Miller Magazine Issue: 119 November 2019

50 MILLER / NOVEMBER 2019 There is a long history behind mill- ing grains. We know that hunters and gatherers were already using stones or mortars for crushing grains. With the in- creasing division of labor, the occupa- tion of miller to process wheat, rye or spelt came into being. During the Mid- dle Ages, the profession of miller in Eu- rope came to be known as disreputable and dishonest because of all the possi- bilities for cheating. But sometime in the 16th century, Reich law decreed that it was an “honorable” and “guild-worthy” profession. CHALLENGES FOR MILLERS Today, millers around the world, whether their mills are large or small, are important suppliers for many differ- ent food producers - from the neighbor- hood bakery to international food cor- porations. At Bühler, we have routine contact with our customers. We hear from mill operators about the chang- es that have taken place in their area of work over the past years, and how these changes affect their work and their needs in terms of mill expansion. There are two increasingly big challeng- es which are shared by our customers: Businesses that process the flour - are demanding increasingly higher flour quality and guaranteed consistency within narrow parameters. Along with the growing product diversity, based on desires by consumers, goes the in- creasing demand for special flours. This confronts mill operators with the chal- lenge of offering a constantly expanding range of flour products while maintain- The principle and processes of the “mill of the future” are not clearly distinct from those used in mills today. But they do take up less space, are more energy efficient and operate increasingly more autonomously. Mills are becoming autonomous Stefan Birrer Head of Business Area Milling Solutions Bühler stefan.birrer@buhlergroup.com