Accompanied by senior directors from Caleffi, Altecnic's Italian parent company, the entire staff at the Stafford-based business turned out to raise a glass to three decades of successful trading and to toast the future. A special cake was made by an Altecnic employee to commemorate the occasion.

Managing director Alan Sherwin said: 'Our success is built on our employees, coming to work every day doing the best they can to generate growth in the business. I want to say thank you to everyone within Altecnic and particularly those who do that little bit extra.”

He continued: 'Without such a dedicated team Altecnic wouldn't be the success story it is. As I reflect on these 30 years, I have to mention the very special relationship we have with our Italian colleagues. The support that we have from everyone in Caleffi is outstanding.

'So we look forward to another successful 30 years for Altecnic, supporting our customers nationwide with the very best of British service and support.'