On March 5-6, PCI Publisher Donna Campbell and I had the opportunity to attend Bühler Inc.’s Open House and Technology Seminar in Mahwah, NJ. During this two-day event, Bühler showcased its new combined facility (merger of Bühler Grinding & Dispersing and Draiswerke, Inc.) and gave a broad overview of topics for all aspects of wet grinding and dispersing of materials across a wide spectrum of industries. In addition, the event featured special presentations delivered by industry and process technology experts and hands-on demonstrations featuring new concepts, processes, technologies and equipment.
The event kicked off with a presentation by Steve Jacobson, General Manager, Grinding & Dispersing Technologies North America. Jacobson explained Bühler’s unconventional acquisition of Draiswerke (first Draiswerke GmbH in Germany in 2003, then Drais Inc. in Mahwah, NJ, in 2010). He stressed that Bühler is capitalizing on the team and structure located in Mahwah, and that it believes in North America and in U.S. manufacturing. In general, research and development is a top priority for Bühler. According to Jacobson, 50% of sales are for products that were developed only over the last four to five years. The company wants to bring the R&D in close collaboration with customers through trials and analysis – thus the opening of the newly created Regional Application Development and Education Center (RADEC).