World Grain - December 2014 - 82

SUPPLIER NEWS

Management change in
Bühler's Grain Milling division
UZWIL, SWITZERLAND - Johannes Wick, a mechanical engineer with an MBA and two decades of experience in the energy and
infrastructure industries, started his new position as head of Bühler's
Grain Milling business area in September. He has spent the last few
months meeting customers and learning the intricate details of the
milling sciences.
After 15 years as head of the Grain Milling business unit at BühSchlauri is becoming the principal of the new African Milling School
(AMS). Schlauri will continue to support some of Bühler's key milling relationships.
"This personnel shift is a major move to us to further grow our
milling business," Calvin Grieder, Bühler AG chief executive ofhim new competencies and experiences from other industries to
develop the next milling generation at Bühler, Martin Schlauri's
new position is a crucial element in educating and building up the
African milling market."
Schlauri joined Bühler in 1980 after graduating as a milling technologist. After assignments in process development and plant com-

various countries. Throughout his career, Schlauri has led the commis"Skill is the base for a sustainable development of the milling industry in Africa as it is in other parts of the world," Schlauri said.
"With the development and lead of the African Milling School, I take
the mission to transfer the know-how and professional experience to
cover areas across operational milling excellence."
AMS is located in Nairobi, Kenya, situated just 25 minutes from
Nairobi's international airport. Nairobi is a central business hub for
East Africa and is therefore the ideal location for the AMS. The AMS
offers comprehensive and intensive training in the milling industry
with a focus on theoretical and practical training. Highly skilled
millers will ensure that plants are maintained at high levels, leadsional training for the next generation of millers and to expand on the
knowledge base of experienced millers. The AMS' aim is to ensure
millers come to understand the technology and equipment used to
For more information on the AMS, visit www.africanmillingschool.com.

AGI to acquire Vicwest's Westeel division
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA - Ag
Growth International Inc. (AGI) announced
on Nov. 11 that AGI, Vicwest Inc. and Kingspan Group plc have entered into an agreement in which Kingspan will acquire all of
the issued and outstanding shares of Vicwest
and AGI will acquire substantially all of the
assets of Vicwest's Westeel Division.
Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Westeel is a
leading provider of grain storage solutions in Western Canada offering a wide range of on-farm and commercial products for the
agricultural industry.
Westeel also has a growing international platform focused on
complementary geographies and offering highly engineered crop
storage and handling solutions. For the year ending Dec. 31,
Westeel is expected to generate Adjusted EBITDA of approximateof the Westeel business (before any costs associated with Vicwest's
corporate support functions that will not be transferred to AGI as
part of the transaction) less incremental corporate support costs
AGI estimates will be required post-closing.

The aggregate purchase price for the
Transaction is C$221.5 million in cash,
Westeel of approximately C$210 million
and C$11.5 million attributed to certain assets that will be acquired by AGI at closing,
including net cash and working capital adjustments and the facility in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada that is
currently for sale.
"AGI's vision is to become the global market leader in grain handling, storage and conditioning solutions. Today's acquisition will
add an iconic Canadian brand of grain storage to AGI's already impressive stable of leading manufacturers of grain handling and conof AGI. "Westeel provides a complementary product offering to
expand our growth platform within North America and around the
world. Combined we create a Canadian-based agricultural champion, providing an expanded North American platform to leverage
market development."

President of Fundiciones Balaguer dies
ALICANTE, SPAIN - Santiago Balaguer Marti, president of Fundiciones Balaguer, S.A. died unexpectedly Oct.19 at the age of 73.
Balaguer Marti died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident near Milan, Italy while on a business trip.
Fundiciones Balaguer, S.A. is a worldwide leading manufacturer

The company is located in Alicante, Spain and has clients in over
130 countries.
In recent years, the increased demand for rolls has lead the comder to meet its clients' requirements in terms of quality and short
delivery times.
December 2014 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

http://www.africanmillingschool.com http://www.World-Grain.com

World Grain - December 2014

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