Suresnes, April 1^st, 2026

• A distinction awarded to the Evron plant, recognizing a best-in-class model combining digitalized operations, energy performance, and workforce upskilling, granted by the Alliance Industrie du Futur.
• As a flagship pilot site, Evron is shaping the Group’s Data & Tech standards, designed to scale across Bel’s global manufacturing footprint.
• Long-term strategic partnerships accelerating Bel’s end-to-end digital transformation in service of its mission: delivering healthier and more sustainable food for all.

The Evron plant, Bel’s historic site for the production of Mini Babybel®, established in France for over 60 years, has been awarded the “Showcase Industry of the Future” label by the Alliance Industrie du Futur. This national recognition highlights leading French companies at the forefront of industrial transformation and next-generation manufacturing.

At a time of profound transformation across the global food industry, the Evron site embodies Bel’s ambition to sustainably integrate industrial performance, operational excellence, and environmental responsibility.

A Benchmark Plant for the Food Industry

The “Industry of the Future Showcase” label recognizes Evron’s ambition to serve as a benchmark for next-generation food manufacturing. This distinction highlights Bel’s innovation momentum, including: Deployment of advanced digital solutions and smart manufacturing technologies, strategic partnerships with leading technology players, best-in-class energy performance driven by heat recovery systems, advanced water stewardship and resource optimization, and a deeply embedded continuous improvement culture. Evron also stands out as a pioneer site in deploying global standards, digital frameworks, and scalable industrial methodologies.

Three Core Pillars Behind this Recognition:

• Digitalized Operations: At Evron, digital transformation is fully embedded in Bel’s Digital Manufacturing roadmap, placing frontline operators at the center of factory performance management. Where production once relied on retrospective reporting, teams now benefit from real-time, data-driven decision-making capabilities. The plant continuously captures and analyzes industrial IoT data streams from equipment and processes, enabling teams to: Detect anomalies in real time, anticipate performance deviations, drive faster, more informed decisions at the shopfloor level. This capability is powered by an integrated technology ecosystem, including: Operator-centric digital applications, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Industrial connectivity and data platform, Advanced simulation and flow optimization tools, Robotics and automation. All of these technologies are embedded within the Bel Manufacturing Model, the Group’s global framework for scaling smart factory capabilities across its industrial network.
• Environmental Performance: Fully aligned with an ambitious low-carbon trajectory, the Evron site has already reduced its CO₂ emissions by 70% since 2021 through multiple operational and energy levers. Key milestones include: 100% renewable electricity since 2017, a biomass boiler commissioned in 2022, covering ~80% of thermal needs, avoidance of nearly 9,000 tons of CO₂ annually. This approach is complemented by advanced energy efficiency initiatives, including heat recovery systems. Water stewardship is also a strategic priority, water consumption reduced by over 30% per ton produced. New circular water initiatives, including milk water reuse, with potential savings of up to 160,000 m³ annually.
• Human Capital & Local Impact: People are at the heart of Evron’s transformation. With 680 full-time employees, the plant is a key driver of industrial employment in the Mayenne region. The site fosters strong local partnerships with educational institutions and actively contributes to future talent development through internships and apprenticeships. At the core of Evron’s transformation is a strong investment in capability building and workforce upskilling: Training on new digital and industrial tools, leadership and management development, safety and environmental responsibility programs. The objective: empower teams to fully embrace technological and organizational transformation, while strengthening their autonomy in driving industrial performance.

A Strategic Pilot Site for Bel

For over 160 years, Bel has continuously innovated to deliver iconic, high-quality, and accessible products. Today, the Group is accelerating a large-scale end-to-end digital transformation, focused on building Data & Tech capabilities and deploying scalable, high-impact solutions to support competitive and sustainable growth.

As the Group’s first Mini Babybel® production site, Evron produces up to 1.4 billion portions annually, nearly 50% of global production distributed across 80+ countries. Facing increasing capacity needs, resource constraints, and decarbonization challenges, Evron is paving the way at the intersection of digital transformation and energy transition, serving as a blueprint for Bel’s global industrial network.

A Strong Partner Ecosystem to Accelerate Bel’s Digital Transformation

Bel has partnered with Dassault Systèmes and Accenture through long-term strategic collaborations to deliver its Data & Tech transformation, from production optimization to accelerated time-to-market. This end-to-end transformation aims to digitalize all key components of Bel’s value chain to:

• Enhance manufacturing efficiency while improving waste, energy, and water performance.
• Optimize supply chain and logistics through advanced demand forecasting and predictive analytics.
• Accelerate product innovation and time-to-market.
• Enable enterprise-wide transformation steering through data-driven insights.

On this occasion, Elisabeth Ellison-Davis, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Bel Group stated: “The food industry is undergoing a profound transformation: we must produce more to feed a growing population, better to meet evolving consumer expectations, and with fewer resources to respect planetary boundaries. At Bel, we are addressing this challenge through significant investments in digital and environmental innovation. At Evron, this ambition comes to life through the digitalization of operations, the deployment of next-generation industrial tools, and a strong focus on people—upskilling teams to accelerate our industrial transformation.”

Stéphane Dupays, Chief Operations Officer, Bel Group stated: “For over 60 years, the Evron plant has been a cornerstone of Bel’s industrial footprint and a key contributor to the local ecosystem. Its transformation reflects our mission: delivering healthier and more sustainable food for all, supported by high-performing, responsible, and deeply rooted industrial sites. This recognition honors the commitment of our teams, who bring this ambition to life every day.”

Léonard Didiot, Plant Director, Bel Evron Site stated: “At Evron, industrial transformation starts with people. By combining digital tools, new ways of working, and strong team engagement, we have transformed how we operate—enhancing industrial and environmental performance, agility, and quality. This recognition is a collective achievement and an important milestone in building the factory of the future.”

About the Bel Group

The Bel Group is a major player in the cheese, fruit and plant-based snacking segment, which mission is to provide healthier and more sustainable food for all.

Its portfolio of differentiated and internationally recognized brands includes The Laughing® Cow, Kiri®, Babybel®, Boursin®, Pom'Potes® and GoGo squeeZ®, as well as some twenty local brands.

Together, these brands enabled the Group to achieve sales of €3.83 billion in 2025. Around 11,000 employees in 60 subsidiaries around the world contribute to the Group's mission. Bel products are manufactured at 30 production sites and distributed in more than 120 countries.

www.groupe-bel.com

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