In 2022, Bühler expanded its business and improved profitability in an uncertain and volatile business environment. The company was able to mitigate the effects of the war in Ukraine, tense supply chains, and soaring energy and raw material prices, while further improving its financial position with a high equity ratio and repaying the first tranche of its bond.
The company continued to invest in innovation, new partnerships, and education and training. With numerous opportunities in its markets and a high order backlog of over CHF 2.1 billion (USD 2.3 billion), the company’s ambition is to continue its positive development in 2023.
“The impressive dedication of our employees worldwide helped us to be agile, resilient, and creative, even in the face of increasing volatility and uncertainties,” said Bühler CEO Stefan Scheiber.
At the group level, order intake rose 8.7% to CHF 3.3 billion and order backlog was robust at CHF 2.1 billion. Turnover increased by 10.3% to CHF 3.0 billion. EBIT improved by 36.0% to CHF 199 million, reflecting an EBIT margin of 6.7% (prior year: 5.4%). Net profit went up 35.7% to CHF 154 million (prior year: CHF 113 million). With these results, Bühler has largely managed to reach pre-pandemic business levels.
The Grains & Food business, Bühler’s largest business, showed solid performance despite being particularly impacted by disrupted supply chains and a slow feed market in China. The segment saw order intake in 2022 of CHF 1,663 million, down 6.5%, while turnover grew by 2.6% to CHF 1,696 million, and with this managed to keep business very stable throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
All regions contributed to Bühler’s turnover growth, with the Americas and Middle East Africa & India standing out. Regional growth rates and turnover shares were as follows: Asia 6% growth to 32% of the total share of turnover; Europe 3% growth to 30%; North America 17% growth to 17% and South America 26% growth to 5%; Middle East Africa & India 24% growth to 16%. With these successes in important markets, Bühler’s global distribution of turnover is very robust and balanced.
Bühler’s Customer Service business also grew by 3.4% and added substantially to the 2022 results with turnover amounting to CHF 955 million, representing a 32% share of group turnover. “We judge the good business performance in 2022 as a confirmation of our strategy to be a provider of sustainable solutions and services, and to be a reliable and innovative partner in creating value for our customers,” said Scheiber.
In 2022, Bühler expanded its innovation and education ecosystem. The Networking Days event in June provided the opportunity to bring together 1,000 industry leaders who engaged with each other on how to improve energy and food security, reduce waste, cut water usage, lower CO2e emissions, improve biodiversity, and rethink mobility.
Bühler announced several joint ventures and partnerships that will facilitate the transition towards more efficient food and feed production.
2022 also marked an important milestone for Bühler in terms of sustainability as it announced the next level of targets with more tangible goals and action plans.
To keep the pace of innovation high, expenses for research and development (R&D) remained stable at CHF 141 million representing 4.7% of Group turnover in line with the Bühler strategy to be the technology leader of the selected industry segments. Continuing its innovation promise to sustainably transform value chains, Bühler launched some 40 new products, including six new core products in 2022.
Creating one food segment
To further increase the value offered to customers, Bühler will integrate its Consumer Foods segment into the Grains & Food segment and will strengthen its focus on its service offerings for the whole Group. Building one harmonized food and feed segment will allow for more direct interfaces with customers and increase the efficiency of processes. It will be led by Johannes Wick, CEO of Grains & Food.
Germar Wacker, who headed the Consumer Foods segment, will take up new opportunities outside of Bühler. He will support Johannes Wick in the transition and leave the company at the end of Q1 2023. “We thank Germar Wacker for his massive contribution in making the acquisition of the Haas Group a success and wish him all the best for his personal and professional future,” said Scheiber.
