Bühler launches world-class milling academy to address industry skills gap

SWITZERLAND – Bühler Group has inaugurated a new state-of-the-art Milling Academy at its global headquarters in Uzwil, offering an expansive 1,800-square-meter facility designed to provide advanced training for food and feed millers.

This purpose-built center aims to strengthen technical expertise across the global milling sector by integrating modern learning methods, the latest processing technologies, and direct access to research and innovation hubs.

The Milling Academy arrives at a pivotal time for the milling industry, which plays a central role in ensuring global food security but faces mounting challenges. Evolving food safety regulations, sustainability targets, climate impacts, labor shortages, and supply chain instability all require millers to adopt more sophisticated tools and processes.

According to Buhler, the academy directly addresses these pressures by offering hands-on, comprehensive training programs tailored to various roles within milling operations, from machine operators and plant managers to technical engineers and executives.

“With the opening of our new, state-of-the-art Milling Academy, we are empowering the next generation of milling professionals by offering advanced training, hands-on experience, and access to the latest technologies,” said Stefan Birrer, Head of Business Area Milling Solutions at Bühler Group.

“This ensures customers can meet evolving industry demands and drive continuous improvement throughout the food and feed sectors,” he added.

In addition, the facility offers direct access to Bühler’s Grain Innovation Center and includes an arena within the machine park, three high-tech classrooms, two laboratories (focused on analytics and electronics), and a fully automated school mill with a 24-tonne-per-day capacity.

These elements provide participants with a highly immersive training experience on both new and legacy machinery.

Dario Grossmann, Head of the Milling Academy, emphasized that the facility was designed from the ground up with a learner-centric approach.

“Participants tell us that with the Milling Academy, we’ve reached an entirely new level of quality. We are seeing increasing interest in training from our customers and are more than ready to meet this growing demand.”

With over 100 courses annually and the capacity to train more than 750 professionals in seven languages, the Academy also houses the School of Feed Technology (SFT), expanding its reach across food and feed sectors. Courses are modular and flexible, supporting on-site learning in Uzwil or at customer facilities worldwide.

Bühler’s global learning ecosystem

The investment complements Bühler’s global education network, which includes partnerships with Kansas State University in the U.S., the African Milling School in Nairobi, Kenya, and training mills in Wuxi and Changzhou, China.

Participants can also gain exposure to Bühler’s extensive innovation infrastructure, including the Grain Processing Innovation Center in Nigeria, the Cocoa Competence Center in Côte d’Ivoire, and the International Rice Milling Academy in India.

Early trainees have praised the Academy for its modern facilities, collaborative atmosphere, and practical training approach.

“The infrastructure and concept are outstanding,” said Oliver Efrain Romero Lucero of CMI Alimentos, Guatemala.

 “The instructors are highly skilled, and training materials are extremely well prepared.” Danish participant Jan Tuborg Pedersen highlighted the convenience of the integrated showroom and innovation center, describing the hands-on experience as “incredibly useful.”

Bühler’s extrusion workshop in Nairobi, Kenya

Building on its commitment to advancing milling expertise in Africa, Bühler is set to host its inaugural Food Extrusion Workshop from July 15 to 18, 2025, at the African Milling School in Nairobi.

This hands-on workshop is designed to enhance skills in advanced extrusion processes critical to food production, including vacuum degassing, co-extrusion, remote-cut technology, and product coloring. The curriculum combines theoretical sessions with practical demonstrations, providing participants with real-world experience on Bühler’s extrusion equipment.

The Nairobi workshop reflects Bühler’s strategy to bring state-of-the-art training closer to regional industry professionals, supporting local food innovation and processing capabilities.

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