Key equipment and systems businesses are fine-tuning  their respective booths for this year’s Gulfood Manufacturing, as the event prepares to offer a region debut for a wide array of technology, writes Neill Barston.

This year’s show is set to see more than 2,500 companies exhibit in the halls of Dubai’s World Trade Centre, with attendees from across 80 nations anticipated to engage with the event.

While geopolitical conditions remain challenging within the wider Middle East region, organisers have continued with their preparations, and the event is anticipated to proceed fully as planned, between 3-5 November.

There will be a host of major equipment, systems and ingredients players participating, including Switzerland’s Bühler machinery and solutions business, which has continued to evolve a wide range of confectionery, snacking and bakery equipment, including chocolate production lines.

For this year’s event, the business will be showcasing a broad spectrum of its portfolio serving the wider food sector, with established Uzwil-based firm having a notable footprint in the wider MENA region.

Gulfood manufacturing 2023. Pic: Neill Barston

Editor Neill Barston quizzes  Daniel Keller, Managing Director Middle East, Bühler Group on prospects for this year’s show, as it moves to meet demand for machinery from manufacturers across diverse industry sectors.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing food manufacturers today, and how is Bühler helping them respond?
A: Food manufacturing is changing significantly. The future of food depends on how we produce it, how wisely we use resources, and how resilient our production systems are. Manufacturers need to manage costs, maintain consistent quality, and make more efficient use of energy and raw materials.

At the same time, they need to keep pace with evolving consumer expectations. Bühler works with customers across the production journey, from raw-material handling to finished products. By combining technologies, process expertise, and services, we help food manufacturers strengthen operational reliability, improve resource efficiency, and adapt to changing market needs.

Q: What is Bühler bringing to the Gulfood show (solutions, technologies, services…) that you believe can make a real difference for food producers?
A: At Gulfood Manufacturing, our booth will illustrate both the breadth of Bühler’s capabilities and how different stages of food production can be connected. Our Food Park concept takes visitors on a journey from ship unloading and raw-material handling through to processing applications for rice, flour, feed, biscuits, pasta, and other foods. By bringing different value chains together in one location, food parks can help manufacturers benefit from shared infrastructure and economies of scale.

Alongside this broader view of food production, we will showcase technologies for specific applications. For biscuit production, it includes Bühler‘s Smartline, featuring the rotary molder RotaMold Max Smart and the HybridBake Smart baking oven.

In chocolate, we will present our bean-to-bar solutions, including the Finer S Edition 26 and the ELK S Edition 26, both launched in May 2026. Another highlight for chocolate production is CompactMix, which combines mixing and grinding technologies to deliver precision fineness, consistent quality, flexible production capacity, and high energy efficiency.

For extrusion, visitors can also explore the Nutrex 7 Series, the next-generation twin screw extrusion platform.

Services are also an important part of our presence at the show. Visitors will be able to see one of Bühler’s milling rolls and learn about the services available to maintain and optimize equipment performance throughout its lifecycle. Our experts will be on hand to discuss how customers can keep their equipment running reliably and efficiently over time. Together, these technologies, expertise, and services reflect Bühler’s theme for Gulfood Manufacturing: “Inspired by Taste. Designed for Success.”

The Bühler Group’s headquarters in Uzwil, Switzerland. Pic: Bühler.

Q: Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities for the food industry in the Middle East, and what role can Bühler play in that development?
A: The Middle East has an opportunity to strengthen local manufacturing capacity, diversify its food offering, and build more resilient value chains. There is also growing scope for food manufacturers to develop products tailored to regional tastes while improving the efficiency of their operations.
Bühler can support these ambitions as a long-term technology partner. Our capabilities span raw-material handling, complete processing solutions, and specialized applications, including the journey from cocoa beans to finished chocolate. By bringing together technology, process expertise, and services, we can help customers develop new products, scale production, and make more effective use of resources.