Bühler has been a pioneer in serving the Japanese market since the turn of the 20th century, initially supplying automatic flour mills and solutions for the chocolate industry. In 1906, Bühler received its first order for a flour mill in Japan. Following World War II, Bühler’s close collaborations with trading houses facilitated steady growth in the region. The 1972 acquisition of Miag GmbH led to the creation of a new organisation in Japan to better coordinate and strengthen Bühler’s expanding activities. Consequently, Bühler-Miag K.K. was founded in 1974, which soon became Bühler K.K. Today, Bühler K.K. employs 85 dedicated professionals, serving customers throughout Japan. Bühler’s team in Japan has also been playing a key role in creating value by supporting Japanese customers in their international expansion projects.
Market leadership and long-term commitment to Japan
Bühler is the leading choice in Japan, with over 95% of chocolate processing companies and 90% of flour milling companies – those that require large-scale equipment – using Bühler’s technology. Throughout its history, Bühler has installed nearly 20,000 pieces of equipment for customers in the country, with 60% coming from its Milling Solutions, Chocolate Mass, and Grinding & Dispersing technologies. In recent years, Bühler has further expanded into the Japanese market, particularly in the automotive sector with high-end megacasting technologies. Significant progress has been made in other sectors of the food industry, including grain logistics, breweries, plant proteins, and pet food. Moreover, Japanese customers have readily embraced new service solutions introduced by Bühler.
“Business development in Japan has always been pivotal to Bühler’s success and aligns seamlessly with our innovation goals,” said Mitsutami Maeda, Managing Director of Bühler K.K. “The Japanese market’s quest for top quality and maturity challenges us to continually advance our technologies and services, ensuring we meet the high standards of our Japanese customers. Bühler Group’s commitment to innovation, excellence, and services drives us to not only meet these expectations but to set new benchmarks in the industry.”
Anniversary event with distinguished customers, partners, and guests
To honor the 50th anniversary, Bühler K.K. hosted a grand event on November 19 in Tokyo, welcoming over 100 top executives from various industries. The event featured presentations from Bühler as well as from Japanese partners, a showroom of innovations and success cases in Japan, a panel discussion, and a networking dinner to express gratitude to valued customers and foster relationships. The networking dinner was graced by the presence of the Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan, Roger Dubach, who addressed the audience. Bühler Group’s Chairman, Calvin Grieder, and Karin Bühler representing the Bühler owner family, participated. Also present were the Group’s CEO Stefan Scheiber and Samuel Schär, Chief Services & Sales Officer and Member of the Executive Board.
“Bühler will continue to invest into the Japanese organisation and will support our many valued customers who invest locally and globally. The combination of generating innovative technologies addressing local market needs, combined with top quality and service support on a global level, has proven to be a key success factor in this demanding market. Furthermore, we believe that close personal relationships with our customers, which leads to a deep understanding of the market, remains very important,” said Stefan Scheiber, CEO of Bühler Group.
Highlighting recent successes in Japan
Samuel Schär, Chief Services & Sales Officer, highlighted the company’s recent achievements in Japan: “Recently, leveraging the value of our innovative solutions, we received substantial orders from leading Japanese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for our megacasting solutions in the automotive industry. These successes represent true milestones for our company, broadening our customer portfolio in Japan and globally,” said Schär.
Megacasting technology is used to create structural components for the front or rear underbody of a modern car. Megacastings reduce complexity in production by enabling between 70 to 100 parts to be replaced by a single die-cast part. “This greatly simplifies car production and has been adopted by numerous OEMs worldwide. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has recently installed our megacasting solutions,” said Schär.
Looking ahead
As Bühler celebrates this significant 50-year milestone in Japan, the company looks forward to continuing its legacy of innovation, driving sustainable growth, and setting new standards. Bühler remains committed to supporting its customers in Japan and globally, fostering a more sustainable and prosperous future.
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Hannah Larvin
Editor, International Confectionery
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