Former Manufacturing Manager of Dynamic Inspection Tim Whyte was named general manager of Fortress Technology’s fourth global manufacturing hub in New Zealand.

He succeeds founders of the firm, Bob Philpott and Steve Atkins, who are stepping down after growing the company into the market leader of food contaminant and checkweighing equipment in New Zealand, Australia and neighboring APAC countries.

The appointment of Whyte, who has worked for the New Zealand-based company for over a decade, ensures customers benefit from a well-rounded manager with the experience needed to support Fortress Technology’s next era of growth and maturity locally and globally. “This is an important growth stage for the company. I am humbled to lead Fortress Technology New Zealand at such an exciting time,” says Whyte.

Making the food industry safer attracted Whyte into the industry. Spending the past decade running the New Zealand manufacturing department and overseeing the service team, the electrical engineering apprentice previously worked as an electrician before completing further studies to qualify as an electrical inspector. Whyte joined the food safety specialist in 2013.

“The concept of fine-tuning equipment to make the food industry even safer remains a huge draw personally and professionally. Having equipment familiarity is a real asset for leaders as it enables us to better understand and react to unique production challenges,” Whyte said.

“Fortress is uniquely positioned to customize production lines and respond rapidly to deliver food safety solutions that fit their evolving needs. Customers rightly expect the highest attention to detail and access to innovative new machinery to meet their evolving needs," he added.