Control systems + automation
Smart milling – efficiency, consistency and competitiveness Digitalisation, automation, and data-driven decision-making are transforming the global milling industry. The SmartMill approach is emerging as a pathway to improved eiciency, consistency, and competitiveness. Swiss technology company Bühler highlighted these developments at the 90th congress of the National Chamber of Milling (NCM) held earlier this year in Knysna, Western Cape. S peaking at the event, Fabio Curatolo, Senior Customer Relationship Manager at Bühler Southern Africa, outlined how the SmartMill concept is helping millers respond to growing operational pressures, tighter margins, and increasing quality and compliance demands.
through a process that spans consulting, engineering, digital solutions, and ongoing operational support. “Our goal is to help millers translate data into measurable improvements in yield, energy use, and plant performance,” says Curatolo. The technologies that help to enable this transformation include advanced automation systems, digital production management platforms, and specialised process optimisation tools. For example, Bühler’s digital platforms like Bühler Insights and ProPlant allow millers to organise and monitor maintenance, production, and process data in real time. Solutions such as temperature and vibration monitoring help optimise grinding performance and reduce energy consumption. One advantage of the SmartMill approach lies in it being an incremental journey rather than an abrupt change. This allows customers to join at the point that best suits their business, then the pace and direction of the journey is up to each company. Bühler says anyone thinking of being part of the journey going forward, should be thinking now about installing sensor technology and the connectivity that oers the necessary production transparency to inform decision making. This is the foundation for the whole SmartMill process. Increasing digitalisation Curatolo expects digitalisation in the milling sector to accelerate significantly over the next decade. “We expect to see wider use of automation, with AI-driven analytics for process optimisation, predictive maintenance, and to meet the increasing requirements for full traceability across the value chain,” he says. “Sustainability will also be a major driver, pushing mills to reduce energy use, emissions, and waste, as well as improving resource eiciency.” However, Curatolo emphasises that a successful SmartMill journey requires more than installing new technologies. “The SmartMill works best when it is implemented as a practical, step-by-step programme,” he says. “Clear performance targets, a reliable data foundation, and strong operator engagement are essential. When those elements come together, the result is more eicient, resilient, and competitive milling operations.” Innovation remains at the core of Bühler’s long-term competitiveness and its ability to create impact for customers. In 2025, R&D expenditure amounted to 4.8% of turnover and the Bühler Group launched 60 new products successfully into the market, reinforcing its commitment to purposeful innovation driving performance and sustainability. The group’s innovation capability is supported by Bühler’s global innovation network of 26 research and training centres.
Curatolo explains that SmartMill is not a product, but a concept, incorporating hundreds of complementary innovations designed through close collaboration with the industry. It represents a shi£ towards more connected, transparent, and automated milling operations. Integrating sensors, digital platforms, and advanced analytics, mills can move from manual checks and experience-based decisions to real-time data-driven process control. “The SmartMill means using connected
Fabio Curatolo, Bühler Southern Africa.
equipment, sensors and so£ware to make milling operations more predictable and responsive,” says Curatolo. “Operators can rely on real-time data to maintain optimal performance, ensure consistent quality, and react faster to deviations.” A complex operating environment Like other industrial operations, millers today face a complex operating environment. Variable raw material quality, rising energy and utility costs, maintenance reliability challenges, and skills shortages are making consistent production performance more diicult to maintain. At the same time, the market is demanding tighter margins, greater traceability, and higher standards of food safety and quality. “In South Africa, these pressures are more pronounced as a result of energy instability and rising operating costs,” notes Curatolo. “SmartMill technologies help millers address these challenges by improving process control, strengthening traceability, and making operations more resilient.” Digital monitoring and data collection play a central role in this transformation. “Data turns milling from a ‘best eort’ operation into a controlled, evidence-based process,” he says. “By analysing trends and detecting changes early, mills can adjust parameters proactively, prevent downtime, and maintain consistent output.” The SmartMill approach Bühler supports millers in transitioning to smart milling
For more information visit: www.buhlergroup.com
8 Electricity + Control JUNE 2026
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