Bühler Aeroglide names Andy Sharpe new President and CEO

CARY, N.C. - April 30, 2015 - PRLog -- Bühler Aeroglide, a global leader in thermal process engineering and technology for food, feed, and industrial materials, has announced Andy Sharpe as new president and CEO as of 1 June 2015.  Sharpe succeeds Hans-Jöerg Ill, who will be returning to Bühler’s headquarters in Uzwil, Switzerland.

Andy Sharpe has nearly 20 years experience with Bühler Aeroglide, working across all functions of the organization, including sales, marketing, research and development, engineering and manufacturing. In 1996, he was hired as market manager to establish the company’s European office in Stamford, UK. Later, he was appointed regional director to serve market needs for the company’s European, Middle Eastern and African markets.  Prior to joining Aeroglide, Sharpe served as business manager for the snack and cereal division of APV Baker in Peterborough, UK, where he marketed complete food processing lines.Most recently, Sharpe served as Vice President of Business Development and Product Director, Global Food and Feed, guiding the development of new innovations that were a direct result of extensive collaborations with customers.

“Bühler Aeroglide’s growth requires a leader with a deep and thorough understanding of customer needs that combine engineering expertise and robust manufacturing,” said Buhler Group’s Value Nutrition Managing Director Marcel Natterer.  “Andy has successfully demonstrated an ability to nurture and commercialize valuable industry solutions, most recently by leading the development of the company’s newest RTE Ceres hygienic dryer. He understands the needs of our customers and has the management experience and skills necessary to ensure the company’s continued success.”

Sharpe brings enthusiasm to his new position at Bühler Aeroglide along with specific goals. He will emphasize total quality management, focusing on the company’s core strengths in sales, service and innovation to increase profitability, improve company performance and continue to offer the gold standard in thermal processing solutions for which the company is globally recognized.

“It’s an exciting time to take over the helm of Bühler Aeroglide as we advance a phase of innovations that have already introduced a new generation of hygienic technologies with greater capacity and energy improvements,” said Sharpe. “We’re also identifying the needs of emerging markets and designing new solutions to support sustainability and food security. As President and CEO, I will strive to perpetuate Bühler Aeroglide’s world class expertise, to help our customers grow their businesses across all industries.”

About Bühler Aeroglide

Bühler Aeroglide manufactures dryers, ovens, roasters, toasters, and hot air expansion systems for the food, feed and industrial product markets. Since 1940, the company has been providing innovations for a better world in the form of high-quality thermal processing equipment. As a business unit of Bühler, Aeroglide is headquartered in Cary, NC, and provides sales and service for its industry-leading equipment in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information about Bühler Aeroglide, call +1 919 851 2000, or visit www.buhlergroup.com/drying.

About Bühler

Every day, billions of people use Bühler technologies to satisfy their basic needs for food, mobility, or communications. With our industrial process technologies and solutions, we make a significant contribution to feeding the world’s population while focusing on food safety and security. Around 65% of the wheat harvested worldwide is processed into flour on Bühler mills. The company’s contribution to the global production and processing of rice, pasta, chocolate, and breakfast cereals is equally substantial. Furthermore, Bühler is a leading solution provider of die casting, wet grinding, and surface coating technologies, with a focus on applications in the automotive, optics, electronics, printing, packaging, and glass technologies. The solutions provided to these industries are characterized by high energy efficiency and sustainable mobility. As a leading technology group, Bühler invests up to 5% of its turnover in research and development every year. Bühler is proud of its Swiss roots, with over 10,000 employees at some 140 sites generating 2013 sales of CHF 2.3 billion. As a family-owned company, Bühler feels particularly committed to sustainability.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Manley, Marketing Communications
Bühler Aeroglide, 100 Aeroglide Dr., Cary, NC USA
Phone +1 919 278 2864, Fax +1 919 851 6029, E-mail nick.manley@buhlergroup.com