In 2019, Swiss chocolate wafer producer Kägi Söhne began a structured push toward digital transformation, partnering with Bühler to chart a path toward a fully integrated smart factory. The initiative began with a Performance Assessment Workshop, where both teams scrutinized every stage of production to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. “Our vision is to produce the perfect Kägi every day, whether it is 30°C in summer or minus 10°C in winter,” said Pascal Grin, Chief Operating Officer of Kägi Söhne.
The assessment revealed that while product quality was consistently high, maintaining that standard without interruption—and with fewer rejections—required greater process transparency and responsiveness. The solution was to connect most of Kägi’s production line to Bühler Insights, a digital platform that integrates machine data, operational metrics, and analytics into a unified interface. This connection now streams 25 to 30 data points per machine, enabling operators and management to make decisions grounded in real-time facts. “25 to 30 data points per machine connected to Bühler Insights enables both operating staff and management to take their decisions based on data, facts, and figures. This is of special interest for the Continuous Improvement Process at Kägi,” said Kristina Polic, Project Lead Smart Factory 2024 and Continuous Improvement Manager at Kägi.
Judith Spreitzer, Project Manager Bühler Services, emphasized the scope of this transparency: “Connecting Kägi to Bühler Insights platform creates unique transparency on process and machine data. From raw materials, to baking and filling of wafer sheets, and to chocolate coating, data can now be recorded, analysed, and interpreted at any time.”
The system’s dashboards visualize key performance indicators for each production step, giving operators a direct view of process health and enabling immediate intervention when deviations occur. This approach is expected to boost Overall Equipment Effectiveness by 5% to 8%. Grin noted, “We are already using the data in real time and our employees can react immediately to fluctuations in quality, thus preventing unplanned downtime. For us, this leads to cost savings and an uncomplicated overview of the process.”
Beyond operational gains, Bühler Insights also supports sustainability objectives. Kägi implemented Bühler’s Environmental Quantification Service across its factory, aligning measurements with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Bühler’s experts analyze asset performance to cut unnecessary CO2 emissions, improve resource efficiency, and reduce waste. With quantified CO2e emissions now mapped across its value chain, Kägi can prioritize reduction strategies with precision.
The transformation also included significant hardware investments informed by trials at Bühler’s wafer innovation centre. Kägi installed a fully automatic BM-W 180-H batter mixing plant, designed for high throughput and consistency; a SWAKT-80 wafer baking oven, engineered for thermal efficiency and uniformity; and a WIS-EAGLE In-Line wafer sheet inspection system, which automates defect detection to maintain stringent quality standards.
Franziska Babst, Head of Quality & Development at Kägi, highlighted the innovation pipeline this enables: “We have a full range of new, innovative products planned. We have enough ideas. With this plant and Bühler at our side, we are now ready to scale up new products to high quality and large volumes.”
For Bühler, the collaboration represents a synthesis of digital services, mechanical engineering, and process expertise. “Bühler and Kägi have a fruitful and long-lasting relationship. With the journey to the smart factory project, we are bringing together the best of our digital services, our technical solutions as well as Bühler’s technological competence. Today both Kägi and Bühler drive product quality and innovations in a strong partnership,” said Thomas Kuenzli, Head of Sales for Consumer Foods Europe at Bühler.
The integration of Bühler Insights into Kägi’s production environment exemplifies how advanced manufacturing principles—data transparency, automated inspection, and environmental accountability—can be applied beyond heavy industry. The same core concepts underpinning aerospace assembly lines, precision automotive manufacturing, and robotics integration are now driving efficiency and quality in a Swiss chocolate wafer plant, demonstrating the universality of smart factory methodologies.