Company History
GW Martin was founded in 1959 by George William Martin and developed a strong reputation as stainless steel machining specialists with clients including Sealol Inc., GEC, Honeywell Controls, Phillips and Pratt-Burnerd. Originally located in a small unit on Southampton Road in Eastleigh, the company soon required a larger facility and moved to a new bespoke factory on freehold land in 1967. The factory was opened by Sir David Price MP on 22nd September 1967 and, with ongoing investment and development, this remains the home of the company today.
The business grew considerably during the 70’s and further expanded the facility to meet the demands of a growing client list including internationally known companies such as British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddley Aviation, Ford Motor Company, Wabco Automotive, and Martonair. At this time GW Martin obtained Ministry of Defence approval to DefStan 05-24. In the early 80’s, up to 100 people were employed at the site. The advent of more automated CNC equipment led to significant increases in productivity, and this led to a focus on skills development in the new technology. Considerable investments have been made through the years to stay at the forefront of this technology. GW Martin remain a key employer in Eastleigh with a strong relationship with the local community. We are proud of the fact that many of our team have grown with the business having been taken on as apprentices through the years. Within our team we have skilled people at all stages of their career and we continue to invest in training apprentices who today make up over 10% of our team.
Sadly George died in 1984, the year he retired, and the leadership of the business passed on to his sons, Richard and Graham, supported by a strong management team who had been instrumental in the growth of the business. Richard himself retired from the business in 1996, but Graham continues in the role of CEO with George’s grandson, Stuart, taking on the role of Managing Director.
The firm celebrated their 50th Anniversary of the opening of the factory on 22nd September 2017, when they were joined by Sir David Price's successor, Mims Davies MP.
