The Man Behind British Collator Machines: Michael Bailey

Col-Tec chairman discusses his MBE for services to British industry, his pioneering career, and making Britain a global player in collator manufacturing

Everyone at Col-Tec had an extra special new year when it was confirmed chairman Michael Bailey was awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours List. Mike, as he’s known to colleagues and family, played a pivotal role setting up and running our collator machine business.

Mike and Col-Tec have been on some journey – from becoming the top collator machine manufacturer in the UK to a global market leader. When the world needs expert, bespoke collation solutions, the world looks to Col-Tec.

Collating and Mike’s career have been one and the same since he started his education and professional training. Since the 1960s he’s worked to establish leading collator machine businesses. Mike has been the chief mover and shaker in manufacturing and innovation. Without his dedication, it’s likely Britain would have no global standing in the collator machine industry.

We had a chance to catch up with Mike and get his thoughts and reflections on his remarkable career. How did he feel when learning he’d receive an MBE?

Disbelief is the simple answer. “When I got the letter, I was going to throw it in the bin because I thought it was a scam,” Mike said. “And I thought to myself, ‘God, these guys are getting really clever these days, but they’re not going to catch me out!’

The only reason I didn’t throw it away was my wife. She said, ‘I don’t think that’s a wise idea, Mike.’ So I retrieved it.”

Mike, who turns 86 in the spring, still works three or more days a week at Col-Tec. He shows no signs of slowing down. 70 years ago, at the age of 15, he was drawn into the printing and collating business. During his mid-20s, he questioned why the production of collating machines was dominated by German and American manufacturers.

The problem was crystal clear. “In Britain, we made nothing,” Mike said. “So I thought, why don’t we make something like this? A bit of a gamble. But I thought, I understand what’s going on here. And in those days, printing was big business.

We made our first machine, and it was a success. Initially, we only sold in England, and we were taking the market from the Germans.” His competitive spirit against the Germans still burns brightly – like kerosene poured on a November night bonfire.

Mike’s first collator design was sold through a company called Kolectaset International. It was spelled with a K to give it an “overseas flavour.”  Following a difference of opinions at board level, Michael resigned as a director and immediately started a new company called Setmasters. Within two years, Setmasters had taken over as market leader in the UK, and was now primed for the world stage.

During the 1970s, the main American manufacturer of collating machines had folded, leaving German and Italian manufacturers plus Setmasters as the major global players.

Adapting to change is one of the most important reasons why Mike has had such a long career as a leading light in the collating business.

“We never make the same machine twice. If we did, the Japanese and Chinese would likely make five in one go and at half the price,” he said.

“We’ve adapted and changed with the market. We’ve embraced the market, and we’ve found ways of doing what the market really needs.”

Mike added: “After more than 50 years, we’re still collating. But what we used to collate 50 years ago has gone. What we used to collate 40 years ago has gone. 30 years ago, 20 years ago – it’s all gone.”

The Col-Tec chairman finds it hard to separate the business from the personal. “If we sell a machine and it doesn’t work well, I see that as a personal slight – a failure on my part,” Mike said.

In 2000, Mike left Setmasters and joined Col-Tec which was founded by his son Paul. Within five years, Col-Tec had displaced Setmasters as the UK’s leading collating business, with many staff following Michael to his new company. In 2009, Col-Tec acquired Setmasters and became the only UK-based collator manufacturer. Currently, given the levels of customisation undertaken by Col-Tec, only one other company in the world – a German manufacturer – rivals Col-Tec as a direct competitor.

Mike has overseen the automation of the collating process, the computerisation of the business model, and outperformed every competitor who has come his way.

Reflecting further on his MBE honour, Mike clarified his feelings. “I feel humbled,” he said. “I feel that there are people in this world who deserve it more than me. I’m going to be a bit nervous when I receive the award from royalty.

“It’s nice to be told you’ve got an MBE. But somehow, it seems unreal, and was I really worth it?”

Despite questioning his worthiness of the honour, there are many others who backed his nomination for the award. Chiefly, his son Paul, Charles Linney from the Linney Group – a major contributor to the UK Printing Industry, and local MP Sir Desmond Swayne.

The New Forest MP said: “I am delighted for Michael, and it is very encouraging to see such achievement for British industry and enterprise honoured.”

It’s certainly been a big deal for Paul, who played a significant role in getting his father recognised for his “substantial impact” on the world of collator machines.

“Mike has been solely responsible for setting up and running Great Britain’s only business in the horizontal collating machinery industry,” Paul said.

“He’s been committed to this for 60 years and it is the longevity of his achievement that has had a substantial impact on this industry.

His influence has been as far reaching as imaginable. Under his leadership, collators have been exported to all four corners of the world,” Mike’s son added.

“We’ve made sales to more than 80 nations including the US and countries across Europe. Col-Tec collators have been installed in geopolitical hotspots such as Sudan, Iran, Russia, Nigeria, Vietnam, and Burkina Faso, to mention but a few.”

During Mike’s leadership over the decades at Setmasters and Col-Tec, he’s helped the companies scale new heights of growth with 80% of turnover coming from export sales.

Thousands of collator sales from the 1970s to the 2000s accounted for a total turnover of approximately £50m. On the home front, Col-Tec has sold machines to British institutions, including the MOD, RNIB, Inland Revenue and Coutts Bank plus others. During Michael’s career he has hired over 600 people – many of whom were apprentices who would go on to enjoy long careers in engineering. Significantly, a high proportion of employees have only ever worked for Michael, starting and ending their careers at his collating businesses.

The son is proud of his father and how he put British collator machines on the map.

Paul said: “He led the company to produce over 3,000 British-built high-speed and incredibly versatile collating machines and the company continues to benefit from his dedication and passion for the industry.

I cannot think of another business sector where just one man has been singularly responsible for leading the country’s solitary presence on the global stage for such an enduring period.

My father’s MBE is much deserved and rightly celebrated,” he added.

He said: “I am delighted for dad, and it is very encouraging to see such achievement for British industry and enterprise honoured.”

Looking ahead to the future of Col-Tec, collator machines, and the wider industry, Mike said change is inevitable. He said: “Provided we move with the times, we’ll be here for a long time.

But we have to move.

What we do today will not be right in 10, 20 years’ time. It won’t be needed. It’ll be gone.”

It’s what history has taught Mike, and he sees history as a solid foundation to predict things to come. Nevertheless, focusing more on the here and now, Mike has to content with the pomp and grandeur of receiving his MBE at Buckingham Palace.

“Well, I’m going to be nervous,” Mike said. “My wife will join me. I suppose the most stressful part of this won’t be the presentation…

It’ll be my wife choosing the right colour of dress and getting the hemline to the right length. That will be the stressful bit.”