Miller Magazine Issue:114 June 2019

74 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM JUNE 2019 are identified and made visible so that yields from various production sites can be monitored and benchmarked. Moreover, thresholds and real-time notifications can be set to keep the process running in optimal conditions, to achieve the highest possible yield and, consequently, maximize our customers’ profitability. How large an impact will digital technologies have on the food and feed industry? Matt: I would put it this way: Digitalization is revolu- tionizing our industry. So far, we have optimized compo- nents or subsystems. Now, with devices such as Tubex Pro, which can be connected via plug and play, complete systems such as milling plants become transparent, com- parable and can be optimized. We can reach a new level of efficiency and food safety. I guess it is fair to say that, with our partnership with Microsoft, Bühler is leading this trend. Stefan: The challenges from markets and from a sus- tainability standpoint are becoming more demanding. Consumers want to enjoy a broader variety of products, and competition has become fiercer. To be successful, you must be very efficient and very flexible. Further- more, contamination events and product recalls have made customers insecure. The demands increased dra- matically. With digital applications, services and technol- ogies, such as blockchain, we can achieve breakthroughs and meet these challenges. Is this how you differentiate against competition? Stefan: Yes. In the combination of all its functionalities and technologies, Tubex Pro is unique. It contains over 100 years of our weighing experience and intellectual property, and we added our latest innovations with dig- ital technologies. However, you should not be surprised to see copies pop up, in this case not from Asia but from Europe. But we take copying as a kind of a compliment. It seems that we have done a good job, and set the bench- mark for the industry. However, rest assured that we pro- tect our intellectual property, not only for the benefit of Bühler, but for the sake of our customers. When will you release Tubex Pro to the market? Stefan: The improved Tubex is fully released to the market. Tubex Pro, with its advanced connectivity and control features, will be available in the second half of the year. We also have developed a retrofit package to upgrade the Tubex to the Tubex Pro. This is how digital our devices have become. Tubex Pro