Uzwil (Switzerland),
February 15, 2022 – Innovations in new products, services, and applications
resulted in even stronger market positions of the global technology company
Bühler. The company grew order intake by 16%, to more than CHF 3 billion.
Thanks to its strong global production, supply, and service network, Bühler was
able to secure timely deliveries to customers even under difficult conditions.
At the same time, Bühler further improved its financial stability with
improvements in the net liquidity and the equity ratio. “Our engaged employees
in our strong global network allowed us to prove our reliability to our
customers and partners. And we clearly strengthened our innovation power,” says
Bühler CEO Stefan Scheiber.
The key markets of Bühler in the food, feed, and mobility
sectors underwent fundamental transitions driven by changed consumer
requirements and enabled by new technologies. As a result, the demand for
sustainable solutions has clearly increased. As part of the long-term
innovation strategy of Bühler, spendings into R&D over the last 3 years
including the “coronavirus years” increased to more than CHF 400 million (2021:
CHF 141 million, 5.2% of turnover). Bühler has positioned itself as a key
enabler and partner for its customers, supported by collaborations with key
partners in industry and science.
New drivetrains and new designs dominated the automotive
industry. The new processing technologies of Bühler’s Die Casting business area
with high locking force production cells resulted in accelerated growth in this
market; the Grinding & Dispersing business area, which established its
market segment Battery Solutions a decade ago, experienced a record order
intake in 2021, attributable to the boom in lithium-ion batteries for
e-mobility. Similar positive market demand was noticeable in Bühler’s food and
feed businesses, for example, processing solutions for plant-based proteins or
for dairy alternatives were in high demand and contributed to growth in
Bühler’s Value Nutrition business. New types of chocolates, pralines, and
various confectionary and snack products required new applications which the
Bühler Consumer Foods segment (which includes the technologies of the former
Haas business acquired in 2018) created. Also, Bühler’s Milling Solutions business
grew in the wheat and rye and speciality segments, with processing solutions
for high-capacity plants as well as for special applications for local niche
markets. Digitalization and cloud-based services acted as key enablers to
improve performances of existing assets of customers all over the world, and
this also addressed the need for improved sustainability and CO2 emission
reductions.
Strong order intake
On Group level, order intake increased by 16% to CHF 3 billion. Because of
the time gap in the plant business between order entry and turnover, the upward
trend on orders is not yet visible in turnover, which remained stable at CHF
2.7 billion. The same is true for profitability, which amounted to CHF 146
million, reflecting an EBIT margin of 5.4%. Net profit amounted to CHF 113
million, also slightly better than last year. Orders on hand by year-end 2021
increased strongly by 27.2% to CHF 1.9 billion. “Our innovations, both for
plants and services led to growth in our order book. Our strategy to position
ourselves as an innovative solution provider for material transformation has
been paying off,” says Stefan Scheiber.
All three business segments of Bühler contributed to this
positive development. Grains & Food grew orders by 12% to CHF 1.8 billion,
Consumer Foods by 6% to CHF 584 million; and Advanced Materials showed the
strongest growth of 37% to CHF 620 million. The business areas with the highest
grow rates were Die Casting, Grinding & Dispersing, Grain Quality &
Supply, and Milling Solutions. From a regional perspective, the Americas,
Europe, Middle East & Africa, and India experienced the strongest upswing.
China represented the single largest market for Bühler in 2021.
Global network, and
passionate people key for success
The global network of Bühler with 30 factories, 103 services stations, and
24 Application & Training Centers across the globe was key to being
successful in a very dynamic business environment. This allowed Bühler to
secure on-time deliveries, also in times when supply-markets were difficult and
logistic chains partly interrupted. In 2021, the company executed over 2,000
customer projects, and as part of this Bühler produced and delivered around
50,000 machines and key components. This was only possible thanks to the
expertise and dedication of Bühler’s employees, and their focus on customer
success.
In 2021, Bühler continued to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of all employees, while maintaining our focus on training and education. With nearly 12,500 staff across the globe, flexibility and resilience became key success factors in response to public health challenges and all related limitations. Bühler continued its commitment to its global apprenticeship program and to the development of employees on all levels. The same was true for the training of personnel of customers, both in Bühler schools as well as in dedicated training centers.
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