Food Processing and IIoT Merge in Bühler, Bosch Partnership

Food processing technology and services firm Bühler and Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions are expanding a research and development partnership to combine Bosch’s expertise in the Industrial Internet of Things and sensor networks with Bühler’s developments in food technology, the companies announced Monday.

“Following our successful R&D partnership, we are pleased to take the next step to form a commercial partnership. We are excited to utilize this partnership to create process solutions and services that improve yield and performance at reduced operating costs for our customers,” said Johannes Wick, chief executive officer of Bühler’s grains and food unit, in a statement. “During the last two years Bühler and Bosch have established a good relationship and met the demanding requirements with first selected applications in grain milling.”

The two companies concluded contractual proceedings to form a commercial partnership on Aug. 22. The previous partnership involved the incorporation of Bosh’s MEMS (micro-electrical-mechanical-systems) sensors into Bühler food processing technology.

Rolls in rotating machines were outfitted with sensors to monitor temperature and vibration in processes, giving operators a real-time view of the equipment’s performance. A Bosch press release said the companies plan on applying the system in 2017.

“At Bosch, we combine experience gained from our own manufacturing activities in more than 250 plants with our expertise as a leading provider of electronics, sensors, and software for industrial IoT solutions. We are not only optimizing our own worldwide manufacturing base, we are also actively seeking to work with partners like Bühler to build a value creation network beyond company boundaries and turn Industry 4.0 into reality,” said Thorsten Müller, chief executive officer of Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions in a statement.

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