A person with depth, humor, and responsibility
On August 1, 2025, Urs Bühler passed away at the age of 82. With him, we not only lose a long-standing CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and owner from the 4th generation of the Bühler family – but above all a person who shaped Bühler over decades with his spirit, his heart, and his drive. A person who knew how to combine technology and responsibility, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and humanity in a very special way.
Stefan Scheiber, September 2025
Urs Bühler was born in Uzwil in 1943. Here, where Bühler has its origins, he spent his youth. After graduating from high school, he studied mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich. He joined the family business in 1970. His path took him abroad at an early age – including to the USA and later to Braunschweig as head of Bühler-MIAG. With his openness and commitment, he mastered one of the most challenging phases in the company’s history.
In 1986, he took on the role of CEO, and in 1994 also the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors. In 1997, he became the sole owner. Urs Bühler was not a patriarch, but a person with vision, energy and courage. With his decisions – often unconventional, but always forward-looking – he developed Bühler from a mechanical engineering company into a global technology group with an outstanding portfolio of solutions.
The milestones of his era include the internationalization of production, sales, and service; the development of new business areas such as extrusion, aluminum die casting, and information technology and automation; the early implementation of SAP as the first Swiss industrial customer; and the strategic anchoring of innovation as a cultural core – still visible today in the Urs Bühler Innovation Fund, the CUBIC Innovation Campus, and the Bühler Energy Center. Urs Bühler also stood for the topic of education and training, and he developed and promoted these elements throughout his career.
Under his leadership, Bühler grew not only in size, but also in relevance. Today, the company is globally positioned, a technology leader, and culturally characterized by precisely those values that Urs Bühler embodied and that are lived by his family.
Despite his success, Urs Bühler always remained modest, reserved, and humorous. Many remember his dry remarks, his spontaneous manner, and his genuine interest in people. In meetings, he was open, curious, demanding – but always appreciative. He was not a man of status symbols, but someone who enjoyed talking to employees over a coffee in the canteen as much as he did to guests from all over the world.
He loved skiing, equestrian sports, and nature – but also new ideas, courageous thoughts, and real conversations. When he did something, he did it with all his passion. Be it at Bühler or in private life. Responsibility was always more important to him than power. And the good of the company was always more important than his ego.
In 2001, he handed over operational management to Calvin Grieder, and in 2014 also the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors – as well as ownership to his three daughters Karin, Maya, and Jeannine, our current owners from the 5th generation of the family. In doing so, he ensured succession in the company and in the family at an early stage – in the sense of sustainable entrepreneurship across generations.
After retiring from day-to-day business, Urs Bühler dedicated himself to a new, very personal passion: the holistic health of humans and animals. A private experience, he discovered kinesiology for himself – an alternative healing method that aims to bring body, mind, and energy into harmony. Based on this conviction, he founded the Animal Health Center and later the Vital Quelle facility, which is now united under the umbrella of the Health Balance. Here, too, Urs Bühler was an entrepreneur in the best sense of the word: curious, pragmatic, energetic. He combined conventional medicine with new approaches – and created a place where well-being and holistic health are at the center.
Urs Bühler has shaped our company for more than 50 years. Even in old age, he remained curious and participatory, visited the company regularly and informed himself about current projects and developments. When the Grain Innovation Center and the Milling Academy were opened, he visited these new Bühler innovation lighthouses in April this year and had the special features explained to him first-hand. He was also there when a production hall in Uzwil was converted into the largest pizzeria in Eastern Switzerland in June to celebrate the long-standing partnership with our Italian customer Caputo – also a family business. And then, in June, the Networking Days! What an event! Once again, around 1,200 guests – customers, partners, scientists – came to Uzwil and made our small town the Mecca of the global food industry for three days. In the middle of it all was Urs Bühler with his three daughters. The joy of being able to witness this was written all over his face. And when he received a standing ovation at the end of the event, it was a spontaneous and deeply moving tribute from all participants.
Urs Bühler’s spirit – courageous, far-sighted, human – lives on in the company and beyond. He was convinced that innovation should never be questioned, even in difficult times. The company stands above the individual. This attitude still has an effect today. We are grateful to have travelled a part of his way with him.
Let us carry his legacy into the future with joy, strength, and conviction.
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
