Lyn Bates, co-founder and former chairman of Ajax Equipment, died November 6, 2026, at age 98. He helped establish the company as a globally recognized specialist in bulk solids handling.

Bates founded Ajax Equipment in 1970 with Bill Waters. The company focused on developing solids handling and processing equipment for industrial applications.

Throughout his career, Bates championed engineering excellence and advances in material flow science. His expertise in bulk solids handling earned recognition from colleagues, customers and engineers in the UK and internationally. Bates received the Most Distinguished Achievement Award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Process Division and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Shapa.

Bates' contributions to Ajax Equipment and the wider bulk solids handling industry spanned more than five decades and focused on industry education and knowledge sharing. These contributions include authoring articles on bulk solids feeding that were published by Processing in 2024 and 2025.