First ever female die-maker at Arden

Daniel joined the company in 2017 in the Rubbering Department, but eager to advance her career has recently begun her training as a die-maker on the shop. 

‘When I first joined Arden, I hadn’t even heard of die-making,’ said Daniel. ‘At the time I’d been working as a customer service apprentice in a warehouse, but I wasn’t enjoying it and needed a change. I always knew that I wanted to do a physical job and work with my hands. Growing up, I wanted to be in the military, but I had asthma, so it didn’t work out. Manufacturing and engineering really appealed to me and I wanted to learn a skilled trade. I just knew I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day.’

Die-making is a highly skilled craft, and involves the construction of precision tools, or dies, which at Arden will be used to cut out boxes and cartons for packaging.

‘To be a die-maker, you need to be technically minded, physically fit as it involves swinging a hammer all day, and have good hand eye co-ordination, but women can have these skills too. I’m proud to be Arden’s first female die-maker. It’s a great title to have and I’m really enjoying the role. The best bit about it is the feeling of satisfaction you get when you finish a job. It would be great to see more women in these sorts of roles and it’s not as daunting as they may perhaps think. I don’t feel like the odd one out, I just feel like one of the lads – we have a good laugh,’ concluded Daniel.

Martin Poynter, managing director at the Arden Group, said: ‘Historically, manufacturing, particularly within the packaging sector, has been a male-dominated industry, but that means that companies are missing out on the qualities and skills that women can bring. Attracting more female talent into these sorts of skilled trade roles, such as die-making, is vital for economic growth and for the sustainability of the packaging industry going forward. We are glad to see that times are changing and we’re incredibly proud to have our first female die-maker in Georgina, who is proving a real asset to our workforce, and we hope she will inspire others to consider a career in this industry.’