Groupe Gorgé Has Created Prodways Entrepreneurs to Support the 3D Printing Revolution and Announces Its First Endeavour: Supporting and Financing the Company Dentosmile

After the acquisition of Prodways, a manufacturer of professional 3D printing solutions, in late 2013, and DeltaMed, a German company specialised in photoresists for 3D printing applications, in April 2014, Groupe Gorgé has reaffirmed its position in the additive manufacturing market and has launched Prodways Entrepreneurs, a support and financing solution intended for European companies in the 3D Printing area or those who wish to migrate their production towards 3D printing.

Prodways Entrepreneurs supports and encourages excellence among European players in 3D printing.

Prodways Entrepreneurs, a confluence of an innovative industrial group, 3D printing experts and finance professionals, is a subsidiary of Groupe Gorgé, servicing the future European leaders in 3D Printing.

Prodways Entrepreneurs provides customised solutions to industrial companies who would like to direct their production toward 3D printing (jewellery, aerospace, biomedical, prototyping) and materials and solutions designers (machines, scanner, materials, software, services, etc.) with the goal of promoting and supporting the creation of a veritable 3D Printing field of excellence in Europe:

- Financial solutions: By working with the companies we support over the long term, Prodways Entrepreneurs invests in equity (taking non-controlling stakes) helping companies to accelerate their development.

- Strategic solutions: Through Prodways Entrepreneurs, Groupe Gorgé wants to share with the leaders of tomorrow its network of experts in 3D printing and the benefits of its past partnerships with world-renowned institutions.

- Technical solutions: The entrepreneurs being supported will be able to access, according to their needs, the latest 3D printing techniques, particularly those developed by Prodways, and also the other technologies mastered by the Group.

- Operational solutions: Backed by Groupe Gorgé's experience in delivering innovative products and services, and combined with its expertise in financing innovative firms, Prodways Entrepreneurs is able to support companies on the road to success.

Specialised and unique expertise

Founded by Raphael Gorgé, Prodways Entrepreneurs is comprised of a team of complementary experts (3D printing specialists, visionary experts, chemical engineers, capital investment specialists, etc.) to provide companies with the levers necessary for their development.

Bertier Luyt: his expertise in 3D modelling was recognised in 2010 when he was invited to give a seminar at Google Sketchup on digital modelling and manufacturing at a time when the first mass-market 3D printers were beginning to appear in the USA. He was invited to the New York Maker Faire in 2011, and in 2012, launched FabShop, a 3D modelling and digital manufacturing workshop. With Mathilde Berchon, he is co-author of 3D Printing, published by Editions Eyrolles. Bertier Luyt gives numerous seminars on 3D printing and the Maker Movement.

André-Luc Allanic: Serial entrepreneur, André Luc Allanic is one of the pioneers of 3D printing. He has been innovating in this technology for over 20 years, setting up several technology companies that he later sold to leading players in the sector in France and abroad. In 2013, while looking for solid industrial backing for his company, he approached Groupe Gorgé, which shared the same values and desires for growth. As the executive director of R&D at Prodways, he contributes his expertise to Prodways Entrepreneurs.

Emanuel Mesaric : Emanuel is one of the pioneers in photoresists for 3D printing applications. During his thesis in 1999, this German engineer, MBA certified, began materials development for Deltamed GmbH company (subsidiary of Groupe Gorgé since April 2014). He followed his activity of materials development for the company Dreve Chemie GmbH before coming back to DeltaMed where he is now Managing Director since 2009. He contribute his expertise to Prodways Entrepreneurs, mainly for materials’ topics.

Institutional support

Prodways Entrepreneur receives support from Bpifrance to promote the development of the 3D printing ecosystem. As a result, Bpifrance is able to offer companies that are being supported in this process by Prodways Entrepreneurs financing solutions customised to their needs (subsidised loans, innovation aid, etc.)

Dentosmile, our first partnership in orthodontics

The first company to receive personalised support from Prodways Entrepreneurs was Dentosmile. Created by Philippe Veran, an entrepreneur specialised in biomedical technologies (dental, orthopaedics, etc.) and based in Salon de Provence, Dentosmile offers a new invisible technique to realign teeth thanks to a system using transparent, scalable aligners which are tailor made using a digital modelling software program and 3D printing. As a result, contrary to traditional orthodontic methods, which use particularly unsightly metal rings and wires, this method is invisible, comfortable and more easily accepted among adult patients. Similar technology has seen tremendous success, especially in the United States.

Worn for 22 hours every day and changed every three weeks, these aligners will straighten teeth gradually and gently. It takes between 6 to 18 months to achieve perfect alignment.

Convinced of the potential of this innovation, Prodways Entrepreneurs wanted to go into partnership with Dentosmile by investing €700,000 (a 20% stake in its capital) to support the company's growth and necessary technical development. Dentosmile will rely in particular on the MOVINGLight® technology developed by Prodways and will benefit from future developments of new materials offered by the Group. In addition, Groupe Gorgé's teams will assist Dentosmile in implementing the industrial production process.

Furthermore, BPI France has already considered financing several Dentosmile projects.

"We are convinced of the potential of 3D printing as a growth engine for French small and mid-sized companies, which is why Bpifrance is very interested in these innovations and would like to act as a catalyst for the companies that will drive competition in the France of the future. Dentosmile caught Bpifrance's attention with its innovative profile and its growth potential.” comments Paul-François Fournier, Chief Innovation Officer from Bpifrance.

Learn more about Dentosmile: www.dentosmile.fr

http://youtu.be/Tr1K_w7q_q0

3D printing, the next industrial revolution

With 30% annual growth between 2010 and 2013 (35% in 2013) and a market that has already surpassed 3 billion dollars (source Wohlers Associates), 3D printing is a revolutionary technology whose applications will considerably transform modes of consumption and production in most sectors (dental, medical, automobile, aerospace, jewellery, etc.). Analysts predict that the market will exceed 21 billion dollars by 2020.

Ideally positioned in technologies of the future (robotisation, drones, 3rd generation nuclear power, etc.), Groupe Gorgé intends to play a significant role in this 3D Printing industrial revolution through Prodways Entrepreneurs.

"3D printing is at the heart of the new industrial revolution of the 21st century. We want to play a major role in nurturing a field of excellence in Europe." states Raphael Gorgé, Chairman of Groupe Gorgé.

Learn more about www.prodways-entrepreneurs.com

About Groupe Gorgé:

Established in 1990, Group Gorgé is an industrial group operating in different areas of expertise: Smart Safety Systems, Protection in Nuclear Environments, Industrial Projects & Services and 3D Printing

In 2013, the Group reported revenue of €214.5 million. It is backed by 1,300 employees and operations in over ten countries. Groupe Gorgé is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0000062671; Ticker code: GOE) and on the US OTC market (ISIN: US3994511034; OTC Pink: GGRGY / GGRGF) in the form of ADR.

More information available on www.groupe-gorge.com