Materialise To Name New Chief Financial Officer As Frederic Merckx Plans Exit

Materialise NV provides additive manufacturing software and 3D printing services, and today the company says Frederic Merckx, their Chief Financial Officer since 2013, notified the company of his intention to resign.

Frederic Merckx

In preparation for his departure, the company will immediately begin the search for a new chief financial officer. Executive Chairman Peter Leys said Merckx joined Materialise in 2013 to aid in preparing the company for an IPO and to implement systems and procedures necessary for operations as a public company.

“Now, approximately one year after the completion of our IPO, with this mission accomplished, Frederic has decided to pursue new career opportunities,” Leys said of the change. “We appreciate his many contributions and wish him the best as he enters a new phase of his career.”

Materialise now trade shares on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol MTLS, and as part of their IPO they offered 8 million shares of approximately 39 million ordinary shares outstanding for a total of 47 million shares outstanding following the IPO.

The company’s customers are primarily in the medical, automotive, aerospace, consumer products, and design industries with Europe, the Americas and Asia, accounting for 55%, 36%, and 9% of total revenues respectively as of 2013.

In the past, Materialise has inked collaborative agreements with Johnson & Johnson and Zimmer among other global medical device manufacturers.

The company’s software offerings are unique among the major publicly traded 3D printing companies in that they enable and enhance the functionality of commercial and industrial 3D printers and 3D printing operations. Currently, Materialise boasts an installed base of more than 8,000 licensees, and direct end users include Ford and Boeing.

According to Leys, Merckx has agreed to remain in his current role with Materialise until September 2015. He added that in the event a successor hasn’t been appointed by that time, the board of directors will appoint an interim chief financial officer at that point.

“The successful completion of Materialise’s first year as a public company presents an opportune time for me to pursue new career challenges,” Mr. Merckx said of his decision to step aside. “The past years have been very fulfilling, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Materialise during this exciting period.”

Headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and serving customers through branches around the world, Materialise provides Additive Manufacturing software solutions and 3D printing services for industry clients in the healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art, design and consumer products markets.

Materialise has been active in AM activities since 1990, principally in serving the industrial and medical applications, markets. The company provides biomedical and clinical solutions which include medical image processing and surgical simulations. They also develop solutions for prototyping, production, and medical applications.

What do you think of the resignation of Frederic Merckx as the CFO of Materialise? Let us know in the Frederic Merckx Plans Exit forum thread on 3DPB.com.