Bühler shows profitable growth in 2022

In 2022, Bühler expanded its business and improved profitability in an uncertain and volatile business environment.

The company was able to mitigate 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 2.1bn, 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,” says Bühler CEO Stefan Scheiber.

In 2022, Bühler expanded its business and improved profitability in an uncertain and volatile business environment.

The company was able to mitigate 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 2.1bn, 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,” says Bühler CEO Stefan Scheiber.

At the Group level, order intake rose 8.7% to CHF 3.3bn and order backlog was robust at CHF 2.1bn. Turnover increased by 10.3% to CHF 3.0bn. EBIT improved by 36.0% to CHF 199M, reflecting an EBIT margin of 6.7% (prior year: 5.4%). Net profit went up 35.7% to CHF 154M (prior year: CHF 113M). With these results, Bühler has largely managed to reach pre-pandemic business levels.

Advanced Materials as growth driver

The growth in volume came mainly from the Advanced Materials business, where order intake soared by 40.6% to CHF 871M, nearly doubling its volume within the last two years. Within Advanced Materials, the Die Casting business showed an outstanding performance, growing orders by 60.4%.

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.

Innovation and collaboration through partnerships

In 2022, Bühler expanded its innovation and education ecosystem. The Networking Days event in June provided the opportunity to bring together 1000 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 and accelerate the shift towards sustainable mobility during this key event.

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. Bühler has developed a pathway to achieve a 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 20301 and has committed to having solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste and water by 50% in the value chains of its customers.

To keep the pace of innovation high, expenses for research and development (R&D) remained stable at CHF 141M, 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.

Investing in people

It is thanks to the efforts and dedication of our employees that Bühler was able to achieve these good results despite the many challenges faced by the markets. All our employees around the world showed great commitment and resilience. A special mention should be made to our colleagues in Bühler China. Though they faced strict zero-Covid restrictions, regional lockdowns and energy disruptions, they kept production facilities running.

Throughout 2022, Bühler has been building on and complementing the programmes it has in place for the development and lifelong learning of its more than 12,700 employees globally. In 2022, Bühler onboarded 230 new apprentices across Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia who are enrolled in three- and four-year courses covering nine different vocational fields. In total, Bühler employs 500 apprentices globally.

Outlook: continue positive development

While 2023 will likely continue to be challenging, Bühler is starting the year with a solid financial position and high carryover of orders. Thanks to developments in the markets Bühler serves, there are many opportunities for which the company can provide solutions that create impact and value for customers.

Despite all the uncertainties, Bühler’s ambition is to continue its positive development. “Overall, we are convinced that Bühler is well prepared to take another positive step in developing the business successfully in 2023, even in a very dynamic market environment,” says CEO Stefan Scheiber.

For more information, pictures, and the full annual report 2022, please visit Bühler’s media download section.