Buhler, a Swiss multinational plant equipment manufacturer, has announced the construction of a new five-story Grain Innovation Center in Uzwil, Switzerland, which will include all key grain and feed processes as well as a Milling Academy.
The facility will be in the heart of the company's campus, with grain processing on one side and feed on the other. According to Christian Geser, project director, grains and food at Bühler, the grain centre is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, followed by installation and start-up.
The Milling Academy is expected to begin construction in 2024 and be completed by the next Networking Days in 2025. The application centres, which include the pasta lab, extrusion, protein, bakery, and the biomass lab and energy centre, which are both under construction, will surround the innovation centre.
Grinding, conditioning, hydrothermal treatment, inline particle size analysis, mixing, homogenization, and pelletizing will all be part of the facility's animal nutrition section. "Everything is fully integrated into the Grain Innovation Center." "We can produce those products, bring them to the other labs, and then process them further downstream in the application centres," Geser explained.
The centre will be able to manufacture a wide range of products such as flour, bran, maize grits, pea flours, and others. It will assist customers in meeting many of the challenges they face in the grain processing industry, said Stefan Birrer, head of business area milling.
"We have fully integrated pulse processing capabilities here." "We have room to modify them in the future to optimize the entire protein value chain," he said. "This is addressing a critical issue." Flour millers have a significant advantage in this new business field because they know how to handle grains, have infrastructure, and process knowledge."
Executive courses, milling technology, and electrical and mechanical maintenance will all be offered at the Milling Academy. Even though Buhler is working toward a self-optimized mill, Birrer believes that well-trained operators and millers will be required for many years to come.
While hands-on training is important, the pandemic has also demonstrated the benefits of remote learning. Geser stated that the academy will be outfitted with modern learning tools. This would allow for hybrid courses, reducing travel costs and time.
