Bühler Insect Technology Solutions and Alfa Laval join forces in insect processing

Rising costs of proteins, potential health and growth benefits of insect-based ingredients for animals and an increased focus on sustainability are strong drivers for the emerging insect industry. As a result, the sector has reported over USD 300 million of investments in 2018 alone. To leverage this booming sector, Bühler Insect Technology Solutions (BITS), a pioneering provider of integrated solutions for insect rearing and processing, and Alfa Laval, a world leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling, have been cooperating since early 2018 with the objective of combining their strengths to provide efficient, integrated production plants.

Andreas Aepli, CEO Bühler Insect Technology Solutions, and Sumit Pingle, Vice President Agro & Protein Systems at Alfa Laval, have signed the exclusive partnership on Friday, February 22 in Uzwil, Switzerland. Aepli says: “In Alfa Laval we are proud to have found a partner who shares our approach and vision in this exciting new industry. Thanks to this collaboration, we can further increase the efficiency and reliability of our solutions, setting high standards for the industry right from the start.” Pingle adds: “With the combined offering, we are in a unique position to provide the best insect processing solution in the market with unmatched product quality and safety.”

Bühler Insect Technology Solutions and Alfa Laval aim to leverage each company’s technology capabilities, engineering know-how and market access. The two companies have jointly developed tailored solutions for heat transfer, solid and lipid separation, and fluid transfer that can be integrated seamlessly into modular insect plant solutions. Thanks to the joint expertise, these highly flexible solutions allow insect producers to easily ramp up production as demand increases. The products will be offered exclusively through Bühler Insect Technology Solutions.

The two companies will also cooperate on further research and development, marketing and after-sales services. Nish Patel, President of Alfa Laval’s Food & Water Division, says: “We are looking forward to bringing our expertise from other applications to this dynamic new market. The collaboration with Bühler allows us to combine our proven technology with a complete, integrated solution – and serve the customers better than either of us could on our own.” Dieter Voegtli, President of the Global Sales and Service Organization at Bühler Group, adds: “We are convinced that insects will play an important role in making our food system more sustainable. With installation works for the first industrial-scale insect plant in Europe nearing completion, we will soon have an operating proof point of the viability of our insect process technology in an industrial setting.”

Media contact:

Samuel Eckstein, Head of Internal & External Communications,

Bühler AG, 9240 Uzwil, Switzerland

Phone: +41 71 955 29 36

Mobile: +41 79 517 52 46

E-mail : samuel.eckstein@buhlergroup.com

Markus Reber, Media Relations Manager,

Bühler AG, 9240 Uzwil, Switzerland

Phone: +41 71 955 12 44

Mobile: +41 79 864 29 41

E-mail:  markus.reber@buhlergroup.com

About Alfa Laval
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling.

The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.

Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, oil and gas exploration, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications.

Alfa Laval’s worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena. Alfa Laval is listed on Nasdaq OMX, and, in 2018, posted annual sales of about SEK 40.7 billion (approx. 4.0 billion Euros). The company has about 17,200 employees.

About Bühler Insect Technology Solutions

Bühler Insect Technology Solutions (BITS) provides modular solutions for the industrial-scale transformation of organic residues into quality ingredients using the power of insects. It covers the entire supply chain from feedstock handling to rearing, separation and extraction.