Arden Group takes on interns to support digitalisation journey

Posted on: Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021

The Arden Group is advancing its digitalisation journey with the support of four interns from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

Arden is taking part in the Digital Technology Internship Scheme organised by Made Smarter – a Government funded scheme to support SME manufacturers in the North West to adopt digital technology to drive growth.

The four Masters students are working on live projects within our Dies, Engraving and Software divisions to gain hands-on industry experience and support our digital strategy.

Tom Brine and Ursula Ackah are both studying for a Masters in Industrial Digitalisation and are working on 3D printing projects within our Dies and Engraving teams – an area we’re looking to develop in the future.

Arden Software is benefitting from the expertise of Segun Akin-Olugbade, who’s studying for a Masters in Industrial Digitalisation, and Jeff Merlehan, a Masters student in Computing.

They’re both working with our WEBcnx project management software on the development of a new die-shop solution to automate manufacturing processes and workflow within our die-making division.

Martin Poynter, Managing Director at the Arden Group, said: “The Arden Group has always been at the forefront of technical innovation and we’re committed to continual investment in the latest technologies to enable us to deliver the highest quality and most innovative products for our customers, so we’re delighted to welcome our new interns who will further support our digitalisation strategy.

“The internship scheme from Made Smarter is a fantastic initiative that provides the students with valuable practical experience within the industry, while for organisations like ourselves we can benefit from their expertise as we adopt new and emerging technologies into our workflow.”

Interns Tom and Ursula are sharing their expertise in Additive Manufacturing.

Tom said: “Having spent the majority of my career to date within medical device manufacture, my internship with Arden is a fantastic opportunity for me to diversify my industry knowledge. The chance to gain experience in another area of manufacturing, with different challenges and opportunities, will enable me to apply myself in a new sector, bringing with me new skills developed throughout my Industrial Digitalisation Masters at MMU.

“By experimenting with new production methods and exploring the introduction of Additive Manufacturing into existing Arden processes, the organisation could benefit from the cost and time savings associated with this new technology.”

Ursula added: “Arden Dies is enabling me to apply the skills I’ve been learning at university to challenges faced in a live industrial setting and this is a tremendous opportunity to research and develop the introduction of Additive Manufacturing technology into an established manufacturing process.”

The internships started this month (March) and will run until October.