Digital Re-print - January | February 2010

Feature title: Switzerland offers three training institutes to service the milling sector

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Switzerland
offers three training institutes to
service the milling sector
Switzerland is a centre for feed, flour, pasta and cereal process training. The country
offers three highly-respected institutes to foreign students who wish to develop
their skills associated with the highest quality processing and milling.
Those institutes include: The Swiss Institute of Feed Technology (SFT), Swiss School of Milling and the Buhler Training Centre.
Swiss Institute of Feed
Technology (SFT)
The Swiss Institute of Feed Technology
(SFT) was founded in 1979 by the then-
owner of Buhler AG, Dr René Bühler. Based
in Uzwil, its objective was to impart primarily
practice-orientated specialist knowledge on
feed production to professionals from the
feed manufacturing and related industries.
The SFT said that in order to adopt and
cover market requirements, a re-orientation
of the training concept under the motto
‘hands-on and focused’ was initiated last year
and compliments its diploma course that
provides the graduate with a final qualification
of Feed Production Engineer.
The SFT noted that its educational facilities
(training center and experimental lab) are con-
tinuously renewed and adapted according to
gained knowledge and technical achievements.
This enables the students to understand work-
ing principles of modern equipment in order
to operate state-of-the-art technologies and
processes in a feed production plant.
26 | January - february 2010
The course is made up of a prepara-
tory correspondence course and an intensive
course in Uzwil.
The SFT says that in order to reduce
attendees’ absence from the job, individual
subjects will be dealt with in the future in
greater depth in the preparatory course so
that the intensive course is reduced to a
maximum of seven weeks.
The course will continue to be offered
alternately in German and English, but in the
future on a three-year cycle.
Officials from the SFT say they will make
use of the year in which no diploma course
is held to further extend their range of short
courses. The numerous queries received for
training courses lasting a few days to a maxi-
mum of two weeks and dealing with specific
subjects is what the SFT said has encouraged
it to take this approach.
Short courses will be offered primarily in
German and English.
The SFT noted that upon request it will organ-
ise customer- or plant-specific courses at the SFT’s
Training Feature
site in Uzwil or at the customer’s location.
The SFT can offer simultaneous translation,
if required, into the relevant national language.
Another service offered by the SFT is to act
as a neutral consultant for plant optimisation
and alterations, carrying out inspections and
conducting, for example, homogeneity and
cross-contamination tests.
Swiss School of Milling (SMS)
In the near-by town of St Gallen, the Swiss
School of Milling (SMS), founded over 50 years
ago, attracts milling technologists and production
manager students from around the world. The
SMS courses are in two sections: the corre-
spondence course and the main course.
It combines theoretical know-how with prac-
tical ‘hands-on’ training.
The correspondence course imparts the
basic knowledge required for optimal prepara-
tion for the main course, while students are at
home working in their regular jobs.
In the Milling Technology subject, the empha-
Grain &feed millinG technoloGy
Feature Training
sis is placed on the basics of flow-sheet tech-
nology and milling equipment of the different
sections of a flour mill.
In the natural science subject group, basics of
mathematics (including basic physical formulae
and units) and chemistry are taught.
In addition, an introduction is given to micro-
biology and hygiene.
In Engineering, students acquire basic knowl-
edge of electrical engineering, plant engineering
and pneumatic and mechanical conveying. As
a preparation for flour analyses in the main
course, students learn the theoretical basics of
the most important analyses according to the
International Association for Cereal Science and
Technology (ICC) standards.
Required materials are sent to the students
by the school.
Students must solve control questions in the
relevant areas and return their replies to the
school by a certain deadline. Their replies to
the control questions are rated and taken into
account in the final grade. The time requirement
for the correspondence course is about six to
10 hours per week, depending on a student’s
previous level of knowledge.
Upon completion of the correspondence
course, the students travel to St Gallen to attend
the six-month main course at the SMS.
During the main course, four ‘hands-on’
afternoons are held every week.
This means that courses will continue to
focus heavily on practice, which is highly signifi-
cant for course participants.
The SMS said that due to its close contact
with the milling industry, it has the advantage
of receiving continuous updates about new
developments and market requirements which
are integrated in its training sessions.
Students who receive the SMS diploma are
professionally prepared to take over middle or
upper management positions and are able to
offer a real benefit to the company they are
working with. In order to create better rounded
production managers, the SMS syllabus covers
the technology of baking, pasta, cereals and
other grain-based food processes.
Buhler Training Center (BTC)
Founded in 1981, the Buhler Training Center
(BTC) has been training millers around the
world for the past 28 years.
The equipment and presentation material
has been constantly updated and besides the
large training hall where the latest in equipment
is set up for demonstration and training purpose,
and features also a highly-sophisticated school
mill with a capacity of one tonne per hour.
The courses, in average attended by around
450 trainees a year, have a strong focus on
hands-on training as well as the practical applica-
tion of the taught subjects.
The BTC is set up to provide training in
various languages.
Grain &feed millinG technoloGy
Five standard languages are spoken by the
instructors: German, English, French, Spanish and
Italian. Courses in other languages like Russian,
Chinese, Bulgarian, Polish, Czech, Japanese, etc
are taught with the assistance of interpreters.
Special attention has been given in offering
courses that cover all operational aspects of a
flour mill.
The course is called Milling Technology I and
II and targets mill operators, shift millers and
head millers.
Milling Technology I mainly focusing on
the explanation of the machine features and
optimum machine adjustments for equipment
in the cleaning, milling and quality control sec-
tions. An extended laboratory session ensures
that the participants will understand the quality
parameters of flour and how to influence them
with the available equipment and processes.
Milling Technology II has a strong focus on
theoretical and applied flow-sheet technology. In
this context it concentrates on newly developed
technologies and machines, such as mycotoxin
reduction or colour sorting.
The course target is clearly based on tech-
nology issues like various machine combinations
for different applications, tempering philosophies
with their advantages and disadvantages as well
as an in-depth mill diagram session.
Ideally, the two levels should be taken with a
one-to-two year break in between.
This gives the participants the opportunity to
transfer their acquired knowledge into results in
their respective plants.
However, it is also possible to visit both
courses one after each other.
In addition to this, special technology courses
are offered in:
• Durum milling
• Oats milling
• Maize milling
• Brewing technology
• Milling Expert Course – Targeted at
• production managers, technical direc-
tors and head millers with formal
milling education (such as milling
school diploma, KSU, City & Guilds
degrees, etc) and several years of
experience in the milling industry.
This course distinguishes itself by being a
discussion forum on eye level rather than the
typical training course. In an exquisite group of
experts, opinions and facts about milling techno-
logical and product related issues are exchanged.
Buhler provides a guideline by preparing presen-
tations about today’s hot issues that concern the
milling industry. This forms a base for discussion.
The Executive Training Course - Targeted
at mill owners, directors, general managers and
other leading functions in the milling industry.
The course touches mainly on the chal-
lenges of producing consistent flour with high
quality parameters and the best possible yield.
The course does not require previous milling
experience and will introduce the whole proc-
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ess in chronological order and easy to capture
portions. The natural variations of the raw
material and the challenges experienced by
the operating personnel in the various sections
of the milling process will be discussed. So will
quality measures of flour and quality assurance
instruments.
Key indicators to evaluate the performance
of a milling plant as well as various plant operat-
ing philosophies round up the course.
Electrical & Mechanical Maintenance
Courses - Targeted at maintenance personnel
and supervisors.
This course contains an overview over all
essential maintenance jobs that have to be
carried out. The main focus is on key issues like
calibration, fault finding on electrics as well as
roll and bearing change on the mechanical side.
Aim of the course is to build the confidence and
knowledge that even challenging assignments
can be carried out correctly by the maintenance
crew. This ensures maximum lifetime of equip-
ment and minimum unplanned stops.
There are special maintenance courses in:
• Plant Automation
• Bagging system operation
• Fluting machine operation
• Tailor-made Courses - On
request the BTC can be booked
for tailor-made courses.
This possibility has been used by large milling
groups to provide training for their operation
personnel in a closed setting. This gives the advan-
tage to discuss the specific flow sheets of the
concerning plants and special topics applicable to
the operation in their markets. This kind of train-
ing has often been used to strengthen the team
spirit and communication in various companies to
improve the future exchange of ideas.
BTC offers on-site courses.
Some companies find it difficult to send
one or more employees for training and still
ensure the operation of their plant. In this
situation on-site education is a suitable alter-
native. The advantage of this kind of training
is that operating personnel is taught in their
own plant, using their equipment, addressing
their specific challenges.
more inFormation:
Swiss Institute of Feed Technology
Website: www.sft-uzwil.ch
Email: sft.uzwil@buhlergroup.com
Swiss School of Milling
Website: www.sms-sg.ch
Email: info@sms-sg.ch
Buhler Training Center
Website: www.buhlergroup.com.
January - february 2010 | 27
Fatten up your bottom line. Buhler high-performance animal and aqua feed production
systems are used by leading companies around the world. These producers know they
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A service combining local presence with global expertise both lowers feed mill operating
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choose Buhler – it’s how a solution from Buhler will feed your profits. To find out more,
visit www.buhlergroup.com.

Visit us at Victam Asia 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand,

3-5 March 2010, www.victam.com

Bühler AG, Feed & Biomass, CH-9240 Uzwil, Switzerland, T +41 71 955 11 11, F +41 71 955 28 96
fu.buz@buhlergroup.com, www.buhlergroup.com

The solution behind the solution.

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