World’s Greatest!... showcases Bundy Baking Solutions

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World’s Greatest!… showcases Bundy Baking Solutions

28 May 2025

Maddie Lambert

Maddie Lambert is a copywriter and editor from Joplin, MO. She graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English – literary studies. When she’s not poring over the magazine or lost in the pages of a new novel, you can find Maddie exploring her local bookstores, spending time with her husband, or sharing her latest literary discoveries with fellow book enthusiasts.

URBANA, OH — When the late Russell (Russ) Bundy started selling used baking pans out of the trunk of his vehicle, he single-handedly set plans in motion to build a global empire of bakeware, equipment, coatings and services.

Now, more than 60 years later, those humble beginnings have transformed into Bundy Baking Solutions, a family-owned business that supplies bakers all over the world. The operation encompasses seven brands: American Pan, Pan Glo, Chicago Metallic, Runex, Synova, Turbel and USA Pan.

Supporting commercial bakeries is not just a top priority for the company … it’s the driving force behind Bundy’s commitment to innovation and modernization. This, coupled with the company’s overarching ability to continuously service the industry, landed Bundy a prime-time feature on the award-winning TV series, World’s Greatest!….

World’s Greatest!… is a national show on Bloomberg TV that spotlights companies, products and people making an impact on their respective industries. When the light turned to bakeware companies, Bundy stood out among the pack.

Innovation in action

“We are a cradle-to-grave supplier for bakeware,” said William (Bill) Bundy, president of global manufacturing at Bundy Baking Solutions. “We engineer specific pans for every bakery and every product. Understanding the life-cycle cost of that pan helps us understand how bakers are using them and how they’re going to be recoated in the future.”

Bundy has found the ultimate system to benefit bakers in its network. It closely monitors pan use and updates the design of future bakeware to accommodate customer needs. The goal is to provide bakers with pans that have the longest life cycle and a low cost-per-release. The team designs, manufactures and delivers the pans and non-stick coatings, with a large sales force that visits every bakery every six to 13 weeks, a timeframe that mirrors the frequency at which the coatings need to be reapplied.

The sales team assesses all pans and ensures they’re scheduled for recoating. In the US, Bundy relies on its own transportation network to collect the pans from the bakeries; clean, recoat and straighten them; and return them to the facility within a short amount of time.

Taking the burden of maintenance off plant managers is an invaluable tool the company does not take for granted.

“We give that whole life-cycle service for all their bakeware and coating needs,” Bill said. “A bakery manager’s job is incredibly challenging, and we’re trying to make it at least be the easy button for one thing in their lives.”

Wendi Ebbing, VP of marketing at Bundy Baking Solutions, emphasizes that the company’s ability to be agile and innovative relies on being in the bakery.

“Our vision is to be the most trusted supplier of bakeware and services in the world. In order to do that, we have to be great every day … Our customers count on us, and they deserve the best.” — Bill Bundy | president of global manufacturing | Bundy Baking Solutions

“We recognize areas where pans are getting damaged or ways we can improve pans to help their bakery operation,” she said. “It may be adding strengthening features for traveling or understanding that carbon footprint and sustainability are concerns for bakeries. Our strengths are our knowledge of bakeries, knowing the pain points of the industry and addressing them. That’s how we innovate.”

The company has three manufacturing sites in the US and additional locations in Brazil, Sweden, Romania and Turkey, all with engineering teams behind them.

“They collaborate with each other globally,” Bill said. “Sometimes, one market will have a customer need show itself before it hits other markets.”

When this happens, the local engineering team adjusts accordingly with an update or innovation, which the other global sites can readily apply before the initial need surfaces in their market.

Lights, camera, action

When the Bloomberg crew arrived on-site at one of Bundy’s US locations with cameras rolling, Bill and Gil Bundy, CEO of Bundy Baking Solutions, shared the company’s history and how it shaped into its modern and diverse current global operation. John Bundy, director of USA Pan, dove into the business behind the retail brand.

The episode also highlights the Bundy Baking Museum, which hosts a collection of vintage and modern signage, vehicles, advertising and turn-of-the-century baking equipment, and the American Society of Baking’s Baking Hall of Fame.

All for one, one for all

The museum is a result of Russ’s passion for the industry … and also a reason the Bundy company was awarded “World’s Greatest.”

“The museum played into the award because no one else has that level of dedication to the industry,” Ebbing said.

Being recognized with the award, similar to the museum itself, showcases Russ’s dedication to the industry … and the team he built to help achieve the title.

“He [Russ] would have been over the moon,” Bill said. “He was always the company’s biggest cheerleader, and he would be so proud of the team. You’re only as good as your team, and ours is filled with incredible human beings, so I know he is very proud of every person for their contributions in making this happen.”

While Bundy Baking Solutions acknowledges the immense honor, it also sees it as a call to action; a benchmark on which the company maintains its title as “World’s Greatest.” The team is committed to cultivating an environment where its members are motivated to show up every day and give it their all.

“That’s part of our culture,” Bill said. “Our vision is to be the most trusted supplier of bakeware and services in the world. In order to do that, we have to be great every day. We earn that title with each and every order. Our customers count on us, and they deserve the best.”

With the title under its belt and a mindset of wanting to re-earn it every day, Bundy’s team is rolling up their sleeves and getting to work, just as their leader did.

“It harkens back to Russ,” Ebbing said. “I wonder if Russ ever thought, as he was selling used baking pans in his vehicle, that 60 years later, the company he started would be named ‘World’s Greatest’ … that’s pretty amazing.”

World’s Greatest!… featuring Bundy Baking Solutions ran May 17 and 24. at 1 p.m. CST on Bloomberg TV.

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