Industrial engineering and equipment manufacturing company Bühler, in its results presentation for the financial year ended December 31, 2025, on February 16, reported that it had sold 50 of its new integrated production cells, called megacasting solutions, for the production of large structural parts of vehicles over the past five years.

These projects represented about Swfr500-million turnover for the company over the past five years. The company has successfully multiplied these systems across automotive original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and companies in the automotive market areas in many of the markets it operates in, said Bühler outgoing CEO and incoming chairperson Stefan Scheiber.

“We have seen massive changes in the automotive sector, with cars having changed, and with the economics, the competitive landscape, the designs of cars, the propulsion technologies and the energy storage systems having changed, and Bühler is part of this,” he said.

These Bühler megacasting lines were expected to run for more than 20 years, with some expected to run for up to 40 years. The company viewed its investment in the development of these technologies as a success and their uptake in changing markets across the world as proof, he said.

Further, the group’s Die Casting division's applications were primarily focused on the automotive sector, which saw less investment in new production facilities during the year, hence the lower topline for the Die Casting business.

The division saw a 37.9% decrease in orders, as several large-scale megacasting projects materialised more slowly than expected, despite confirmed commitments from major customers, he said.

The Die Casting business experienced a challenging year, as the global automotive industry remained in a prolonged transition phase. The delay of new vehicle platforms by traditional OEMs and the ongoing diversification of drive systems towards hybrid and range-extended vehicles restrained large-scale investment projects.

However, the structural megacasting trend continued to gain momentum, especially among European OEMs, Scheiber said.

Megacasting enables the replacement of up to 100 structural parts by a single, large casting, thereby driving cost and weight efficiencies in vehicle manufacturing, with Bühler's Carat solution having locking forces of up to 92 000 kN.

In 2025, the company executed major megacasting projects in the US, Europe, China and Vietnam, and the first large production cells entered into full operation.

Despite the slowdown in this business division, the company retained its global market share in structural and traditional die casting, although traditional die casting remained subdued, particularly in Europe and North America where demand was affected by overcapacity and high cost-pressures.

Bühler's Advanced Materials division, of which Die Casting is one business, saw orders fall by 15.2% to Swfr551-million, while turnover decreased by 21.7% to Swfr558-million.

Meanwhile, Bühler's core business sector was grain milling, food processing and animal feed production, with its Grains and Food division having concluded a successful year, Scheiber said.

Although order intakes decreased by 1.1% to Swfr2.15-billion, and turnover decreased by 3.8% to Swfr2.16-billion, the company continued to expand its market share in its core sectors, and further boosted its market share in milling, feed and cocoa processing.

“One amazing aspect is how the business of the cocoa processing segment has developed over the past few years. Starting about three years ago, the prices for cocoa rose significantly owing to a shortage, which drove significant changes in this specific business segment across the world.

“In the past 12 to 18 months, Bühler was awarded projects and new orders from across the world in this sector. The company sold 17 new cocoa processing plants during this period, and which are currently in the project fulfilment phase,” he said.

Its order intakes from the cocoa processing sector increased by 31% during the past year, he added.

Further, the company's chocolate business unit, along with its Confectionery unit, won the largest chocolate project in Bühler's history, and which covers a complete production line from raw-materials intake to finished chocolates.

Additionally, several major investments from privately-owned chocolate producers helped to balance the lower demand from multinational chocolate companies. Demand for roll-refining and conching technologies remained high, while alternative processing solutions for compounds, fillings and spreads continued to grow, he said.

A significant development in terms of turnover from its Grains and Food division was growth in the Middle East, Africa and India over the past few years. This region currently represented the largest food region for Bühler, and followed several years of consistent investments in this region, said Bühler CFO Mark Macus.

Further, despite the decline in turnover, the company managed to sharpen its profit margin to 8% in 2025, up from 7.6% in 2024, he said.

“Our ability to invest in new solutions and products depends largely on our cash position. We worked on net working capital and generated strong operating cash flow for the year of more than Swfr350-million.

“In terms of investments, we invested Swfr60-million into focused projects and programmes that benefit our innovation activities and research and training centres, as well as into our production and physical footprint, such as in Mexico, the Czech Republic and Kenya,” he said.

The company also invested specifically in its consumer foods business unit, as well as in new research and development (R&D) processes and cocoa processing, chocolate moulding, and pulsing and puffing processes, and nut processing technologies it has developed; all of which provide new tools for it and its customers to come up with new solutions and new recipes, whether these are for chocolate-, wafer- or cookie-based products, said Scheiber.

Innovation remained at the core of Bühler’s long-term competitiveness and its ability to create impact for customers. In 2025, expenditure on R&D was Swfr131-million, or 4.8% of turnover, up from 4.6% in 2024, he added.

“We continued to increase the rate at which we invest in R&D, even against the backdrop of a lower topline,” he said.

Bühler launched about 60 new products in the past year, and its innovation capability was supported by its global innovation network of research and training centres in 26 locations.

During the year, customers conducted more than 3 500 trial days, and developed more than 600 new food and feed products, and advanced 500 material applications, he noted.

The new products were derived from investments in R&D and their uptake showed that customers saw value in these new products that have been absorbed in these markets. These 60 products contribute more than 12% to Bühler's turnover, which validated the company's focus on innovation, he pointed out.

However, the company is aware that its customers have a huge installed fleet of Bühler plants, as well as those of competitor equipment manufacturers, and the company must support its customers with new processing solutions, retrofits and new services.

Specifically, company's technology background and core expertise is in processing technology.

“We understand the markets, materials, capabilities and technologies to transform materials into semi-processed products or finished products,” said Scheiber.

In response to a question about the dynamics and pressures in the cocoa sector, incoming Bühler CEO Samuel Schär pointed out that, owing to the company's background, one of its core competencies was that it could change machines so that customers could try new processes.

“We are constantly modifying processes and working with customers on new recipes and on new raw materials to include in the world's food systems,” he said.

Further, Bühler anticipates continued market volatility this year, although it entered the year with confidence. The global diversification of its operations and the continued expansion of regional manufacturing capacities will help mitigate trade tensions and ensure resilience in a volatile environment.

Its strategic direction and financial strength enabled ongoing flexibility and investment in innovation, said Schär.

Innovation remained a key driver by ensuring the continued development of advanced energy-efficient, digital and circular process solutions across its industries. The company's strategic direction is to support customers to grow their businesses while lowering their environmental footprints, he said.