Arden Group Managing Director Martin Poynter has been named amongst the prestigious Manufacturer Top 100 roll of honour.

The Manufacturer Top 100 list, run by The Manufacturer Magazine, recognises the most dynamic leaders and innovators in the manufacturing sector, representing the very best talent in the industry.

Joe Bush, Editor of The Manufacturer and The Manufacturer Top 100 publication said: “It’s been a pleasure talking to some of this year’s intake and our judging panel, and listening to the passion for the manufacturing industry in the UK. They say that if you find something you love doing, you’ll never work another day in your life and it’s clear that for so many, a career in manufacturing means so much more than a job.

“Of course, the primary goal of the Top 100 is to raise the profile of the sector and highlight the amazing opportunities that exist. It is perhaps easy for young people to visualise working in other sectors, but ask them to picture a career in manufacturing and the vision might be slightly opaque, outdated and certainly some way off the modern day reality.

“Therefore, the onus is on us, the manufacturing sector, to shout about our industry from the roof tops. The Top 100 are proof of the amazing things that can be achieved by the makers and doers in the sector. Society as a whole is going through a period of challenge and change and it’s the innovators and the problem solvers who will be at the coalface of that and the ones driving our nation and society forward.”

Martin is part of the founding family of the Arden Group, joining Arden Dies in 1978 under his father Frank Poynter, after completing a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He said: “I have been an engineer all my life and I apply this to my work every single day. I joined the family business after a bereavement and the need for an engineer to help run the first laser that my father had guaranteed his house to buy. It was a significant piece of equipment and I had just graduated from university specialising in CNC, so it was obvious that I was the only one that could help fix the problem.

“I’ve never looked back since and my career has been filled with many achievements within our business. I am still very active in day-to-day operations even at the age of 65 and I have no immediate plans to retire. My work is my life, so it’s a real honour to be named amongst The Manufacturer Top 100.”

With Martin’s background in production engineering, he brought the skills, drive and determination to see the business grow – launching our software arm – Arden Software in 1988 after spotting a gap in the market for specialist CAD/CAM packaging software for die-makers.

Further expansion followed in 1999, when we branched out into the embossing sector with the launch of Arden Engraving, providing a one-stop shop for customers, enabling them to incorporate emboss or hot foil stamping to their cutting and creasing package.

Today, Martin remains at the helm of the Arden Group, which is the leading name in die-making and packaging software, employing more than 165 people around the world through our Dies, Engraving and Software divisions.

Read more about the history of the Arden Group.