Applexion

What Applexion does

Applexion (legal entity Applexion SAS) is a privately-held French industrial engineering firm founded in 1968 and headquartered in Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost near Lyon. The company designs, builds, and commissions industrial purification systems based on three core technologies: chromatography, ion exchange, and ceramic membrane filtration. With approximately 150 employees and 800+ units delivered worldwide, Applexion serves industrial manufacturers across four defined verticals: Food Ingredients (sugar, sweeteners, dairy), Functional Ingredients (FOS, prebiotics), Fermentation and Bio-based (bio-based chemicals), and Industrial Products (hydrometallurgy, mining, pulp & paper). The company operates through regional subsidiaries in the US (Process Solutions Americas LLC, led by GM Cyril Leenhardt) and Shanghai, with President Damien Brichant at the group level.

Applexion's commercial offering is structured as a five-stage lifecycle stack: Design & Build (R&D, design, engineering, commissioning), Run & Perform (digital services plus consumables management), Upgrade & Revamp (Boost suite: 365, Decolo, Filter, Recycle, Redesign), Audit & Advise (technical, decarbonization, IP audits), and Assist & Train. On top of physical equipment, the company has productized a proprietary digital platform comprising Perform 4.0 (digital twin and simulation algorithms for chromatography parameter optimization, SaaS-delivered), Run 4.0 (real-time monitoring and pump-failure detection), and Link 4.0 (centralized documentation and consumables management). Proprietary consumables include Applexion XA ion-exchange resins and KA Membranes / KERASEP ceramic membranes.

The business generates revenue through four streams: one-time/perpetual equipment and system sales (multi-year contracts), annual SaaS subscriptions for the digital suite, transaction-based consumables supply, and professional services (audit, optimization, training). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales, supported by content marketing, technical papers, webinars, and a recent exclusive distribution partnership with SEQENS for agro-food enzymes. Recent strategic moves include partnerships with Seprosys (hydrometallurgy / lithium extraction, Feb 2024), Via Separations (pulp & paper decarbonization, Jan 2025), and SEQENS (Feb 2025). The privately-held parent is registered in France with share capital of €12,642,754; no public listing and no venture or private equity financing rounds are disclosed.

Name

Applexion

Legal name

Applexion SAS

Website

https://applexion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Applexion is a French industrial engineering firm that designs and commissions purification systems using chromatography, ion exchange, and ceramic membrane filtration, augmented by proprietary digital optimization software, serving food ingredients, fermentation, and industrial manufacturers across 800+ installations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Purification Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Use Systems Assembly & Consumables Manufacturing (Bags/Tubing/Assemblies) (HLAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Automation, Controls & Manufacturing Execution for Bioprocessing (SCADA/DCS/PLC/MES) (HLAAAJAE)

Keywords

• Industrial purification processes
• Chromatography separation systems
• Ion exchange technology
• Membrane filtration solutions
• Process optimization software

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-maurice-de-beynost

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Purification Equipment and Systems: Design, build, and commissioning of industrial purification units including chromatography systems, ion exchange systems, and membrane filtration equipment
2. Digital Software Solutions: SaaS-based software licensing for Perform 4.0, Run 4.0, and Link 4.0 digital services with subscription model
3. Consumables: Supply of proprietary resins (XA resins), membranes (KA Membranes, KERASEP), and other consumables for purification processes
4. Services: Technical services including auditing, optimization, upgrade, and training services throughout equipment lifecycle

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Applexion designs, builds, and commissions industrial purification systems based on chromatography, ion exchange, and ceramic membrane filtration technologies, complemented by proprietary digital software (Perform 4.0, Run 4.0, Link 4.0) and consumables such as KERASEP membranes and XA resins. The company provides full lifecycle services spanning design/build, run/perform optimization, upgrade/revamp, audit, and training for industrial manufacturers in food ingredients, functional ingredients, fermentation/bio-based, and industrial products sectors.

Product overview

Applexion offers a unified platform-plus-modules architecture centered on industrial purification technologies. The core digital platform comprises three interconnected solutions: Perform 4.0 (digital guidance and simulation for parameter optimization), Run 4.0 (real-time operational monitoring), and Link 4.0 (documentation and organization management). These are complemented by physical offerings including chromatography, ion exchange, and membrane filtration technologies, plus consumables (KA Membranes, XA Resins) and pilot-scale equipment units. The Upgrade & Revamp service group (365 Boost, Decolo Boost, Filter Boost, Recycle Boost, Redesign Boost) provides enhancement packages for existing installations. Services span the full lifecycle from Design & Build through Run & Perform to Audit & Advise and Assist & Train, serving Food Ingredients, Functional Ingredients, Fermentation and bio-based, and Industrial Products markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Perform 4.0
• Run 4.0 Daily digital solution to monitor and operate purification processes. Provides real-time performance monitoring and early detection of equipment issues such as pump failures.
• Link 4.0 Digital application that simplifies organisation and documentation management for purification processes, providing centralized information for equipment and consumables management.
• 365 Boost Non-stop operations service designed to optimize productivity of purification lines, enabling uninterrupted production maintenance.
• Decolo Boost Decolorization upgrading solution to optimize costs and reduce carbon footprint in purification processes.
• Filter Boost Ceramic filtration upgrade service designed to decrease utilities consumption and improve energy efficiency.
• Recycle Boost Utilities saving solutions to optimize costs and reduce carbon footprint through improved resource recovery.
• Redesign Boost New column design service to extend purification lines lifetime through equipment modernization.
• KA Membranes Ceramic and organic membranes for crossflow filtration (CFF) applications in purification processes.
• Applexion XA Resins Ion exchange resins for purification applications.
• Applexion SC Pilot Unit Pilot-scale chromatography unit for process testing and development.
• KERASEP K01 Pilot Unit Pilot-scale membrane filtration unit (KERASEP branded) for process testing.
• Applexion IEX 200 Pilot Unit Pilot-scale ion exchange unit for process development and testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% reduction in equipment size
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SEQENScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 February 2025Strategic partnership for exclusive distribution of SEQENZYM FT enzyme in agro-food industry market segment. SEQENZYM FT is a processing aid enzyme for converting sucrose into short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) with self-GRAS status in USA. Applexion appointed as exclusive distributor. Both companies committed to jointly develop new enzymes for food industry processing aids.
• Via SeparationscoreTechnology or Integration · 14 January 2025Partnership for sustainable microfiltration pre-treatment system in pulp & paper industry. Applexion designs, engineers, and commissions the Microfiltration system while Via Separations provides graphene-oxide-membrane technology for black liquor clarification. Together achieving 81% energy efficiency improvement versus traditional evaporation. First-of-a-kind solution installed for Alberta, Canada pulp & paper customer.
• SeprosyscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Partnership in hydrometallurgy purification field. Seprosys brings unique expertise in Direct Lithium Extraction and metal separation/recycling developed over a decade of R&D. Applexion provides industrial scale purification technologies and Run & Perform digital solutions. Partnership focuses on industrialization of Seprosys projects for energy transition metals purification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sartorius: Sartorius is a leading bioprocess solutions provider offering chromatography, filtration, and digital process-control software for biopharmaceutical and adjacent markets. Its bioprocess software stack (e.g., PAT and data analytics) is analogous to Applexion's Perform 4.0 / Run 4.0 / Link 4.0 digital platform.
• Cytiva: Cytiva (Danaher) supplies process chromatography columns, resins, and bioprocess software to biopharma and food customers. Its ÄKTA and process-resin portfolio is directly analogous to Applexion's industrial chromatography and XA resin consumables for purification applications.
• Toray Industries: Toray is a major membrane manufacturer with RO, UF, and MF membranes used in water, food, and industrial separation. Comparable to Applexion's KA Membranes and KERASEP ceramic membrane lines on the membrane side of the purification stack.
• GEA Group: GEA is a large industrial process equipment supplier serving dairy, food ingredients, and beverage customers — the same core verticals Applexion targets. It offers separation, filtration, and process-engineering capabilities at much greater scale, providing a useful benchmark for industrial food-ingredient equipment incumbents.
• Suez Water Technologies & Solutions: Suez WTS sells membrane, ion exchange, and process-water systems with a strong focus on industrial separation and water reuse. Comparable to Applexion's ion exchange and ceramic membrane filtration installed base in food and industrial customers, though at substantially larger scale.
• Hydranautics (Nitto): Hydranautics, part of Nitto Group, manufactures membrane separation products used across industrial purification, food, and hydrometallurgy. Its product breadth and global footprint provide a reference point for scaling membrane-based industrial purification like Applexion's KERASEP/KA range.
• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval is a global leader in heat transfer, separation (decanters, membranes), and fluid handling for food, dairy, and industrial customers. Its membrane filtration and process-equipment lines overlap with Applexion's KERASEP ceramic membrane and chromatography offerings for industrial purification.
• Pall Corporation (Danaher): Pall, part of Danaher, supplies industrial filtration and separation solutions including membranes and chromatography consumables for food, beverage, and bioprocessing customers. Its breadth and consumables base make it a relevant broader incumbent comparable to Applexion's ceramic/organic membrane and resin consumables business.

Direct peers

• Purolite (Ecolab): Purolite, an Ecolab company, manufactures ion exchange resins and chromatography media for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and industrial purification. It directly competes with Applexion's XA Resins line and shares a focus on resin consumables tied to installed purification units.
• Novasep: Novasep is a direct competitor offering industrial chromatography and ion exchange purification for pharmaceutical, food, and bio-based customers. Applexion's own GSCs reference Novasep Asia and Novasep Process Engineering entities, suggesting historical or structural overlap that makes Novasep the closest direct comparable on technology and customer mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/applexion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Applexion