MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. — Bühler North America has acquired PR&D, Inc., a pellet mill and other equipment service company based in Perham, Minnesota, U.S.

The acquisition will strengthen and expand Bühler’s offerings to the U.S. feed, pet food, grain and oilseed processing markets, Bühler said.

“This acquisition is all about honoring our promise and doing whatever it takes to help customers operate more effectively on a day-to-day basis, and, again, demonstrates Bühler’s commitment to North American feed, pet food, grain and oilseed processing customers,” said Brian Williams, vice-president of marketing and business development for Bühler North America.

PR&D is a provider of pellet mill parts and services, including die and roll assembly reconditioning, new dies and roll shells and other equipment parts and services in the North Central U.S. and Central Canadian regions.

The Perham location will become a new service center site in the Bühler Customer Service network. All employees have joined the Bühler team and operations continue unchanged, utilizing the “pick-up, repair and deliver” model.

Future investments are planned to update equipment used to deliver services and the full Bühler supply chain will be leveraged to improve competitiveness both in terms of cost and efficiency. Customers also will benefit from Bühler’s deep process expertise, as an OEM equipment manufacturer, to deliver improved operational insights, along with the services provided.

“From its conception, PR&D was built on customer service by supplying quality parts and fast, reliable service,” said Jeff Steinke, president of PR&D. “By teaming up with Bühler, we will be able to update equipment, expand offerings to include deeper process expertise, allowing us to take our original mission to the next level.”

Steinke and Greg Nelson, vice-president, PR&D, have become Bühler team members and continue to lead the Perham location.