The Grain Quality & Supply business area has experienced a slowdown in orders, after 3 years of stability. However, the activities around food security grain storage projects in the Middle East and in Africa remain solid. This has resulted in a strong order book and Grain Quality & Supply has been able to build partnerships which strengthen its market position.

In Grain Handling, the loading and unloading business in China remained positive. The first of its kind fully automated ship unloader (Portalink) was successfully handed over to a customer in China opening up further opportunities in this market.

In the Malting & Brewing business, large investments are planned. However decision-making processes slowed in this uncertain business climate. Nevertheless, the business unit did not lose any major projects.

The Rice Solutions business is growing again, albeit at a low level. The modular line concept, UniLine gained resonance in 2024 with several orders and great interest from customers especially in Africa and Southeast Asia. UniLine is a breakthrough innovation that offers fast and reliable end-to-end paddy-to-rice processing with up to 35% lower project execution time, 40% footprint reduction, and up to 15% energy savings.

The Optical Sorting business unit started to rebound from a low level. SPARK, the entry level sorter launched in 2024, was well received in the market, especially in South America. The global launch of the sorter and in particular the launch for wheat and rye will open more opportunities and strengthen our position in the wheat milling market and complement our momentum in rice milling.

Value Nutrition experienced stable volume and a decline in orders due to difficult market conditions. In the feed business, China, the largest market, is facing overcapacities and very low pork prices. This resulted in reduced investments in new processing lines. Other feed markets such as the Philippines and other countries in our Southeast Asia and our Middle East, Africa & India regions continued to develop well. With new digital services such as PelletingPro, we have strengthened our position in this strained market. Optimizing processes, PelletingPro increases yield by up to 1% and throughput by up to 20% and reduces energy consumption by up to 20%.

The pet food market developed well, as the demand for high-quality products continued to increase. In all areas, the demand for upgrading existing installations has increased and the retrofit business has developed into a strong business pillar for Value Nutrition.

Due to the continually low demand for pasta and cereal solutions around the world, the respective business showed mixed performance.

With new services such as our Performance Assessment Workshops, we are positioned as a solution provider for both existing and new systems. This service significantly reduces energy consumption (thermal and electrical) and thereby offers opportunities for CO₂e-neutral production of the respective products.

The plant-based protein market continued to be subdued, with ongoing consolidation. Nonetheless, we are convinced that the market will recover. The recently opened Protein Application Center, covering all relevant processes for the extraction of proteins, fibers, and starches, was well received by customers. Our capability to develop and build fully-integrated solutions can be observed at our Latvian customer ASNS Ingredient, for whom we engineered and installed a plant covering protein isolation of yellow peas and extrusion of hulls and soluble fibers as side streams from the isolation process.

In North America, Bühler has been a member of the innovation ecosystem MISTA since 2022 together with Givaudan, Ingredion, Danone, and CJ, among others. The ecosystem focuses on promoting digital and biotech innovations in the food system. As part of this collaboration, Bühler opened an extrusion hub at the MISTA Innovation Center in San Francisco in 2024.

In 2024, the Consumer Foods business area, which provides processing solutions for biscuits, wafers, and confectionery products, showed solid performance but experienced lower orders for new plants due to the market situation. Within the different market segments, challenges were highest for chocolate moulding, wafer solutions, and biscuit while order intake for countlines solutions remained stable. In terms of regional importance, as in previous years, our Europe region delivered, the highest order as well as turnover shares, followed by our Middle East, Africa & India and North America regions. Orders in our Southeast Asia region remained stable, while volumes in our Greater China region declined.

An important innovation was the launch of two new SmartLine solutions, the DirectBake Smart oven and the RotaMold Smart rotary molder – developed and manufactured in India and China – to cater to the growing biscuit and cracker market. These solutions, part of Bühler’s "Make in India" initiative, are designed to produce a wide variety of baked goods with efficiency and precision. The DirectBake Smart oven, featuring state-of-the-art heat transfer technology and a recipe-controlled burner system, allows for diverse baking needs. The RotaMold Smart ensures consistent shaping and intricate designs for biscuits and crackers. This launch underscores Bühler's commitment to local manufacturing and innovation, providing advanced, affordable technology for India's as well as the whole southern hemisphere’s flourishing biscuit and cracker industry.

A milestone was the relocation of the Biscuit business unit and Bühler’s Nordics Services & Sales organization to Copenhagen, Denmark, renaming Haas-Meincke A/S to Bühler Denmark A/S to mark the completed integration into the Bühler Group. This strategic move enhances collaboration for around 240 employees with modern offices and fosters operational synergy. It will strengthen Bühler’s global biscuit business as well as presence in the Nordic market, enhancing service, sales performance, and customer access to a broader range of solutions.