Swiss Bühler Group and Premier Tech from Canada have announced the formation of a strategic cooperation for industrial flexible packaging solutions. Both companies agreed to build a design and manufacturing center in China. “Combining the portfolio and expertise of Premier Tech and Bühler will enable future packaging solutions which are significantly more efficient, accurate and food safe by using automation technologies”, says Johannes Wick, CEO of Bühler’s Grains & Food business. “The two companies are complementing each other in a perfect way with Bühler’s strong footprint and market position in China and Premier Tech’s recognized know-how in the field of automated packaging technologies,” says André Noreau, CEO of Premier Tech’s Systems and Automation business.

In grain processing, packaging is the last step before transporting flour to bakeries and other food processors, rice to distributors or pellets to farms. In many cases—especially in developing countries—the bagging operation is still done manually. This is not only inefficient, costly, and slow, but also implies a certain variation of weight and therefore a higher give away of the packaged goods. Palletizing solutions are increasingly important to allow for efficient warehousing solutions.

The market and technology leading companies – Premier Tech in packaging and Bühler in grain and food processing – are now establishing this strategic cooperation to meet these market demands and create new cost-effective packaging solutions. Bühler brings its know-how of high-quality manufacturing and supply chain management in China as well as its digital solutions, whereas Premier Tech contributes with its superior packaging expertise and technological leadership in this field. In bringing these competencies together, the strategic cooperation will develop automated, food safe and accurate bagging and palletizing solutions.

The strategic cooperation will allow Bühler to provide better turnkey projects with competitive packaging solutions from China while continuing to deliver high-end products such as Bühler’s bagging station Maia from its own manufacturing network in Europe. At the same time, Bühler will continue to design and market their proven weighing portfolio. Their scales such as Tubex are not part of the agreement. With the partnership, Bühler will further improve its digital services allowing for full transparency and traceablity along the entire value chain. Premier Tech will gain better access to the Chinese market by using the cost-effective and modern packaging solutions arising from the strategic cooperation, or by combining them to its internationally renowned CHRONOS technology portfolio in weighing, bagging, and palletizing.

This strategic cooperation is planned to result in a joint venture for design and manufacturing during 2020, with Bühler focusing on sales of turnkey plants around the world, and Premier Tech on packaging systems in China. Both companies will continue to sell their products through their existing channels.