ATLANTA — Invacare and Motion Concepts announced last week the two companies have combined product portfolios and sales organizations. "This partnership creates the strongest and most clinically effective seating and positioning line in the industry," Brian Ellacott, vice president and general manager of commercial operations in North and South America for Invacare, told reporters at a press conference during Medtrade.
While the companies' separately developed seating and positioning lines had resulted in overlapping products and complexity for customers, Ellacott said by combining portfolios, customers will benefit from ease of ordering, on-chair availability of the integrated Invacare Matrx seating series, single invoicing and simplified pricing. Improved design, accelerated product introduction, component interchangeability and more ease in sales and support will be other advantages, he said.
All current Invacare and Motion Concepts power positioning systems will remain the same. On Feb. 1, 2011, several new seat cushions (such as the Invacare Absolute) and back cushions (Matrx Propel Back) will be part of the seating and positioning line. Also effective in February, new pricing and discount structures will override current pricing on contract for Invacare and Matrx seating. The new pricing structure will be announced to customers in early December, officials said.
Motion Concepts will become the global center of design excellence for the Matrx seating series and all new power positioning systems, according to Brad Peterson, vice president of sales and marketing for Motion Concepts, which has U.S. headquarters in Tonawanda, N.Y. "As always, we will strive to create reliable, modular solutions for every client and believe this new structure will allow us to do so on an even greater, global scale," he said.