Empowering the next generation of professionals

Bühler’s talent win Gold and Best of Nation at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

Uzwil (Switzerland) and Shanghai (China), September 28, 2026 – Cyrill Koller, 20, who completed his Information Technologist EFZ apprenticeship at Bühler in 2025, and Ian Hofer, who is a student at the Mechatronics School of Winterthur, won gold in the Industry 4.0 discipline at the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026. Lars Blumer, Technical Designer EFZ apprentice at Bühler, won a medallion for Excellence with Mechanical Engineering CAD. With the highest overall score of the Swiss delegation, the outstanding performance of Cyrill Koller and Ian Hofer was awarded Best of Nation. The achievement places the Bühler athletes and the Swiss team among the world’s leading young professionals in industrial digitalization and demonstrates the strength of Bühler’s program and culture in preparing young talents for the future.

WorldSkills serves as an international benchmark for technical and vocational education and training, with competitors tested against demanding industry standards under competition conditions. Around 1,400 young professionals from more than 70 countries and regions competed across 64 skill categories at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, held from September 22 to 27. Switzerland was represented by 42 competitors.

Cyrill Koller represented Switzerland in Industry 4.0 together with teammate Ian Hofer, a student of the Mechatronics School Winterthur. His journey to WorldSkills began at SwissSkills. After winning silver in 2023 (together with Jonas Stolz, also a Bühler apprentice), Cyrill and Ian Hofer claimed the gold medal in 2025, securing their qualification for WorldSkills. The young talent from Rossrüti, St.Gallen, completed his apprenticeship at Bühler in 2025.

“It feels amazing. I’ve invested one and a half years of my life into this, and it was all worth it. We reached for the stars, and we actually made it,” said Cyrill Koller on his victory.

“We are incredibly proud of Cyrill and Lars, and of course Ian too. It was impressive to see the focus and mental strength they showed under the intense pressure of this competition. That makes their results all the more impressive, especially given the strength of the international field. My warmest congratulations to all three of them, and a heartfelt thank you to their coaches and the entire Swissmem delegation for the tremendous support they provided throughout,” said Irene Mark-Eisenring, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bühler Group.

For months, Cyrill was training intensively. In addition to the fundamentals of automation and computer science, Cyrill and his teammate focused on machine networking, intelligent systems, sensor technology for data acquisition, and AI-supported analyses for condition assessment. Using augmented reality and digital twins, they planned, tested, and visualized processes virtually before implementing them under real-world conditions.

“Winning a medal is a remarkable achievement, but what stands out most is Cyrill’s development along the way. The intense preparation, the pressure of competition, and the close teamwork pushed him beyond his comfort zone and helped him grow significantly, both professionally and personally. I could not be prouder of what he has accomplished," said Denis Forster, Leader Vocational Training at Bühler Group.

Bühler was also represented at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 by Lars Blumer, 18, from Hauptwil, Thurgau, who competed in the Mechanical Engineering CAD discipline. The Technical Designer EFZ apprentice qualified for the world championship by winning gold at SwissSkills 2025 and spent months preparing for the international competition. His participation marked an important milestone in his professional development and provided an opportunity to measure his skills against some of the world's best young professionals in the field.

Time and effort

Participation in WorldSkills follows an extensive qualification process through SwissSkills and months of technical preparation. Swiss competitors typically invest around 1,000 hours of training, combining technical practice with problem-solving, teamwork, and performance under pressure. In June 2026, the Swiss talents trained at Bühler's site in Wuxi, China, competing against the Chinese national team under realistic conditions.

Bühler participants have regularly competed in SwissSkills and WorldSkills. At WorldSkills 2024 in Lyon, France, they earned one silver medal (with Maurin Schickli in the discipline Industry 4.0) and two Medallions for Excellence (awarded to Florentin Kaufmann in Mechatronics and Manuel Ulmann in Welding). Through its apprenticeship program, the company invests in developing skilled professionals across engineering, manufacturing, and digital disciplines.

"This achievement reflects the dedication, technical expertise, and perseverance required to compete at the international level. The journey is just as valuable as the result, helping participants develop their skills, confidence, and ability to perform under pressure. The success of our apprentices is a credit to their hard work and commitment throughout their training," said Marc Zuppiger, Head of Apprenticeship at Bühler Group.

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