Turning up the heat

When Peter Vyncke, owner of Vyncke Clean Energy Technology, and Johannes Wick, CEO Grains & Food at Bühler announced a strategic partnership between Vyncke and Bühler in March 2021 to offer low-carbon-emission food plants, it wasn’t a big surprise in the global food and feed industry. The dedicated Vynckeneers – the nickname of the family-owned company’s close to 400 employees – and Bühler’s engineers have been collaborating on a host of projects for customers across the globe for decades. From City Group in Bangladesh to Malteria Oriental in Uruguay to Olam plants in Singapore and the Netherlands to name but a few; wherever Vyncke and Bühler join forces, the customer and the environment benefit.

Thinking outside the box to find new ways to convert biomass and industrial waste into clean energy is in every Vynckeneer’s DNA. Founded in 1912 by Louis and Flavie Vyncke as a blacksmith company, Vyncke started making steam boilers in the 1920s as the flax industry began to flourish in Flanders. Thermal energy was in high demand to remove the flax fibers from their stalks, and with soaring coal prices, Vyncke entered the biomass market with their technology to burn flax straw waste in boilers to generate affordable energy.

“Our founders saw a great opportunity to support growing local industry and do good at the same time. We have been driven by that very principle ever since, long before terms like global warming and Kyoto were added to our vocabulary,” says Peter Vyncke.

Today, his company enables its customers to reduce their CO₂ emissions by 3 million tons annually with their solutions for food and agriculture, wood, and recovered fuels. The partnership with Bühler will primarily focus on food and feed customers.

https://www.vyncke.com/

Brückner Maschinenbau at Chinaplas 2022

Low energy and high-efficiency BO film production
Brückner’s Chinaplas highlights meet the show motto “new opportunities towards green economic transformation” Environment protection within the plastics film and packaging industry is about recycling and circular economy as well as about efficient use of energy and raw materials. German market leader Brückner Maschinenbau will present at Chinaplas 2022 in Shanghai their latest solutions for the film stretching of the future at Hall 2.1, Booth

NEW: World’s largest simultaneous BOPA line
Brückner’s proven sequential and simultaneous BOPA technology is enhanced by a brand- new, wider line concept with the unique simultaneous LISIM  technology – an absolute world novelty, for the very first time presented at Chinaplas. Besides the LISIM  specific, unrivaled film quality, the new lines convince with efficiency advantages compared to today’s common lines: 55% more speed (225 m/min vs. 350 m/min) and 74% more output (1,525 kg/h vs. 2,650 kg/h). In the end, that also means a significantly lower specific energy consumption.

Packaging applications for fatty, oily, and frozen food with biaxially oriented polyamide (BOPA) are still on the rise, especially in times when hygiene is becoming increasingly important. BOPA films perfectly cover tough packaging demands, due to their outstanding gas barrier properties, resistance to oils, greases, and solvents as well as freezer suitability.

FURTHER IMPROVED: Combined BOPE/BOPP production
One of Brückner & main focuses with regard to a circular economy is on BOPE mono-material films, which will be able to substitute previous multi-layer films made from different materials. At Chinaplas Brückner presents further improved line concepts for the production of BOPE films, with the flexibility to also produce BOPP films. Newly developed products, such as a flexible stand-up BOPE pouch will be shown at the booth.

FURTHER IMPROVED: Brückner ONE
  Brückner ONE  is the digital concept that optimally supports the line operator in all his needs. In addition to the improved operating system and predictive maintenance, the " analytics&  part of the concept has been further developed, including products and tools for analyzing the plant during operation. For example, by using special sensor technology, real consumption data for electricity and heat can be measured in a verified manner to take reduction measures. This means less energy consumption and thus less CO 2 emissions.

At the joint Brückner Group booth, besides Brückner Maschinenbau, visitors will also meet Brückner Servtec with their solutions for the profitable and sustainable operation of film stretching lines, Kiefel, showing the latest developments for the packaging, medical and appliance industry, and PackSys Global, presenting advanced packaging equipment.

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How granular data is revolutionizing milling

The idea of building one of the most advanced flour mill’s conceivable has been a shared ambition for both Bühler and the UK’s largest flour miller Whitworth Bros. Ltd. Today, that ambition is a reality. The gleaming profile of the Mill E3 sits just off one of the main arteries of the UK’s motorway network on which Whitworth’s distinctive yellow bulk tankers fan out daily delivering flour to its customers.

Sitting on a six-acre site at Whitley Bridge in Yorkshire, the flour mill is the culmination of years of planning. But it was the moment the first consignment of wheat arrived for milling in early 2021 that the Mill E3 truly evolved from vision to reality. This futuristic plant was designed to become a testbed for the milling industry. What is being learned and developed here has the potential to transform milling practices globally. “The Mill E3 is a step change from the traditional way of operating a flour mill. It allows us to challenge the boundaries and continue moving forward with the SmartMill technology to really expand the opportunities within milling,” explains Mike Peters, Managing Director of Whitworth Bros. 

At the heart of this voyage of discovery lies digital data and at the heart of digitalization lie sensors, and the automation system that provides the data. Fifteen thousand data points monitor every aspect of the production from raw material delivery to the sealing of flour-laden trucks ready for delivery to clients. Every five seconds sensors feed data to Mercury MES to facilitate control of every aspect of the mill’s internal workings and to Bühler Insights where algorithms compare past and present production parameters to ensure the mill is always operating at optimal efficiency. 

“This is an incredibly exciting project for us. We launched it at our Networking Days IpackIma in Milan in 2018 and now, here at Whitworth, it is a reality,” says Roman Sonderegger, Bühler Head of Wheat and Rye. “This mill allows us to gather and analyze amounts of data that we have never had the opportunity to collect before. It means we will be finding out things about the milling process that we have never even thought of, enabling us to come up with ideas and new services that we can turn into a reality for all our customers.”

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Bühler strengthens market positions in 2021

The key markets of Bühler in the food, feed, and mobility sectors underwent fundamental transitions driven by changing 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, spending on 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 confectionery 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 specialty 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 the 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 the 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 growth 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 to 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.

Bühler Service portfolio in growing demand

It has long been Bühler’s strategy to be in the region for the region with our global Services & Sales organization. This strategy was key to our ability to continue important service offerings at all times for our customers globally. Having experts present in all key markets proved yet again to be a key success factor. Understanding the challenges our customers were facing in the different countries and continents has allowed Bühler to make decisive steps towards providing an even more customer-centric approach in its service offering.

The recently renewed and expanded services portfolio – including new digital services and Service Level Agreements – grew in orders by 15% to CHF 746 million. Combined with Bühler’s Single Machine business, the Service business represents about one-third of the overall turnover. Orders on the online platform “myBühler” grew by 50% to CHF 90 million; nearly 100 customer sites are now connected to the Bühler Insights platform; and RemoteCare contracts, of which customers make use of online support functions, have increased by a factor of 6 to nearly 400. Nearly 160,000 service orders were carried out.

“It is not only that we grew volume, but that we changed the character of our Service business to specific value additions for our customers, enabling them to improve the performance of existing and new assets. This, at the same time, is a key contributor to improved sustainability in the value chains of our customers,” says CEO Scheiber.

Further strengthening of financial position

Despite the stable turnover volume, Bühler managed to further improve its financial position. Driven by a strong operating cash flow which stood at CHF 256 million at year-end, net liquidity more than doubled to CHF 329 million. Consequently, the equity ratio rose to a strong 47.2%. “Our balance sheet is stronger than before the coronavirus crisis,” says CFO Mark Macus. “This financial strength gives our customers and stakeholders security in a volatile economic environment and enables us to continue executing our strategy, including strategic investments into assets and innovation. We are a reliable partner for our customers – in critical times, this is more important than ever.”

Accelerated impact in 2022

Political tensions, climate change, supply chain issues, and rising inflation continue to be key factors impacting the economic climate, and it is unlikely that these issues will change in the foreseeable future. At the same time, new market opportunities continue to emerge. Bühler considers itself well-positioned to continue a growth path in the running year and beyond.

“During the past two years of coronavirus crisis, we have learned to master the demanding environment with a strong purpose and value orientation, with a positive mindset, and a focus on innovation and on people,” says Stefan Scheiber. The upcoming Bühler Networking Days, which are planned to take place end of June 2022, underpin this positive mindset. “We look forward to again bringing decision-makers and partners from the global food, feed, and mobility industries together. We would like to create a positive, accelerated, and sustainable impact together with our partners.”

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KRAIBURG TPE TO UNVEIL BREAKTHROUGH INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS IN CHINAPLAS 2022

The recognized TPE manufacturer will be showcasing its breakthrough TPE series for automotive interior and exterior applications, and THERMOLAST H TPEs for medical and healthcare devices. Also on show will be its latest TPE series for consumer electronics and food contact packaging applications.
All over the world, the demand for essential goods including automobiles, consumer electronics, packaging, and medical are evolving to meet new trends that focus on sustainability, safety, and functionality. These are further aided by new innovations in materials, designs, and technology. 

KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of high-quality, innovative, and custom-engineered TPEs is keeping pace with the demand for advanced material solutions, especially for high-growth industries. The company will be exhibiting its latest TPE compounds and applications at the 35th edition of CHINAPLAS 2022. 

Driving material innovation in automotive parts
KRAIBURG TPE’s automotive TPE series fits the criteria for safe, durable, and high-quality automobile parts. For the automotive exterior, the compounds feature superior thermal stability, UV resistance, and good weathering. The compounds exhibit excellent adhesion to a broad range of thermoplastics including PP, PP+30% glass fiber, SAN, ASA, PMMA, PC/ABS, and nylon allowing for design innovation and flexibility of parts processing with multi-component injection molding. 

 For automotive interior applications, the TPE compounds offer many other material advantages, including abrasion, chemical, and scratch-resistance, dry and visually appealing surface with optimized touch as well as vibration-damping. KRAIBURG TPE’s low odor and low emission compounds are also ideal for interior automotive parts as they satisfy automotive interior VOCs and SVOCs market criteria. 

In addition, the selective TPE series’ lightweight properties are ideal for diverse automotive applications. They offer a homogenous surface, provide excellent compression set value, and can be processed cost-effectively using established injection-molding machines and extruders. KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds also meet OEM approvals from major global automotive standards and have passed the Kalahari and Florida testing standard.

Steering towards global sustainability 
Besides driving innovation, KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds are recyclable, driving further support for environmental efforts globally in the automotive industry. 

Healthcare and medical devices
KRAIBURG TPE will be unveiling its new THERMOLAST H product line in CHINAPLAS 2022, targeting healthcare and medical device applications exclusively within the Asia Pacific market.  KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST H compounds are free from toxic substances and contain neither latex, PVC, phthalates, nor heavy metals. 

Furthermore, the compounds comply with ISO 10993-5, GB/T 16886.5, and other relevant medical standards. KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST H meets global food regulatory standards such as China GuoBiao (GB) GB4806, FDA-Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21, and Commission Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011. Moreover, it complies with RoHS and REACH standards and is sterilizable with autoclave 121°C and EtO.

With good adhesion to PP and PE, haptics, and compression set, THERMOLAST H is suitable for applications such as closures, flexible connections, medical tubing, syringe gaskets, catheter connectors, mouthpieces, and more; as well as for applications requiring soft-touch features such as grips, switches, and mats. 

Enhanced ergonomics for consumer electronics and food contact packaging
KRAIBURG TPE’s innovation has also made headway in wearable technology applications such as watch and wrist bands, headphones, ear tips, game consoles, wireless automatic sensors, car phone holders and chargers, virtual reality (VR) devices, remote controls, and more.

The compound series are designed to deliver desired properties such as soft-touch feel, abrasion, oil, and chemical resistance along with skin-safe contact properties.  

KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds provide manufacturers with benefits such as ease of coloring, impact resistance, and the ability to create hard-soft touch combinations to achieve innovative designs or functional elements.

Meanwhile, in consumer food packaging, the compound series offers excellent organoleptic properties to help maintain food and beverage flavor. The low migration feature also makes the compounds the material of choice for all food types including fatty food contact applications, especially for food packaging. Such applications include squeeze bottles, closures, seals, valves, and other food packaging solutions.

#Breakthrough #ChinaPlas2022  #Manufacturer #Highquality #Automotive

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