In an exclusive interview with Miller Magazine, Dario Grossmann, Head of Bühler’s Milling Academy in Uzwil, said milling training is moving beyond hands-on mechanics to encompass process understanding, data interpretation, traceability and automation.

Dario Grossmann
Head of Bühler’s Milling Academy in Uzwil

As mills add sensors, touch-screen control systems and traceability tools, training is expanding from traditional milling know-how into a broader skill set, Dario Grossmann, Head of Bühler’s Milling Academy in Uzwil, told Miller Magazine. The driver is as much economic as it is technological: once wages, logistics, packing and energy are included, “the raw material makes around 90%” of a mill’s total cost, he said. In that context, the training and knowledge of the operators in machine settings, adjustment and process control is often the fastest route to higher yield, steadier performance and fewer quality losses.

In Bühler’s hometown of Uzwil, the Milling Academy is built to mirror real-world flour milling: a practical setting where classroom theory is immediately tested in the machine park or in the school mill, and where operational decisions can be traced back to wheat intake.

Bühler says the center serves as a hands-on training hub for millers, electricians, mechanics, laboratory personnel and even executives, supported by customized on-site programmes that reduce the cost and disruption of sending large groups abroad. The company puts annual participation at more than 500 people from over 80 countries, with small-group courses typically running 5–10 days. Practical sessions include an industrial-scale school mill—rated at 24 tonnes per day—alongside Bühler’s latest machines and digital solutions.

FROM MECHANICAL KNOW-HOW TO DATA LITERACY

Grossmann said the curriculum has expanded as mills deploy more sensors and better control systems. The challenge, he added, is not collecting information but turning it into better decisions—particularly when a quality incident demands fast root-cause analysis. “Data is always very good, but many times you don’t know how to interpret them,” he said, explaining why the academy has reinforced training that links sensor readings to process actions and product outcomes.

The same shift is driving a stronger focus on traceability and advanced automation. With today’s tracking tools, he said, mills can trace an issue back through intake and handling—down to the relevant bin and time window, and even the logistics chain behind a delivery—helping teams act faster and limit losses.

ONLINE DELIVERY, REAL EQUIPMENT

As automation platforms become more connected, Grossmann said training delivery is changing too. The academy is “going a little bit more into online trainings,” including webinars and remote demonstrations—sometimes by logging into a control system to show functionality without needing every participant physically beside the machine.

The shift matters for mills that cannot easily release staff for travel, and for teams that need refreshers on upgrades, interfaces and digital services as systems evolve.

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

One of the academy’s recurring challenges, Grossmann said, is cohort diversity. Not all participants work in highly automated plants; many operate “very, very old or standard” mills. With a mixed group, it becomes difficult to decide whether to focus on advanced automation or fundamentals.

To manage that, Bühler runs both standard open programs and customized group trainings. In tailored courses, clients can send their questions in advance and share plant flowsheets so instructors can focus on the installed base, avoiding time spent on machines the participants do not use.

ONSITE TRAINING AS A COST LEVER FOR SMALLER MILLERS

For smaller and regional millers with limited budgets, Grossmann’s prescription is pragmatic: bring the trainer to the plant. He said on-site programmes can significantly reduce costs versus sending multiple staff members to Switzerland or to regional academies, while allowing training to focus directly on the mill’s own equipment, maintenance routines and operating parameters.

He added that Bühler also supports trainings organized with national milling associations—even in non-mill venues for foundational modules—citing an example of delivering training in Pakistan with participants drawn from across the country.

HUMAN EXPERTISE IN THE AGE OF “DARK FACTORIES”

Asked about the industry’s push toward “dark factories,” Grossmann said he does not expect milling to become operator-free anytime soon. He said he is “not scared” of a future without people; instead, automation reduces routine work and shifts the human role toward oversight and intervention—similar to the way modern pilots rely on automation but remain responsible for decisions when systems deviate.

Some mills, he noted, already run simple recipes overnight or on weekends with minimal staffing, with no millers at all, only on weekends to check the product quality periodically. But he expects human checks to remain essential, especially for special recipes and intermediate-product control. Over time, he argued, automation could also help recruitment by easing night-shift intensity and making milling more attractive to younger professionals who want technology-driven roles.

RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION

Attracting young talent is a global challenge, Grossmann said, arguing that mills need to make roles more attractive with competitive salaries and clearer responsibility pathways beyond traditional job ladders. He also noted that skilled millers are increasingly mobile—citing Moroccan millers being recruited abroad—suggesting retention will depend on local market maturity, working conditions and professional recognition.

Bühler’s training strategy includes regional capacity building, most visibly through the African Milling School (AMS) in Nairobi. The company marked AMS’ 10th anniversary in November 2025, saying the center has trained more than 1,600 millers from over 30 countries since 2015. Bühler described the AMS model as a Swiss-inspired dual system—five months in the home country followed by one month at the school, across four modules over two years—alongside shorter courses and expanded offerings beyond wheat milling, including feed and other processing areas.

Grossmann closed the interview by quoting Benjamin Franklin—“an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest”—and urging the industry to treat learning as a shared, two-way process. Experience must be passed on, he said, but the older generation should also stay open to the perspectives of younger, digitally fluent colleagues. “Have open ears… and also share knowledge,” he added, saying the sector “should never stop learning.”