply of “numerous clients” worldwide, including DSM and P&G Health.

The French production site has worldwide health authority, GMP and ISO certifications and operates according to the highest industrial standards, EuroAPI stresses, adding that it expects the new B12 project to bolster the company’s position as a reliable supplier and partner of choice.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist