“Premixes play a vital role in animal health, as they provide essential mixtures of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. We operate a total of more than 50 premix plants on all continents. Our newest plant in Hengyang is the sixth we’ve built with Bühler in China since 2006, and with an annual production capacity of 120,000 tons, it’s the biggest plant in our network,” says Markus Driess, Head of Animal Nutrition & Health and Assets Global at DSM. The facility is equipped with the latest Bühler technology and automation solutions for premix production from intake to cleaning, dosing, and weighing, mixing, and bagging. Planning, building, and operating such a facility comes with a myriad of challenges. However, having worked with Bühler on many large-scale projects, Driess knows the recipe for success. “We see Bühler as a solution provider rather than a machine supplier. We constantly challenge each other when discussing trends and developments in our industry, especially when it comes to key topics such as feed safety, automation, or digitalization,” Driess explains.
Another key pillar is trust and mutual respect for each other’s expertise. “Some of the team members on both sides have worked together for more than 15 years. That creates a high level of trust between the teams, which provides a basis to speak openly about areas to improve, such as equipment and process design, and to continuously discuss new ideas and solutions from other business fields in which Bühler is active,” Driess adds.