SWITZERLAND – Grain and food processing solutions provider, Bühler Group and Canadian packaging company, Premier Tech have expanded their initial partnership on industrial flexible packaging solutions into a global collaboration for bulk packaging.
Bühler and Premier Tech initiated the partnership in August 2019 with an aim of offering palletizing solutions to allow for efficient warehousing and packaging solutions, especially to developing countries where the bagging operation is majorly done manually.
The companies have announced that they are now taking their strategic cooperation two steps further by forming a 50/50 Joint Venture in China and ultimately growing the business into a global partnership for bulk packaging in the grain and food markets.
Bühler said that the new global partnership will allow the company to access Premier Tech’s leading technologies in bagging and palletizing either through the newly created PT-Bühler joint venture in China, serving the world with cost-effective packaging, or directly through Premier Tech’s facilities for the high-end food feed and grain markets worldwide.
“The global partnership will serve customers worldwide by building on Premier Tech’s recognized know-how in the field of automated packaging technologies while making full use of Bühler’s strong international sales and service network,” says André Noreau, CEO of Premier Tech’s Systems and Automation business.
Through the collaboration, Premier Tech and Bühler said they are bringing their cooperation to new heights by offering adapted state-of-the-art packaging solutions around the globe.
The companies’ 50/50 joint venture in China is expected to officially start on July 1, 2020. The aim of the joint venture is to develop and market new cost-effective packaging solutions based on Premier Tech’s bagging expertise.
Operating in Wuxi, China, PT-Bühler will focus on serving the food and feed markets in China, and other markets moving towards cost-effective automation.
“Customers will benefit from significantly more efficient, and even more accurate and food safe packaging solutions thanks to automation technologies developed by PT-Bühler,” says Johannes Wick, CEO of Bühler’s Grains & Food business.
Attracting talents from both companiesthe JV will benefit from Bühler’s 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.
According to the terms of the agreement, both Bühler and Premier Tech will offer the joint venture’s solutions in their respective markets, with Bühler focusing on turnkey plants, and Premier Tech on standalone solutions.
Bühler also noted that it will continue to service its existing installed base and will also focus on sales and service through its global customer service focus and total plant-solution expertise so that customers can rely on timely, qualified support throughout the life cycle of the product.
