The Founders Behind Machline
Machline is led by co-founders Luke Collins and Phil Wofford, combining deep operational expertise with a shared obsession for building systems that scale. Get to know the people shaping how modern teams move work forward.
About Luke
Co-Founder, Machline
Luke leads Machline’s acquisition strategy, sourcing and assessing manufacturing businesses across the United States that align with the company’s long-term investment thesis. He brings 18 years of engineering experience working primarily in the oil & gas and petrochemical sector, giving him a strong technical foundation and a practical understanding of how industrial businesses operate at every level. His analytical mindset allows him to quickly assess operational strengths, identify risks, and uncover opportunities for sustainable value creation within potential acquisitions.
Beyond technical evaluation, Luke’s core strength lies in working directly with business owners who are considering an exit.
He understands that selling a company is not purely a financial transaction — it is often the culmination of decades of hard work, personal sacrifice, and identity. Luke takes a relationship-driven approach, listening carefully to each owner’s goals, concerns, and legacy considerations. He focuses on structuring deals that provide fair value, continuity for employees, and long-term stability for the business, ensuring alignment between Machline and the seller. From initial conversations through negotiation and due diligence to completion, Luke manages the process with transparency and integrity, striving to create outcomes that benefit all parties involved and set the foundation for future growth.
About Phil
Co-Founder, Machline
Phil brings deep operational, financial, and strategic leadership experience to Machline, underpinned by a strong engineering foundation and an MBA. Over the course of his career, he has built, scaled, and optimised businesses across multiple sectors, serving in executive and advisory roles where performance improvement and disciplined growth were central mandates. His expertise spans operational transformation, financial oversight, process optimisation, and leadership development — positioning him to drive measurable performance outcomes in lower middle-market industrial businesses.
Within Machline, Phil is responsible for post-acquisition execution and long-term value creation. He is involved during diligence and transaction structuring to ensure operational assumptions are robust and achievable, before stepping into acquired companies to lead transition and integration. His focus is on de-risking the handover process, strengthening management capability, implementing scalable systems, and embedding a culture of operational excellence. Phil’s disciplined, hands-on leadership ensures that each acquisition is positioned for sustained cash flow generation, margin expansion, and strategic growth.