October 28, 2024 - Swiss technology group Bühler today inaugurates its new Grain Innovation Center (GIC) in Uzwil, a trailblazing facility. The new application centre marks a significant milestone in the field of grain processing innovation, combining high-tech solutions with the company's long-standing expertise in a space that promotes collaboration. The GIC is carefully designed to empower customers from the food and animal nutrition industries to innovate and improve their processes, ensuring they stay ahead of the latest trends in milling and remain competitive in their rapidly evolving markets. Additionally, customers and partners have access to the comprehensive Application & Training Center (ATC) hub in Uzwil, which connects entire value chains.
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| Aerial view of the Grain Innovation Center |
"The Grain Innovation Center is the latest addition to Bühler's expanding network of Application & training Centres in Uzwil," says Johannes Wick, CEO of Grains & Food at Bühler Group. "We cover the entire range of production, from various raw materials to a wide array of finished products. In doing so, we provide our customers with exceptional flexibility and the choices they need to address increasing challenges and revolutionise their markets."
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With changes in global grain supply chains, nutritional requirements, transparency of sourcing and pricing pressure, the milling industry faces a challenging environment. These include maintaining flour quality with variable raw materials, improving production and energy efficiency, managing safety issues, or finding and keeping well skilled professionals. Adopting new technologies - such as automation, IoT and data analytics - and addressing environmental concerns add complexity, while growing consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable product has driven a faster pace of innovation.
For this purpose, Bühler has designed a fresh, modern and high-tech milling technology facility - the GIC. The new building is the successor to Bühler's former Grain Technology Center, which has served the milling industry since 1951. The five-story facility spans 2000 square meters and features state-of-the-art infrastructure along with over 70 pieces of cutting-edge equipment from Bühler and its partners. The GIC works as a leading-edge arena for customers to experiment, innovate and find concrete solutions to meet their specific needs.
A high-tech 'playground'
The GIC is equipped with the latest solutions and technologies for processing grain and pulses. Customers can conduct tests on food and animal feed and can develop new processes and solutions in various areas, including cleaning, optical sorting, grinding, sifting, mixing, protein shifting (a mechanical process that increases the protein concentration in plant-based raw materials). Additionally, they can work on hygienisation and pelleting, as well as devilling, peeling and pearling of grains and pulses. "The GIC offers an unparalleled environment where customers can develop tailored processes and witness the extensive capabilities of Bühler's diverse portfolio firsthand," says Stefan Birrer, Head of Business Area Milling Solutions at Bühler. "The GIC is not just a facility, it's a symbol of our commitment to helping customers succeed in an industry that is continuously evolving."
Food trials encompass a variety of raw materials, including cereals, herbs, spices and pulses. The GIC includes the technology and expertise to conduct trials on local and ancient grains - raw materials that can play a vital role in improving food security in many countries. Leveraging its extensive know-how in processing, the GIC also offers testing from various other commodities, including coffee, nuts and insects. Additionally, the Application & Training Center caters to non-food bulk solids, such as plastics and absorbers.
Feed trials can be performed with production capacities of up to five tonnes per hour, covering the entire production line or individual process steps. "One of the main advantages of the GIC is its ability to provide not only detailed data that enable continuous and precise monitoring of the process but also the physical and chemical properties of the product at every stage of production and under different process conditions," says Lothar Driller, Department Manager Feed Application Center and Trainings at Bühler.
The side streams generated by the GIC, such as wheat bran and rice husks, corn husk, pea hulls and screenings from cleaning, will feed Bühler's Energy Recovery Center, which provides heating for Bühler offices in Uzwil. Customers can also use this Center to explore the potential of utilising side streams through energy recovery, which can lead to the reduction of their carbon footprint, waste and energy costs.
Part of a larger innovation hub
The GIC is part of Bühler's Application & Training Centers hub, which encompasses the four recently launched ATCs - Flavour Creation Center, Food Creation Center, Protein Application Center and Energy Recovery Center - and other centres that have been in operation for several years, such as the Extrusion Application Center and Pasta Application Center.
With this innovation hub, Bühler can provide full, farm-to-fork coverage, encompassing entire value chains, an environment that is unique in the market. "Our broad business stretches across the entire protein value chain, and we have meticulously implemented a strategy for partnerships, closing internal gaps and enhancing material flow," says Rudolf Hofer, Head of the Grain Innovation Center.
Training and upskilling talent
The modernisation project also includes Bühler's Milling Academy and the Swiss institute of Feed Technology (SFT), both of which will be housed in a new structure strategically located next to the GIC to increase synergies. This new Milling Academy and the SFT facility will have classrooms, open learning areas, meting rooms, a customer service corner, new laboratories, a workshop area and a larger changing room for customers and employees.
The new building will enable Bühler's team and customers to adapt and develop the skills needed to keep pace with a quickly changing and increasingly challenging work environment. About 100 customers and 150 internal employees were trained in more than 120 training courses offered by the Milling Academy and the Swiss Institute of Feed Technology in 2023. The new training facility is due to be operational by January 2025.
Grain Innovation Centre Press Conference
Milling and Grain Magazine attended the Press conference for the announcement of the new Grain Innovation Centre, on October 28, 2024.
Johannes Wick, CEO Grains & Food at Bühler, opening the briefing with an overview of the milling industry, including challenges and opportunities such as raw material dependency, growing populations, climate change, supply chains, consumer trends, and competitive pressure.
He emphasises the need for solutions to be affordable, optimising yields, reducing energy, being more sustainable with less energy, water-use and waste with upcycling, whilst utilising raw materials more.
“Building for today’s needs, and tomorrows.” In the last two years, Bühler has worked on 150 mill projects, producing capacity more than 30,000 tonnes a day, feeding 60 million people.
Stefan Birrer, Managing Director at Bühler, continues, discussing the history of innovation within Bühler. Highlighting the potential of the industry, he states the new application centre can show the whole process from grain to product working to reduce inefficiencies “from the field to the plate”.
Christoph Näf, Head of value nutrition at Bühler, finishes the talks with an overview of the benefits of GIC trials, and the importance of investing in people and training, through their new milling academy. Bühler want to build sustainability in their business and processes, changing challenges into opportunities. Speaking on welcoming the new grain innovation centre, Christoph Näf states: “It will not be the last investment, we have now a big puzzle piece in our network to fulfil what we want to do. Together we will future proof the industry.”
The session ended with a Q&A. When asked how the consumers worldwide will benefit with the innovations possible in the next few years.
“We have the consumers in mind around the world, and each zones have different needs.” They stated that for some countries, food security and affordability would be the most important issue for consumers, whereas other zones priorities are producing the same kind of foods except more sustainably, consuming less energy and more yields.
When asked about trends they are looking out for, the few mentioned were feed safety, efficiency, and insect processing (which incorporates upcycling food waste and food safety with healthy ingredients). Milling and Grain magazine asked what developing sectors show promise to, to which they mentioned trends looking at alternative grains, one of the biggest growing markets, such as pulses, as well as diversifying raw materials and upcycling side streams.
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The Global MillerThis blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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