Sunrise Medical Completes Strategic Acquisition of Ride Designs

MALSCH, Germany—Sunrise Medical, a provider of advanced assistive mobility solutions, announced its strategic acquisition of Ride Designs, a provider of custom seating systems for wheelchair riders. This acquisition marks an expansion of Sunrise Medical’s custom seating offerings, clinical expertise and service capabilities.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Ride Designs has built its reputation in designing and delivering highly specialized seating systems for wheelchair riders. In recent years, Ride Designs has also been developing, implementing and optimizing 3D printing technologies for mass production of such highly customized products.

The company has followed a set of core principles backed by its founders Tom Hetzel and Joe Bieganek, and the heritage from the prosthetics and orthotics industry, which includes direct rider engagement through the Aspen Seating Clinic. In addition, the portfolio of Ride Designs benefits from evidence-based product and technology development supported by broad collaborations and research with reputable institutions and universities. This ensures that the company’s innovations are always integrated with a user-centric approach and science-backed data. The unique market reach of Ride Designs, through extensive clinical education and certification of skilled complex rehabilitation technology clinicians and providers, also demonstrates a commitment to clinically differentiated solutions that are optimized to personalized customer care, Sunrise said. 

“We are very excited to welcome Ride Designs into the Sunrise Medical family,” said Thomas Babacan, president and CEO of Sunrise Medical. “We firmly believe that this acquisition has high strategic importance and offers mutual benefits for both parties. By joining forces with Ride Designs, Sunrise Medical adds a high-end custom seating offering to our Seating and Positioning product portfolio, similar to RGK for the manual wheelchairs range and Magic for the power wheelchairs range. The acquisition not only addresses and significantly expands the broad spectrum of seating and positioning requirements for wheelchair riders worldwide, but also brings highly valuable clinical expertise and advanced 3D printing technologies and competencies into the Sunrise Medical group.

“…Sunrise Medical now has an even stronger product range, clinical expertise and operational competencies to offer the best-suited seating solutions to all wheelchair riders. This optimizes their mobility in terms of clinical functionality, comfort, posture and skin integrity,” Babacan said.

Ride Designs adds to Sunrise Medical’s track record in M&A which it said is a key pillar in its business strategy. Recent strategic acquisitions in 2022 include The Helping Hand Company, a UK-based company specializing in pressure management and pediatric products, and Budapest-headquartered NOW Technologies, a technological research and development company focusing on digital and software innovations of wheelchair control systems.”We are thrilled to become part of the Sunrise Medical group,” said Tom Hetzel, CEO and co-founder of Ride Designs. “Ride Designs has always been dedicated to helping wheelchair riders achieve the best possible fit to enhance their quality of life. This aligns seamlessly with Sunrise Medical’s mission of improving people’s lives.

“Ride Designs and the Aspen Seating Clinic have long been pioneers in specialized seating development,” Hetzel said. “We are especially proud of our latest 3D printing technology manufacturing capabilities. The strengths of the two companies complement each other very well. Sunrise Medical’s existing comprehensive mobility offering, global sales networks, business resources, and infrastructure will significantly accelerate Ride’s global outreach and expansion. We are committed to providing uncompromising solutions to address skin and postural challenges, and we believe that Sunrise Medical is our strongest partner in achieving our mission.”

In 2020, Sunrise Medical also acquired James Leckey Design, along with its subsidiaries Firefly Friends and Vida Global, a provider of specialized pediatric therapeutic devices, as well as Oracing, a Spanish designer and manufacturer of made-to-measure sports wheelchairs and power assist products. With the Ride Designs acquisition, Sunrise Medical and Ride Designs aim to “revolutionize the world of custom seating and further empower wheelchair riders to live their lives to the fullest.”

To find out more, visit sunrisemedical.com.