Buhler Group

The Bühler Holding AG^[2] based in Uzwil, Switzerland is a specialist and technology company for plant and equipment and related services for processing foods and manufacturing advanced materials. The organization holds leading market positions worldwide in the fields of technology as well as processes for transforming grain into flour and animal feeds, producing pasta and chocolate, and manufacturing die cast components.

The core technologies of the Group are in the field of mechanical and thermal process engineering.

Bühler Group operates in over 140 countries, has a global payroll of 8,800, and generated sales revenues of CHF 2,131 billion in fiscal 2011.^[3][4][5]

History

Bühler Headquarters in Uzwil

Customer Center Bühler Uzwil

Establishment and expansion

Bühler Group emerged from the iron foundry in Gupfen in Uzwil with two employees that was established on February 10, 1860 by Adolf Bühler senior, who was a native and resident of Hombrechtikon.^[6]

In 1871, a mechanical workshop was added, and one year later the first cast rolls for roller mills were produced.^[6][7] In 1875, the company introduced its own health insurance scheme.^[6] As a result of Adolf Bühler’s interest in mechanical engineering, Bühler not only cast rolls, but over time also started building its own roller mills and entire grain mills. Around 1890, the first flour mill completely built by Bühler was delivered.^[8] The first affiliated company was opened in Paris in 1891. Another one was added in Milan in 1900, and two years later one in Naples. Before that, in 1896, a sales office had been set up in Barcelona.^[6] Adolf Bühler sen. handed over the reins to Adolf Bühler jun. in 1896. After Bühler had originally focused on the textile industry, manufacturing textile equipment components, the company shifted its activities to the design and construction of grain mills, which it sold in the international marketplace. After the turn of the century, machinery for making pasta and brewing beer were added.

Up to World War II

In 1900, Bühler employed 717 factory workers and 72 office staff, whose number increased to 1400 by 1920.^[9] Bühler opened its first canteen in 1918. During the expansion and electrification of the railroad line from Wil to St. Gallen in 1927, an industrial track was built from the station of Uzwil to the company premises.^[6]

Die casting technology was developed in the United States in 1920. However, the machines produced there failed to meet the requirements of Bühler. As a result, Bühler started designing and constructing its own die casting machines. A special department was set up for this purpose in 1927. This is where today’s Die Casting business unit originated, which sells cold-chamber die casting machines and systems.^[10]

Postwar era

In 1934, René Bühler, the son of Adolf Bühler jun., joined the executive board. He founded the Swiss Milling School in 1957 and was a member of the National Council from 1951 through 1959 (FDP).^[11] From 1967 through 1985, he served as a member of the board of directors, which he chaired from 1977 through 1985.

In 1956, Bühler shut down its affiliated company Haushaltmaschinen AG.^[6] Among other things, it had produced vacuum cleaners.^[12] Bühler also produced newspaper printing equipment from 1907 up to the early sixties of the past century.^[6]

Electronic data processing was introduced at Bühler in 1965 with an IBM 360/40 system.^[6]

In 1970, the company had 5470 employees, of which 3630 worked in Switzerland, plus 380 apprentices.^[6]

Bühler today

Bühler entered the Chinese market in 1981, when it sold a grain processing plant. Three years later, the first office was opened there.^[6]

In 1986, René Bühler’s son Urs Bühler^[13] was appointed CEO of the company. Before that, in 1981, he had become a member of the company’s board, which he chaired from 1994 onward.^[14] He transferred his duties as CEO to Calvin Grieder in 2001.^[14]

In 1986, Richard Frisse was acquired, a company based in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. In 1993 the Sortex color sorter manufacturer in London was purchased, and in 2010 the Schmidt-Seeger company in Beilngries.^[6] In 2012 Leybold Optics was acquired,^[15] which is integrated in the Advanced Materials division.

In 2006, Bühler Group acquired Prince Machine Company, based out of Holland, Michigan, from Idra. The resulting company, BühlerPrince, Inc. manufactures and services die cast equipment in North America and around the Globe.

Fields of activity

The business units of Bühler Group are assigned to the three product divisions Grain Processing, Food Processing and Advanced Materials.

Grain Processing

Roller mill «Antares»

Assembly hall Bühler Uzwil

The Grain Processing division includes:

• Plants and technologies for processing a wide range of grain varieties, buckwheat, and pulses, in addition to materials handling systems for industrial bakeries and cookie (biscuit) factories plus blending and mixing installations for the sugar industry.
• Feed production plants for making livestock feeds, petfoods, aquafeeds, and premixes.
• Bulk storage systems, pneumatic and mechanical ship unloaders, mechanical ship loaders, and storage installations for bulk commodities such as cereal grains, derivatives, and oilseeds.
• Industrial malting and gristing systems with logistics and automation solutions for the beer brewing and whiskey distillery industries.
• Rice processing systems for different rice varieties and other commodities such as pulses and spices.
• Color sorters and systems under the Sortex product label for sorting cereal grains, coffee, vegetables, fruits, plastics, and other materials.
• Automation solution systems like WinCos.

Food Processing

The Food Processing division includes:

• Plant and equipment for making chocolate and specialty masses and for processing cocoa and nuts.
• Processing systems, equipment, and services in the fields of dry pasta, extruded snack foods and couscous.
• Extrusion technology for making foods and feeds such as petfoods, aquafeeds, breakfast cereals, snack foods and ingredients.

This division also incorporates the U.S.-based affiliate Bühler Aeroglide, which specializes in thermal processing of foods.

Advanced Materials

The Advanced Materials division includes:

• Die casting machines and cells including the peripheral equipment for molten-metal casting, magnesium die casting, semi-solid metal casting, squeeze-casting and vacuum applications.
• Process technology and systems for dispersion and true grinding applications such as printing inks, paints, coatings, pigments and colorants, electronic materials, fine chemicals, life-science products, and cosmetics.
• PET recycling plants and other continuous systems for heating, cooling, crystallizing, and drying plastics as well as for solid-state polycondensation (SSP).
• Nanotechnology.

References

External links

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