Carlos Cabello was appointed Head of Buhler in Northern Europe (Buhler NEU); which comprises the UK, Ireland, Benelux and the Nordics. A civil engineer who specialises in food process engineering, Mr Cabello started his career as a food project engineer working in many different countries.
However, 18 years ago he had the opportunity to work for Buhler in Spain, where he was responsible for many different business areas, including managing the accounts of some large international food groups.
Following his appointment to his current role in October 2015, Mr Cabello stated that, “I am very proud to have been offered this amazing challenge, but not only from the professional point of view, living in the UK was always one of my dreams, it is a wonderful experience for both me and my family.”
With Bühler NEU equipment currently accounting for 65 percent of all global wheat processing, 70 percent of UK flour production, and the number one supplier globally of industrial rice processing equipment, to what do you believe Buhler owe their success, and are there any measures in place to ensure that you grow and maintain your current market share?
For more than 150 years, we have been very proud to gain the confidence of our north European millers. The new challenges of our customers and industry today require smarter solutions from us. We are now in a unique position to offer both better and affordable solutions, coupled with energy saving, better and closer engineering services.
Our new workshops in Manchester, Mechelen (Belgium) and Sweden provide roll and sieve refurbishment services using the most up to date refluting machine tooling operation in the milling industry.
We now have a milling team based in the UK and are also able to offer plant automation solutions with our own control systems design office in Peterborough. Growing is not the aim, it is the consequence of being able to listen and adapt to the competitive challenges of our customers.
Sustainability and alternative proteins are two inextricably linked concepts that have been becoming increasingly more prominent. With pulses experiencing a resurgence of popularity in Europe and the West due to their health properties, what are the ways in which Bühler NEU are adapting to these changes, and what is your opinion on grains and pulses as a viable and sustainable source of alternative protein?
Gluten free production is growing along with the increasing trend consumers are taking to eat gluten free bakery products, not only as a substitute of traditional wheat, new recipes in the modern food are appearing, the new gluten free niche enriches the variety that the traditional cereal industry offers.
Buhler has developed new technology to offer solutions into this emerging industry like pasta based exclusively in corn or rice. Breadcrumbs having 100 percent non-gluten containing cereals, instant flours as base for beverages, soups and infant food are good examples.
Bühler prides itself on excelling in the areas of efficiency yield, capacity and consistency, in which ways do they enable customers to achieve these three markers with Mycotoxins being such a huge concern?Mycotoxins are today a big concern in the food and the feed industry. Every year thousands of crops are ruined due inefficient storage or little care during transportations. In the last few years we have developed new smart solutions that combines mechanical and optical inspection with the new Sortex generation.
Today we are in position to guarantee that any crop after being selected will be in a position to pass any existing European laws, no matter how severe the input contamination is.
Given the outcome of the EU membership vote in the UK, do you believe there will be many changes to Buhler’s current market situation, and are you concerned about Buhler’s future in an independent UK market?
With Buhler being a multinational group then we are very used to changing and adapting to suit international and national market conditions. Buhler will also adapt itself to the changing UK market following its decision to withdraw from the European Union.
Should we as an industry be happy with our technological achievements and the current standards and quality of grain and feed processing? Or would that express complacency on our part? If the latter, what areas should industry be focused on in order to deliver safer more affordable food, particularly in developing countries?
Innovation for a better world is our vision. Buhler is especially committed to provide solutions adapted specifically to developing countries. We are also very proud to contribute to enhance the standards and quality achieved in many food and feed processes, but it is not enough, food safety for example is one extensive focus in the industry, every year our R&D bring new solutions contributing in making our life better.
What do you believe is the next step in the Milling Industry, where do you see the Industry heading and how will Buhler have a hand in effecting this progression?
On the one hand the European mill industry has over capacity, the standard flour is not very profitable and some plant requires modernisation on the other hand, our customers are extraordinarily creative in offering new flour solutions to the markets, looking for new niches and becoming more productive by reducing their operational costs with more energy efficient plants and using less labour.
Buhler is constantly supporting in providing smart future solutions for our customers profitability. We have seen growth in the competitive European market in the last year, and we wholeheartedly thank our customers for their determination in improving their processes.
See the interview in the pages of Milling and Grain, October 2016 - here
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