Bühler broke ground for construction of a CHF 50 million Innovation Campus in Uzwil, Switzerland, on September 25. Completion of the building is expected during the first quarter of 2019.
The significant investment demonstrates the food processing equipment and advanced materials systems company’s ongoing commitment to applied research and technological development.
CEO Stefan Scheiber (fourth from left) is joined by other Bühler Group executives and architects in a ground breaking ceremony for the company’s new Innovation Center in Uzwil, Switzerland.“This facility will reinforce our innovation power and market leadership. It will help us bring together the smartest minds of the industry to create innovations for a better world,” said CEO Stefan Scheiber during the ground breaking ceremony.
The campus design consists of two key elements: upgraded technology labs and a new innovation center. The building will provide a bridge between the engineering and business world in the existing towers and upgraded application labs.
On three levels, the structure will be the home for project teams of employees, clients, start-ups, students and apprentices. It will feature an auditorium for up to 300 participants attending large events. Collaboration and a “maker space,” a media center and a co-working floor with open and secured spaces for over 100 people will also be part of the building. Apprentices will benefit from a dedicated center featuring several training rooms.
Reflecting the company’s strong focus on the food processing industry, open living spaces with a central coffee bar, a tea lounge and adjacent thinking spaces complete the building, making it a state-of-the-art workplace.
“This building is focused on collaborative innovation,” said Ian Roberts, chief technology officer at Bühler. “We are creating a collaborative space for all functions, all ages and all knowledge holders. It will allow us to live and foster our innovation culture and test future work practices.”
Bühler’s existing technology labs, such as the Bakery Innovation Center, have been upgraded or will be further enhanced during the building process, and are an integral part of the campus, as they are closely interlinked with the new building.
“This is a unique setting, which I have not seen anywhere else,” said Roberts. “We are creating a space that brings together visionaries and long-term thinkers of the start-up scene and universities with engineering teams that hold Bühler’s long-standing applied and tested know-how in processing technology. By combining both, we can truly create innovations for a better world.”
