New Bühler Business Unit Grain Logistics
From collection point to malthouse
Bühler has decisively enhanced its capabilities in the fields of grain handling, cleaning, drying, and storage through the acquisition of the German plant supplier Schmidt-Seeger and integrated them in its new Grain Logistics business unit. Bühler is now in a position to provide products and complete solutions ranging from grain collection points to food production plants.
“We have concerned ourselves in depth with the expected development of the global grain markets up to the year 2050,” explains Marcel Scherrer, head of the new Grain Logistics business unit. “A look at the population growth forecast shows that in 40 years, some 9 billion people will have to be fed. The additional requirements must be covered by higher yields through improved growing methods, prevention of post-harvest losses – which today amount to as much as 20 percent – and the development of new growing regions.
Grains are delivered to the collection points just after being harvested and prepared for onward transportation. In addition to receiving (intake) systems, equipment for drying, cooling, handling, cleaning, and grading will ensure that the quality of the grain is preserved. The terminals are part of the global grain trade, which means that they must offer vast storage volumes and handling capacities. At the terminals, giant ship loaders or unloaders handle far more than 1,000 metric tons of material an hour. The port terminals are capable of holding several 100,000 tons of commodities. The design and construction of large-scale storage and handling systems has been part of Bühler’s core business for decades. Finally, Grain Logistics is also a supplier to the world’s malting industry. The new Bühler business unit combines the profound and globally proven malting expertise of Bühler and Schmidt-Seeger, which is applied for designing and constructing customized malting facilities.
The Grain Logistics business unit is based in Beilngries north of Munich. Marcel Scherrer: “Here we are establishing a Center of Competence for developing Grain Logistics solutions. It will be part of the new global business unit and operate additional sites in Döbeln near Dresden, Uzwil, Madrid, Delhi, and Changzhou in China. Out of Beilngries, we will develop the markets through the worldwide Bühler sales organization.” The new Bühler Grain Logistics business unit has some 700 employees.
