Electricity and Control November 2024

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

Supporting food security in sub-Saharan Africa

Bühler has been operating in South Africa since 1972.The company is an independent entity within the Bühler Group, which is headquartered in Switzerland and operates globally. Bühler Southern Africa provides services and support to customers across sub-Saharan Africa, primarily in the FMCG, food and feed industries, as well as in non-food sectors like mining and others. Leigh Darroll caught up with Marco Sutter, MD of Bühler Southern Africa, at Electra Mining Africa, to find out more.

Marco Sutter, MD, Bühler Southern Africa.

A t its Johannesburg manufacturing facility, the re gional hub, the company manufactures equipment for the mining and power industries in its local work shop and refurbishes certain equipment. The company also has a service and support office in Cape Town, and one in Lusaka, Zambia, staying close to its customers to ensure efficient, responsive service and – as Sutter says – working in the market, for the market. The FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), food and feed sectors constitute about 60% of its customer base. Feeds include feed for livestock, for pets, and more recent ly, aqua feeds for a growing aqua farming market. In the mining sector, Sutter says, demand is growing, particularly in some Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries such as Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as countries further north, where demand for critical minerals – to supply new technologies being used in the energy transition – is driving exploration, extraction and processing. As the global electric vehicle (EV) market is growing rapidly, the demand for batteries with enhanced storage capacities and efficiency is growing in parallel. The role of lithium as a key component in improving energy density and longevity is essential. Bühler provides advanced technologies that contribute to the production of high performance batteries, to ensure they meet the evolving needs of the EV industry.

Sutter highlights that a key advantage for customers is Bühler’s commitment to manufacturing locally and matching global standards. A further advantage is that the Bühler Group has developed its own Mercury process automation and control system in-house. This modular system includes all the elements of PLCs, control panels, MCCs, plus software which can be customised to each application. Cloud-based digital solutions can be incorporated to monitor processes and machine performance, with sensors tracking key parameters like level, pressure, vibration and temperature, depending on the process, in order to optimise performance, inform predictive maintenance planning and constantly monitor stock holdings. Furthermore, the regional office has access to the R&D resources of the group head office and the expertise of some 300 software engineers globally. Food security and food safety Sutter emphasises that food security and food safety are priorities for Bühler globally – and are particularly impor tant in Africa where food security is a very real concern. He notes that in Africa, inefficiencies in harvesting, storage, and getting goods to markets see a 30% loss of production annually, on average. He notes too that although different parameters may apply to different crops, the fundamentals of efficient drying, cleaning and storage apply broadly across most

Bühler’s chain conveyors are used in many different industries, from mining to milling and food processing.

4 Electricity + Control NOVEMBER 2024