Metafix
Metafix is a Quebec-based industrial wastewater treatment company founded in 1988 that designs automated, chemical-free silver recovery and heavy metal removal systems for NDT radiography, aerospace, metal finishing, and investment casting customers across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersLachine, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Metafix does
Metafix Inc., founded in 1988 and headquartered in Lachine, Quebec, Canada, designs and manufactures automated industrial wastewater treatment and silver recovery systems for four primary verticals: NDT radiography, aerospace manufacturing, metal finishing/plating, and investment casting foundries. The company's product portfolio is organized into two lines: Silver Recovery (MBX-1000, MBX-MI mobile unit, SuperPac 4 expansion skid, MetaColumns, and BCMS bulk chemical mixing system) and Industrial Wastewater Treatment (RT3 and RW3 systems targeting Chromium, Copper, Nickel, and Silver removal). Core technology is a chemical-free metallic exchange process that recovers up to 99.99% of silver from fixer and developer solutions while consistently producing treated effluent with heavy metal concentrations below 1 ppm, eliminating toxic sludge generation that is typical of conventional chemical precipitation. All systems integrate with Metatrax 2.0, a proprietary 24/7 remote monitoring platform with cellular connectivity, automated performance reports, and instant alerting, which also functions as a post-sale engagement and service layer. Metafix also holds a patented MixExchanger Volumetric Filter Change Technology that triggers filter replacement based on volumetric data rather than time-based schedules.
Metafix sells predominantly through a regional expert dealer network supplemented by direct enterprise sales from headquarters for major accounts, targeting marquee industrial customers including SpaceX, Blue Origin, GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Howmet Aerospace, PCC, Acuren, MISTRAS, Element Materials Technology, Fujifilm, and Agfa. The company employs 11-50 people and has served more than 100 named customers across its verticals. Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) one-time capital equipment sales of bespoke-sized treatment systems; (2) recurring subscription revenue from Metatrax 2.0 monitoring and support contracts; and (3) transaction-based silver recovery resale, where recovered silver is sold back to generate a direct cost offset for customers. Pricing is custom per facility based on metals to be removed, concentrations, peak flow, discharge limits, and ROI requirements, with prospects typically qualifying via Metafix's wastewater questionnaire on the company website. The company operates as a privately held, independent corporation with no disclosed parent, subsidiaries, institutional investors, or funding rounds across its 35+ year history.
Metafix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metafix
- Legal name
- Metafix Inc.
- Website
- https://metafix.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Metafix is a Quebec-based industrial wastewater treatment company founded in 1988 that designs automated, chemical-free silver recovery and heavy metal removal systems for NDT radiography, aerospace, metal finishing, and investment casting customers across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metafix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Wastewater Treatment Systems
- NAICS
- Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Chemical Manufacturing (325)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals (IMAEAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG), Catalytic Converter Recycling & Precious Metals Recovery (PGM) (EUAIAJAG)
Keywords
Where Metafix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lachine
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Metafix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Equipment Sales (Capital Equipment): Metafix generates revenue primarily from the sale of automated wastewater treatment and silver recovery systems (MBX-1000, MBX-MI, RT3, RW3, BCMS, SuperPac). These are capital equipment purchases with installation and commissioning. The company also sells related consumables and replacement filter components for its proprietary MixExchanger technology.
- Ongoing Monitoring & Support Services: Through its Metatrax 2.0 platform, Metafix provides 24/7 remote monitoring and data analysis services, likely bundled with equipment sales or provided as an ongoing service contract. The platform also serves as a vehicle for ongoing customer engagement and upsell opportunities.
- Silver Recovery Revenue Recovery: By recovering up to 99.99% of silver from fixer and developer wastewater, Metafix's systems transform a waste cost into a revenue-generating asset for customers. Recovered silver is sold back, generating direct cost offsets for customers and creating economic incentive for adoption.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Equipment Sizing — MBX-1000 / RT3 / RW3 / BCMS Systems |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Metafix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metafix designs, manufactures, and sells automated industrial wastewater treatment and silver recovery systems that use chemical-free metallic exchange technology to remove heavy metals (Silver, Chromium, Copper, Nickel) from industrial wastewater streams. The company sells capital equipment lines (MBX-1000, MBX-MI, RT3, RW3, BCMS, SuperPac, MetaColumns) bundled with the Metatrax 2.0 remote monitoring platform, primarily serving enterprise customers in NDT radiography, aerospace manufacturing, metal finishing, and investment casting. Revenue is generated through equipment sales, ongoing monitoring subscriptions, and silver recovery transactions.
Product overview
Metafix provides automated industrial wastewater treatment systems organized into two main product lines: Silver Recovery (MBX-1000, MBX-MI, SuperPac 4, MetaColumns, BCMS Bulk Chemical Mixing System) and Industrial Wastewater Treatment (RT3, RW3). All products feature 24/7 connectivity through the Metatrax 2.0 remote monitoring platform. The core technology removes heavy metals (Silver, Chromium, Copper, Nickel) without chemical usage or toxic sludge production. Products range from compact mobile units (MBX-MI) to large-scale processing systems (SuperPac 4 with 1,000 gallon capacity), with modular scalability across the portfolio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Metatrax: Remote monitoring system for silver recovery systems providing 24/7 monitoring, automated alerts, and data analysis for Metafix wastewater treatment equipment.
- MBX-1000
- MBX-MI
- RT3
- RW3
- SuperPac
- MetaColumns
Products and services
- MBX-1000 Automated silver recovery unit for X-ray fixer and developer wastewater that uses chemical-free metallic exchange to recover up to 99.99% of silver. Connects up to 3 film processors simultaneously at a treatment rate of 0.26 gal/min and produces drain-safe effluent with no toxic sludge. Sold to NDT radiography operations and industrial film processing facilities.
- MBX-MI
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.99% silver recovery rate from X-ray fixer and developer wastewaters (MBX-1000)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Metafix
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Metafix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Metafix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Expert Dealer NetworkcoreMetafix deploys its wastewater treatment and silver recovery systems through a network of expert dealers that provide localized sales, installation, commissioning, and ongoing support. The dealer network ensures seamless implementation and sustained results for customers across different geographies and industry sectors.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Metafix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Xylem Inc. Xylem (which acquired Evoqua Water Technologies) is a global leader in water and wastewater treatment equipment and services. It serves industrial customers with heavy-metal and metal-finishing wastewater treatment solutions, overlapping directly with Metafix's RT3/RW3 product line but at much broader scale and portfolio depth.
- Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia is a global environmental services and industrial water/wastewater treatment incumbent offering heavy-metal removal, ion exchange, and chemical precipitation systems. It addresses the same aerospace and metal-finishing customers as Metafix but as part of a much broader water and waste services portfolio.
- Ecolab: Ecolab provides water treatment chemicals, equipment, and digital monitoring services to industrial customers worldwide, including metal finishing and heavy industrial segments. Its Nalco Water business overlaps with Metafix's industrial wastewater treatment and remote monitoring proposition, though Ecolab's model is predominantly chemical-and-service rather than capital equipment.
- Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is a major North American provider of environmental and industrial services including hazardous waste management and precious metals recovery. It addresses the silver-bearing fixer/developer waste stream that Metafix's MBX-1000 targets, serving many of the same NDT customers via service-based rather than capital-equipment model.
- SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: SUEZ (now part of Veolia's water operations) provides industrial water and wastewater treatment solutions including heavy-metal removal, ion exchange, and chemical treatment systems. It serves aerospace, metal finishing, and industrial customers globally with a much broader portfolio than Metafix's niche offering.
Direct peers
- De Nora: Industrie De Nora is a global leader in electrochemical technologies, including electrolytic metal recovery and industrial wastewater treatment systems for heavy metals. Its electrode-based metal recovery approach competes directly with Metafix's metallic exchange technology for silver, copper, nickel, and chromium recovery in NDT, electronics, and metal finishing applications.
- Pollard Water: Pollard Water supplies water treatment equipment, ion exchange systems, and related solutions to industrial and municipal customers. It addresses overlapping heavy-metal removal and rinse-water treatment use cases as Metafix's RT3 and MetaColumns product lines, particularly for plating and metal finishing operators.
- Aqua-Chem: Aqua-Chem designs and manufactures industrial water and wastewater treatment systems, including specialty pretreatment and metal recovery skids. It serves industrial customers with bespoke engineered systems that overlap Metafix's capital-equipment, custom-configured approach to aerospace and metal finishing wastewater.
Regional players
- DMP Corporation: DMP is a North American distributor and integrator of NDT equipment and supplies, including silver recovery and fixer treatment systems. It competes with Metafix in the NDT channel by offering alternative silver recovery units and consumables to radiographic inspection customers in the same geographies.
Emerging players
- APT Water: APT Water specializes in industrial wastewater treatment and heavy-metal removal technologies, including systems for the metal finishing, aerospace, and electronics sectors. It represents a comparable specialty-engineering peer competing for similar high-purity wastewater treatment projects where Metafix's RT3 platform is deployed.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Metafix social profiles
Digital presenceMetafix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metafix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Metafix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metafix M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metafix
What does Metafix do?
Metafix designs, manufactures, and sells automated industrial wastewater treatment and silver recovery systems that use chemical-free metallic exchange technology to remove heavy metals (Silver, Chromium, Copper, Nickel) from industrial wastewater streams. The company sells capital equipment lines (MBX-1000, MBX-MI, RT3, RW3, BCMS, SuperPac, MetaColumns) bundled with the Metatrax 2.0 remote monitoring platform, primarily serving enterprise customers in NDT radiography, aerospace manufacturing, metal finishing, and investment casting. Revenue is generated through equipment sales, ongoing monitoring subscriptions, and silver recovery transactions.
Is Metafix a public or private company?
Metafix is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Metafix founded?
Metafix was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Metafix based?
Metafix is headquartered in Lachine, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Metafix make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Equipment Sales (Capital Equipment) is the primary driver. The others are ongoing Monitoring & Support Services and silver Recovery Revenue Recovery.
Who are Metafix's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Xylem Inc., Veolia Water Technologies, Ecolab, Clean Harbors and SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions. Direct peers are De Nora, Pollard Water and Aqua-Chem. DMP Corporation is listed as a regional player. APT Water is listed as an emerging player.
Does Metafix have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metafix.
What industry is Metafix in?
Metafix's product category is Industrial Wastewater Treatment Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAJAC, Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals, with a secondary code of EUANAGAG, Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling). Its NAICS code is 3339 and its SIC code is 2890.