Bühler, Minneapolis, announced plans for an Innovation Campus in Uzwil, Switzerland. Completion of the building is expected for the first quarter of 2019.

“This innovation campus will reinforce our innovation power and market leadership. It will help us bring together the smartest minds of the industry to create innovations for a better world,” says Stefan Scheiber, chief executive officer.

The innovation campus consists of two key elements—the upgraded technology labs and the new innovation building, which will build a bridge between the engineering and business world in the existing towers and the upgraded application labs.

On three levels, the modern building will be home for project teams of employees, clients, startups, students and apprentices. It will feature an auditorium for up to 300 participants for large events. The new layout will also entail collaboration and a “maker space,” a media center and a co-working floor with open and secured spaces for over 100 people.

“This building is focused on collaborative innovation,” says Ian Roberts, chief technology officer. “We are creating a collaborative space for all functions, all ages and all knowledge holders. It will allow us to live and foster our innovation culture and test future work practices.”

Meanwhile, Bühler’s existing technology labs, such as the Bakery Innovation Center, will be upgraded during the building process.

“This is a unique setting, which I have not seen anywhere else,” says Roberts. “We are creating a space that brings together visionaries and long-term thinkers of the start-up scene and universities with engineering teams that hold Bühler’s long-standing applied and tested know-how in processing technology. By combining both, we can truly create innovations for a better world.”