Additive manufacturing group Desktop Metal Inc. has filed a claim for creditor protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code, and entered into a sale agreement for several of its foreign subsidiaries, including ExOne GmbH and ExOne KK (the German and Japanese operations of ExOne Corp.), EnvisionTEC GmbH, and AIDRO s.r.l.
Desktop Metal is a developer of additive manufacturing systems for different engineering and production applications, with special expertise in binder jet printing technologies. Through previous acquisitions it offers AM systems, programming, and materials under several different brands, notably ExOne Corp.
Desktop Metal's independent board of directors made the decision to file for bankruptcy in recognition of the company’s significant liabilities and lack of liquidity – which it contends were incurred by the previous management.
Reportedly, Desktop Metal has accumulated debts totaling $138 million in recent years, including considerable charges for legal services it assumed to secure the takeover.
The buyer of those foreign subsidiaries, subject to bankruptcy court approval, would be Anzu Partners, an investment group that concentrates its holdings in new industrial and life science businesses.
The sell-off comes within the larger development of Desktop Metal’s takeover by Nano Dimension, also an additive manufacturing business. That combination is less than amicable, however. Late last year Desktop Metal sued Nano Dimension to force it to complete a merger they had negotiated earlier in 2024.
When Nano Dimension completed its takeover under court order in April, CEO Ofir Baharav made clear the company would “make clear-eyed, objective assessments of our combined operations, identifying immediate cost synergies, and strategically realigning resources toward our highest-potential product lines.”
Acknowledging the bankruptcy filing, Baharav commented that Nano Dimension is “safeguarding our financial strength and preserving our position as the best capitalized company in our ecosystem. This is what enables the company to pursue strategic opportunities from a position of maximum strength—and that is exactly what the company’s shareholders should expect from us.”