MBI begins production of Grandevo at US's Michigan plant

The US biopesticide company Marrone Bio Innovations(MBI) recently announced it has initiated production of Grandevo®, the company’s flagship bioinsecticide, at its Bangor, US's MI plant. This is the company’s first production of a fermentation product at this location since renovation of the plant, acquired in July 2012, was initiated.

“Producing this first batch of Grandevo is an important milestone in meeting the margin objectives we have set for 2014,” explains Hector Absi, Sr. VP of Commercial Operations for MBI. “As we expect to continue delivering double digit sales growth of our existing products and plan for new product introductions, this new manufacturing capability will allow faster scale up, make us much more responsive to surges in market demand and more effective in managing our production costs.”

Revitalization and expansion of the facility will be completed in multiple phases with an anticipated total capital expenditure of $32 million. Installation of the first of three fermentation tanks, and the construction of a dedicated building to house them, marks the completion of phase 1A of the project.

Future phases will include production of the company’s Regalia® biofungicide, as well as increasing the capacity of the utilities and installing larger fermenters that will accommodate production of multiple products at higher volumes.

Absi adds, “This is a key accomplishment for our company, but there is more to be done to fulfill our manufacturing plan. Our priority is to ensure we have the capability, and flexibility, to meet the exciting sales targets we have set for 2014.”