Bühler Networking Days 2025 brought together more than 1,200 business leaders from the food, feed, and sustainable mobility and materials sectors at the company’s headquarters in Uzwil, Switzerland, from 23 to 25 June. Under the theme “Multiplying Impact Together”, the event focused on the pressing challenge of building businesses capable of feeding and moving 10 billion people sustainably by 2050. Four local customers took part in the flagship event, according to Marco Sutter, Managing Director of Bühler Southern Africa.
“We are moving from vision to execution, highlighting technologies, partnerships, and case studies that are already making a difference,” commented Sutter. “The theme is a direct reflection of our belief that collaboration is the key to real progress.” Established in 1972 in South Africa, Bühler works closely with customers, industry players, and government to co-create solutions that not only drive business success but also contribute to food security, skills development, and sustainability. “It is about scaling positive impact through joint action,” explained Sutter.
Chris Roets, Managing Director of Carolina Rollermeule, said: “It was a privilege to return to Uzwil for the Networking Days, this time with my son, making it an even more memorable experience. The event was an incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired. Winning the Miller of the Day award was a wonderful and unexpected honour. A heartfelt thank you to Bühler and the entire team for hosting such a professional, engaging, and impactful event.”
In the spirit of “Multiplying Impact Together”, Roets added he was proud to share that Carolina Rollermeule is transitioning its factory to solar energy, meaning all its Bühler equipment will now run on renewable power. “This marks a major milestone in our journey toward sustainability and responsible production,” said Roets.
He added: “We are also multiplying impact through quality and food safety. A key takeaway from the Networking Days was seeing the Bühler Sortex solutions and engaging directly with the passionate team behind it. That experience was instrumental in our decision to invest in the system. With its advanced optical sorting capabilities, the Sortex SPARK Pro+ enables us to detect and remove even the smallest impurities, significantly raising the standard of our grain products.”
The SPARK Pro sorter is Bühler’s most user-friendly and affordable optical sorter to date. With its zero-spillage design that prevents material waste and 75 years of engineering experience behind it, the sorter delivers food safety and quality at an unbeatable value. “Together with Bühler, we are not just modernising our operations, we are helping to build a safer, more sustainable food system for the future,” said Roets.
Collaboration as a catalyst for innovation
Speaking at the event, Bühler Group CEO Stefan Scheiber described the power of collaboration and cooperation to multiply the impact of innovation. “Every breakthrough, partnership, and bold decision has the potential to create ripples, spreading knowledge, inspiring action, and driving progress. By working together, businesses and industries do not just add incrementally to progress, they accelerate it by compounding their influence and scaling solutions far beyond what any single effort could achieve.”
The key message at the event was that sustainability is a sound business strategy that drives profitable growth and long-term resilience and is the outcome of strong leadership. Professor Johan Rockström, a leading expert on global sustainability, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and the architect of the Planetary Boundaries framework, highlighted the urgent need for industry to operate within Earth’s safe limits.
Professor Rockström encouraged leaders to speak openly about the business value of sustainability. “We must think of sustainability as central to competitiveness, security, stability, and health,” he said. “When a decision improves your performance, attracts talent, opens new markets, or enhances resilience, communicate that clearly: show that sustainability is not a burden – it’s a competitive advantage.”
Speakers throughout the event echoed the magnitude and urgency of the challenge, calling for accelerated innovation – in digital tools, process technologies, and business models – to deliver more value with fewer resources. Representatives from industry, business, and academia exchanged practical solutions to ongoing and emerging sustainability challenges at the event.
Bühler is a trusted technology partner across the entire food value chain, from grain handling and milling to rice processing, chocolate, and extrusion. Its expertise assists customers to unlock efficiency, quality, and sustainability, while its service teams ensure reliability and uptime. “We are not just providing machines. We are co-creating food solutions for the future,” said Sutter.
Delivering on bold promises
At the 2019 Networking Days, Bühler promised to have solutions ready to multiply by 2025 to reduce energy, waste, and water in its customers’ value chains by 50%. Since then, Bühler has invested nearly CHF 500 million in research and development to deliver on that promise. It has analysed the savings potential of 15 key value chains and developed new technologies and solutions.
“This work not only benefits the environment but also drives operational efficiency, creates jobs, and builds long-term resilience. We are helping our customers achieve significant reductions in energy consumption, waste generation, and water usage, delivering real impact up and down the value chain,” said Ian Roberts, Bühler Group CTO.
Bühler supports its customers in growing their businesses while lowering their footprint in many ways. Bühler offers new state-of-the-art solutions and optimises current systems through services including machinery refurbishment, digital process control, and predictive maintenance. These services lead to higher productivity and yields, resulting in better returns on investment alongside positive environmental impacts.
As a result, Bühler is delivering on its promise to multiply solutions that reduce energy consumption, waste, and water use in its customers’ value chains by 50%. According to Bühler’s value chain analysis, when combined with other technologies and solutions beyond Bühler’s portfolio, peak savings potential exceeds 80% in some value chains. The CO2e reduction potential is 71% for processing aluminum into finished products, 77% for transforming cocoa beans into chocolate, and 65% for processing rice.
Bühler Southern Africa looks forward to working with customers to bring these solutions home – advancing food security, efficiency, and sustainability across the continent.
