Manufacturers of lifts, ramps and transfer devices spend a lot
of time brooding over how their products coordinate with the other
equipment used by home-based patients — from living room
furniture to minivans. Does the lift chair match nicely with the
loveseat? Will a vehicle's rear end be too light to support a
lift?
Product innovation in this market segment is often directed by
the answers to these questions. “We pay attention to the
furniture industry, looking at what seems to be popular,”
says Cy Corrigan, national sales manager for retail mobility at
Pride Mobility Products. The company wants to make sure, for
example, that its lift chairs “fit into the overall decor of
the room — with the sofa and the loveseats — so [the
chair] doesn't look like a medical device.”
Other manufacturers report similar trends. “We're seeing
more and more blending of the equipment to the home decor,”
notes Tom Herceg, president of SureHands Lift & Care Systems.
“It is a consumer market. These products aren't going into
nursing homes or hospitals — and even in nursing homes people
don't want [a lift] to look clinical,” he explains.
In response, manufacturers are developing products that answer
this growing consumer demand. At Vantage Mobility International
(VMI), which entered the stowage and platform lift market three
years ago, Product Manager Terry Miller says current customers
“seek a professional look and design.” Lifts, he says,
“used to look like big, bulky farm implements, but we've
brought the style into the 21st century. Five years ago people
would still buy that odd-looking device, but some things are
unacceptable today.”
Coordinating Designs
While lift chairs may be designed to blend with a patient's
furnishings, innovation in auto lifts is closely linked both to
designs in the automotive industry and to products in the scooter
and wheelchair markets.
“We're kind of a middle product for a scooter or
wheelchair,” says David Mortimore, vice president of sales
and marketing for Silver Star Mobility. “We've constantly got
to be looking at new vehicles coming out, and also at what scooter
and power wheelchair manufacturers are putting out
there.”
Coordinating between new car designs and new products that
scooter and wheelchair manufacturers are introducing isn't always
smooth, however. For example, Mortimore says, “Vehicle
manufacturers are making lighter and lighter rear ends that can't
support lifts. On the other hand, you've got bigger and bigger
chairs and scooters for [the bariatric market].”
New car designs can often place demands on how a lift is
installed and operated, leading lift manufacturers in the home care
market to innovate accordingly. “A lot of minivans are coming
out with third-row, fold-to-floor seats, which makes [lift]
installation more difficult,” explains VMI's Miller, who
notes the company has developed an installation kit that does not
require any drilling. “It's more accommodating,” he
says.
Some manufacturers are also collaborating directly with
automakers that, according to Miller, are looking at private
labeling of lift components. “OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers) have started to forge partnerships [with lift
companies] to capture this market segment,” he says.
According to Mortimore, Silver Star works directly with the
Society for Automotive Engineers to build collaboration between the
two industries. “It's a challenge,” he says, but adds
that one notable result of the effort was the introduction of
onboard battery packs, eliminating the need for end users to run
power for the lift from a car battery.
“This was driven by auto manufacturers who didn't want a
third party running off the car's system because of new computer
chips,” Mortimore explains. “We took that to heart and
introduced the battery pack.”
Since the market for vehicle lifts is so closely tied to the
scooter and power wheelchair markets, leading manufacturers say
they expect to see more lifts sold as part of a package with
mobility devices. These sales are “pretty minimal now, but we
expect to see more and more … so people can save
money,” Mortimore says.
Versatility, Safety, Simplicity
Despite the challenges that come from creating their products to
function with those across different industries, manufacturers of
lifts, ramps and transfer devices haven't lost sight of the
customer's needs. End users want “more versatility, more
simplicity or ease of use, and more safe and reliable
products,” says SureHands' Herceg. And while for
manufacturers the equation is “flip-flopped,” he says
— “the order of priority reverses, and safety and
reliability are the key” — consumers' needs are being
met.
Chad Williams, president of Harmar Mobility, agrees.
“Product innovation has enabled us to handle not only more
applications but to do so with safer, simpler, lighter and
better-looking designs that are easier to use.
“Vehicle lifts and portable ramps will continue to evolve
into more attractive and user-friendly designs,” Williams
says. “The new hybrid platform lifts now available from a
number of manufacturers illustrate the progression of the lift
market moving beyond the standard inside lifts. The new hybrid
lifts are simpler, more robust and, altogether, better solutions
for dealers and their customers, while maintaining a competitive
price point with their predecessors.
“I believe we will continue to see the market leaders
unveiling innovative new products that will enhance peoples' lives
by making them more mobile than they ever dreamed
possible.”
Mobility is indeed the “new twist” in this market,
according to Herceg. “In general, the aging of the disabled
population creates a broader need for lifts, but the disability
range is the same. A new twist is that you have a healthier
disabled population with more recreational possibilities,” he
says, pointing out that these days such customers travel more, stay
in hotels more and participate in a growing variety of
activities.
Manufacturers are serving a population that is already
established, but in a new way, says Gary David Nowitz, vice
president of sales and marketing for Liko Inc. “By providing
products that are lightweight for portability and easy to travel
with, we have the ability to hit a note in the market, which is
mobility for these patients.”
As the range of recreational possibilities increases for home
medical equipment users, innovation in lifts, ramps and transfer
products is beginning to mirror the evolution of power wheelchairs,
industry leaders say. “There's a different generation out
there that is going to be expecting different things,” says
Mortimore of Silver Star. “More and more, they're going to
want something to show off. Look at wheelchairs and how they've
evolved — lighter weight, new look, colors, sport-specific
chairs. We're going to see the same thing with lifts. We have a
huge market coming at us,” he says.
However, manufacturers across the market say they spend too much
of their time persuading Medicare of the merits of their products.
“This product category is still immature,” says Herceg.
“The challenge always seems to be justifying the higher-cost,
more comprehensive solutions, proving it's worth the investment as
a long-term solution. There's still a lot of missionary work
involved proving it to Medicare,” he believes, adding that it
makes sense to support new and better solutions and look beyond the
immediate cost of an item to its longer-term benefits.
“The market is growing,” Herceg continues.
“It's only the lack of funding — or the ignorance
quotient — that will slow it down.”
Showroom Savvy Can Boost Sales
Lifts, ramps and transfer devices are a good addition for
providers who want to grow their retail business, says Pride
Mobility's Cy Corrigan, national sales manager for retail mobility,
who says lift chairs, for example, are “an excellent item to
add to [a dealer's] line to increase revenue.”
The key to selling these products in the home care market, say
Corrigan and other experts, is showroom savvy-achievable in three
easy steps. The first step involves having product displays that
are accessible and varied.
“Working product displays are the ultimate selling tool
as, more often than not, economy-minded end users like to see what
they are buying,” says Chad Williams, president of Harmar
Mobility. “Product displays in showrooms really increase cash
sales,” he says.
Showroom displays can create “more interest, awareness and
sales for [providers],” according to Amanda Dean, public
relations officer for Uplift Technologies, which manufactures lift
cushions. “It's a win-win situation,” she says.
A customer or caregiver needs to be able to touch and operate a
device, especially when it comes to the more complex and more
expensive products that may not be funded. “[People] need to
get a hands-on demonstration to really see a difference,”
explains Tom Herceg, president of SureHands.
The second ingredient for showroom savvy is attentiveness to an
end user's individual needs, these experts say. Providers should
address what Corrigan calls “the daily living questions: how
many hours a day they'll be in the [lift] chair, the person's
condition, their size-height and weight-and so on,” he says,
to make sure customers get the right product.
And finally, having stock on hand is also “a huge sales
tool,” points out David Mortimore, vice president of sales
and marketing for Silver Star, because, particularly with retail
products, consumers don't want to wait. “Today's society
says, ‘We want it now.’”
Experts Interviewed:
Cy Corrigan, national sales manager for retail mobility,
Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa.; Amanda Dean, public relations
officer, Uplift Technologies, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Tom Herceg,
president, SureHands Life & Care Systems, Pine Island, New
York; Terry Miller, product manager, Vantage Mobility Inc.,
Phoenix, Ariz.; David Mortimore, vice president of sales and
marketing, Silver Star Mobility, Medford, Ore.; Gary David Nowitz,
vice president of sales and marketing, Liko, Inc., Franklin, Mass.;
and Chad Williams, president, Harmar Mobility, Sarasota,
Fla.
