A privately-owned business which now specialises in workplace ergonomics and employee wellbeing is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its founding company.

Guy Osmond, Managing Director of Osmond Ergonomics, was just six when his father created I.S. Osmond and Sons Ltd in October 1962.

The business underwent a series of incarnations, selling items ranging from slot machines to children’s clothes.

It also made successful forays into t-shirt printing, property development, business card printing machines and hospitality along the way.

Guy, pictured left, started working for the company at the age of 20, 12 years before Osmond Group Limited was created through the merger of five family-run companies in 1988.

Having initially run the slot machine operations, he became Managing Director in 1988 when they sold that business and his parents retired.

Guy then steered the company in a new direction, launching Osmond Ergonomics 30 years ago.

At the time, understanding and application of ergonomics in the workplace was still in its infancy.

With Guy at the helm, the Ferndown-based business has grown into a multi-million-pound sector-leader, delivering workplace health and wellbeing solutions to organisations and individuals across the UK.

Guy, 66, said: “This company has been part of my life since my earliest years, so to be able to celebrate its 60th anniversary is a real privilege.

“I am very proud to be able to continue my father’s legacy, and maintain our reputation for quality, teamwork and customer service – three key pillars that have stood for six decades.”

Osmond Group is giving all employees a special bonus payment, based on years of service, to mark the occasion.

Guy is also digging out some throw-back photos and documents and sharing the eclectic history of the business with current staff and clients.

He said: “Osmond Group’s beginnings were in providing slot machines, juke boxes and pool tables for pubs and bars, and later arcade games.

“It led to a very exciting time for us when we were amongst the pioneers supplying the Space Invaders game and its successors in the UK after it launched in 1978.

“We had a children’s clothes shop – Piccolo – which ensured my own son always had the latest fashions from about five years old, a successful property development arm, a packaging business, and we also launched Salisbury’s first wine bar.

“While that seems a very disparate collection of businesses, the common theme was that we were always looking to operate in a niche – and that was the case with Osmond Ergonomics too.”

As reported on Dorset Biz News, Osmond Ergonomics was born following a chance encounter between Guy, who had a recurring back injury, and the rheumatologist he was referred to.

The rheumatologist, James Robertson, had developed a sloping desk design that was being manufactured in the Rehab Department at Salisbury Hospital.

Guy worked with the carpentry team within the Osmond Group to create a licensed version of the desktop desk which became their first ergonomics product.

He said: “We have been amongst the first to bring products to market in the ergonomics arena and so began supplying big companies like Boots and London Electricity very early on.

“Over the years we’ve been quick to champion and promote innovative products like laptop stands, mini keyboards, the rollermouse concept and so on.

“While the products and sectors in which Osmond Group has operated have changed over the years, I think the fundamental approach has remained the same.

“By spotting opportunities, and working fast to understand and meet rising demand, we’ve kept this business growing through all the ups and downs of the past 60 years.”