Swiss-based technology company Bühler Group has unveiled its new digital rice analyser TotalSense, which enables the reduction of costs, enhancement of yield and improvement of quality for rice processors. This innovation is part of Bühler’s digitalisation initiative featuring a number of new solutions that leverage the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) with increased customer value.

 

Rice farmers often manually measure and inspect rice grains to ensure they meet preset size and other parameters. This process can be slow, subjective, and prone to errors. To improve this situation, Bühler has developed TotalSense. This mobile rice analyser speeds up the quality process and introduces objective and traceable data through the use of IoT and cloud technology. The mobile rice analyser delivers reports on quality within minutes by uploading a picture of a sample to a cloud-based solution. As a result, rice farmers save precious time and benefit from an early warning system that prevents the contamination of entire batches.

 

Criteria sorted in real time via remote access

 

The value of IoT is particularly evident for food safety. Reputational damage of food producers from food fraud or recalls is incalculable. Bühler has therefore introduced a food safety alert system designed to mitigate these risks by combining food safety databases and early warning systems under one coherent, cloud-based solution. “Now we have the opportunity to connect with our partners, flagging risks but also giving insights on potential solutions,” says Béatrice Conde-Petit, Bühler’s Food Safety Officer. This digital service is in its final development stage and will soon be available.

 

With AnywarePro, Bühler introduced a solution that analyses, filters, and transmits critical data on machine performance, tolerance levels, and sorting criteria in real time through remote access. As a result, engineers and machine operators are able to anticipate maintenance requirements and thus reduce downtime, which results in considerable cost savings.

 

“These innovations are the beginning,” says Ian Roberts, CTO of Bühler Group. “We are investing considerable resources in developing digital services. We partner up with start-ups, researchers, institutes, and customers in order to bring relevant innovation to our customers.”