In a climate of high uncertainty, Bühler seized growth opportunities in regions and grew market share in key sectors. “We demonstrated resilience and strength to continuously innovate for our customers and invest in future growth,” says Stefan Scheiber, CEO up to the end of 2025 and Chairman of the Board.
“We largely offset negative business effects thanks to our global setup, strong supply chain network, and strong customer orientation. Our business has proven it can withstand challenging market conditions. We are grateful for our customers’ trust and confidence in our solutions and services. I am very proud and thankful for what our employees have achieved this year. Our company is built on remarkable talent, and we will continue to invest in our culture of lifelong learning to anticipate and shape the future of our industry,” Stefan Scheiber adds. He also points out how Bühler successfully managed transitions at Board level, ensuring continuity, renewal, and long-term business success as a strong and independent family enterprise.
Order intake at Group level was stable in local currencies, showing a slight decline of 0.5% (in Swiss francs, order intake declined by 3.9% to CHF 2.7 billion). Turnover at Group level contracted by 4.4% in local currencies (in Swiss francs a decrease of 7.8% to CHF 2.8 billion) due to the effects of lower orders in the previous year as well as timing effects from project execution and delayed material deliveries in some markets.
Bühler took decisive action to address the development of turnover proactively through a stronger utilization of its global supply chain network, increased productivity gains in manufacturing and logistics, and continued optimization of its administrative and support functions. As a result of disciplined cost management, internal productivity, and operational excellence, Bühler was able to increase its EBIT margin to 8.0% (prior year: 7.6%) despite a lower turnover. Following the exceptional improvement in cash generation during the prior year, net liquidity further increased because of higher operational efficiency, disciplined project management, and a targeted reduction in net working capital. “Our strong financial position gives us the flexibility to advance our customers’ businesses through innovation, serve them in more markets globally, and support them throughout the asset lifecycle with expanded services,” says CFO Mark Macus.
Broad business portfolio as a driver of success
Bühler’s broad solutions and customer services portfolio continued to provide the foundation of its market success in 2025. Grains & Food had an encouraging, positive year with stable orders and gained market share in several segments, while Advanced Materials retained market share but experienced lower orders due to subdued market activity. The Customer Service business, a key differentiator for Bühler and value generator for customers globally, increased its share of Group turnover for the third year in a row.
Grains & Food reported a decrease in orders of 1.1% to CHF 2,147 million. Within Grains & Food, the Chocolate & Coffee business showed an outstanding performance with order intake rising by 31.0% to CHF 325 million. Value Nutrition achieved double-digit order growth of 12.7%. Grain Quality & Supply and Consumer Foods orders decreased by 7.4% and 8.8% respectively. Milling Solutions order intake decreased by 14.3% from a historically high level in 2024.
Advanced Materials experienced a decline in orders, down 15.2% to CHF 551 million. The business was impacted by weak investment activity in the automotive sector, uncertainties in Europe, and increased competitive pressure in China. Die Casting was affected most, with a 37.9% decrease in orders, as several large-scale megacasting projects materialized more slowly than expected. Grinding & Dispersing, by contrast, achieved significant growth of 51.0%, supported by large battery-related projects and renewed activity in inks, coatings, and food applications. Leybold Optics recorded an 8.3% decline in orders.
Customer Service: long-term performance partnerships with customers
Fast, professional, and reliable services are a cornerstone of Bühler’s strategy to help customers grow their business while lowering their footprint. With more than 30,000 active customers with Bühler machines operating in the field, the installed base is a unique lever for improving yield, energy efficiency, and uptime across global food and materials value chains. In 2025, the Customer Service increased its share of total turnover to 38.3% (prior year: 35.4%). The number of long-term service agreements with customers increased significantly from 2,500 to more than 3,000 across all businesses and regions.
