Actionair, the manufacturer of smoke and fire damper systems, is celebrating 40 years in business this month.
On April Fools' Day 1974 the country was battling through the aftermath of the Winter of Discontent and the three day week. With power cuts hampering daily life and rubbish lying uncollected on the streets, few people would have thought it was a sensible time to launch a new business. However, this didn't deter Rob Magill, then a director of Waterloo Ozonair.

The Kent-based firm went from strength to strength. In 1980 it introduced the concept of smoke protection in UK buildings with the development of its motorised SmokeShield range, when it became clear that smoke was the biggest killer and threat to property in the event of a fire.

In 1986 Actionair pioneered the first intelligent damper control system that brought a whole new level of sophistication to the smoke and fire protection market. In the same year it also moved into expanded manufacturing facilities close to its original home in Whitstable.

In 1994 it was acquired by the Baxi group of companies. It became part of Baxi Air Management in 1998, before moving to the global Tomkins Group in 2000. Today it is part of Ruskin Air Management alongside the other British ventilation equipment brands Air Diffusion and Naco.

Actionair now employs 123 people and has an annual turnover of £12m. Late last year it opened the Ruskin Air Management Development Academy (RAMDA) test centre and product development facility on its Whitstable site.

Although Mr Magill is no longer around, four employees have been with the company for over 30 years, including site manager Tony Munt (36 years' service); factory managers Dave Morris (36 years) and Boris Coleman (34 years); as well as marketing manager Charles Shillitoe (30 years).

Managing director Kevin Munson, who has 27 years' service, said the whole company and the wider industry, owed a debt of gratitude to Mr Magill. 'He had a vision for the business and a deep understanding of the damper market. We were all made to feel part of something significant as providers of life critical solutions in buildings and I'd like to think we have preserved Rob's ethos despite the various changes of ownership over the years.'

Mr Munson added: 'Actionair remains a strong and widely recognised brand today and has emerged in good shape from the recession. That is thanks, in many ways, to the values and resilience our founder instilled in the company back in those dark days of the early 70s.'