What has been Coperion’s motivation to form the Food, Health & Nutrition Division?

Kevin Buchler: Coperion is growing strategically, and we see an increasing demand in the food and pharma sector. We've been known in these markets for decades with a comprehensive portfolio, from ingredient handling to feeding and extrusion. In 2022, Hillenbrand, Inc. – Coperion’s parent company – acquired several renowned companies in the food and pharmaceutical sector: Linxis Group with its six well-known brands (Shick Esteve, VMI, Diosna, Shaffer, Unifiller and BAKON) as well as Peerless Food Equipment and Gabler Engineering. All these brands are experts in their niche; they optimally complement Coperion’s core competencies and contribute their know-how to the recently founded Food, Health & Nutrition division. Together, we are now able to offer comprehensive processing solutions for manufacturers in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Our customers do not only benefit from a broader product portfolio but also have access to a wide range of capabilities – a total package from a single source.

As of September 1, 2023, Schenck Process Food and Americas Performance Materials (FPM) belongs to the Coperion Food, Health & Nutrition Division. We are at the beginning of the integration and look forward to this exciting phase.

We are convinced that this step and the integration of FPM will expand our end market presence and enable us to offer our customers solutions in areas that we have not yet been able to serve completely.

What is the aim of the Coperion Food, Health & Nutrition Division?

We are driven by our purpose “Shape what matters for tomorrow^TM” and make an effort to align our business activities with our values. Guided by this, Coperion has been developing innovative solutions for various challenges in the food, pharma as well as cosmetic industries. Our ambition has always been to design products that meet the highest possible quality and safety standards. Therefore, our objective is to make industrial equipment that delivers what's essential to sustain our tomorrow. In recent years consumer demand has drastically shifted and the food and pharmaceutical market is finding ways to cater to these changing needs. We are convinced that our joint know-how can help manufacturers adjust their processes to current and future requirements. To give an example, Coperion is developing systems and extrusion technology for the manufacturing of alternative meats. Plant-based products give consumers the option to reduce their meat intake for personal health reasons, animal welfare concerns, and the desire to limit climate change. For this reason, the demand for alternative proteins is expected to grow over the next years allowing food producers to expand into new markets.

All brands of the division are leading brands in specialized equipment solutions for the food, pet food, baking, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries and provide innovative and high-quality products and systems. The company’s brands — Bakon, Coperion, Coperion K-Tron, Diosna, Gabler, Peerless, Shaffer, Shick Esteve, Unifiller and VMI as well as the FPM brands, since September 1, — are global suppliers and experts in ingredient automation, sourdough and fermentation systems, mixing and dough processing, feeding, extrusion, portioning and depositing technologies.

What are the long-term benefits for Coperion’s existing and future customers?

Besides the fact that we deliver innovative and high-quality products and systems, we are now in the position to combine our competencies whenever it is needed. Our capabilities now range from single components and products to complete systems and plants where we combine products from different brands within our group. Our customers benefit from one single contact for the entire plant instead of handling many suppliers simultaneously.

We combine our experience and expertise to serve our customers and support them in achieving their individual goals in their processes. In addition, we build long-lasting relationship by supporting our customers through training, knowledge sharing, maintenance, and upgrade planning.

All equipment is designed and manufactured with long-term performance and sustainability in mind, and our turnkey installations are some of the most complex and advanced systems on the market. These comprehensive production-line solutions combined with a Group-wide emphasis on service, know-how, and long-term relationships with customers show that the Food, Health & Nutrition Division has the potential to continue growing, innovating, and shaping the world of processing.