Airflow was incorporated in 1955 by Ken Huish as Airflow Watford Ltd, initially manufacturing plaster air vents and airbricks.

In 1972, the company relocated to New Milton, Hampshire, where Ken diversified the product range to include plastic ventilators imported from Europe. Around this time, the company was renamed Airflow (Nicoll Ventilators) Ltd.

Lionel Huish officially joined the company in 1981—though his involvement began much earlier, helping as a young boy to stack plaster vents on drying racks back in 1968!

Following Ken’s passing in 1985, Lionel took over the business and set out to create an in-house product range. In 1989, he introduced the first 5” core drill vent with a 100cm² free area to the market—a pioneering product at the time.

By the mid-1990s, Lionel had significantly expanded the range, developing face-fit vents, through-wall vents, and tumble dryer vents. With growing concerns around industry standards and marketing claims, Lionel contributed to British Standards committees, advising on updated ventilation requirements.

The 2000s marked another period of growth, as we acquired a range of buckets and expanded into roof ventilation products. In 2008, Airflow brought all plastic moulding in-house, including vacuum and thermal forming, allowing for complete control over our manufacturing process.

Around this time, we also expanded our contract moulding, product design, and development services. One notable success was the development of a market-leading domestic magnetic water filter—over 100,000 units were produced in the first year, from moulding and assembly to testing and packaging.

In 2012, Lionel’s eldest son, Ryan, joined the business, starting from the ground up to understand the full workings of the company. Just 2 years after, Lionel’s other son, Tom, came on board, focusing on product development.

Airflow continued to evolve in 2015, expanding into decorating products such as paint trays and kettles.

After over 30 years at the helm, Lionel is proud to introduce a fresh, 21st-century look to Airflow. With a new logo and a renewed focus on our in-house product range, we remain equally committed to contract moulding and the development of innovative products for our customers.