Phil Martin, baking industry stalwart and former managing director of bakeware supplier Mackies has passed away after a stoic battle with illness.

Originally a plumbing contractor, Phil joined Mackies in 1961, with management quickly recognising his talent for problem solving. He began his long career in the baking industry as assistant factory manager and was promoted to factory manager in short succession.

In the mid ‘60s, Phil developed a bread pan manufacturing line that eliminated many manual operations, increasing output and reducing health and safety issues. With the addition of several technical innovations into the line, Mackies’ range of baking utensils was brought up to international standards, and are still being used to this day.

At a time when the company was expanding its manufacturing presence around the country, Phil was welcomed onto the board as manufacturing director in the early ‘80s. He stayed in the top job until 1995 before continuing on as a technical consultant until 2000 – wrapping up almost 40 good years in the baking industry.

Thanks to Phil’s extraordinary vision, Mackies now exports bakery products to more than 40 countries. His story is one of the company’s great success stories and indicative of the industry’s dedication and drive.