Archive for July, 2008

Award winning and 24% Sales Growth - a great start to the year! - Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Stairlift manufacturer Minivator has once again confirmed its continued growth with sales increasing by 24% over 2007 YTD. Chief Executive Mike Lord commented “We have a history of attaining strong growth within the Group: the first six months of this year have seen a phenomenal increase in sales. Sales have been strong across all sectors which is always encouraging. 

We knew 2008 would be a busy year but we had expected to see the majority of growth in the second half following the release of the Slide Track and other new products, we are delighted that the last six months have seen such growth. It is testament to the hard work of all our Associates that we have achieved so much in the first half of the year.” 

It not just the sales figures that are to be applauded, last month Mike Lord was awarded Overall Entrepreneur of the Year by the Midlands based publication ‘Insider’. This award recognises not only historical achievement but also potential for future excellence. Mike was pleased to win the award attributing his success to the support of a strong team: “This award recognises the fantastic performance of the team at Minivator. We pride ourselves on being dynamic and forward looking and our focus is to provide great products and service for all our customers. I believe our continued success is a direct result of the dedication of our team to achieve great things; and it is always gratifying to have this achievement recognised by external bodies.” 

Seat Belt SAFETY ALERT - Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

MHRA Medical Device Alert MDA/2008/037
All Posture/Safety belts fitted to seating, stairlifts, hoists and wheelchairs
It has come Minivator’s attention that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)  has issued a Medical Device Alert regarding the positioning and use of seat belts on a number of assistive aids including stairlifts.
The risk highlighted is that a user may slip, or ‘submarine’ under a seat belt if it is not positioned correctly resulting in a potential injury or fatality. If the user is seated at or around 90° they should be using a belt fixed near to the corner of the seat/base with the belt at approximately 45° to seat base with a snug fit over the pelvis.
This is not the first time concerns about such safety issues have been raised. At Minivator our design team have considered this factor when designing our lifts and as such we are pleased to confirm that all of our stairlifts are designed to allow the correct seat belt positioning as recommend by MHRA. You may wish to satisfy yourself that other suppliers of stairlifts seat belts meet the recommended design.
To view the full alert visit: www.mhra.gov.uk and search the site (top right of webpage) for MDA/2008/037.
The alert was posted on the 5th June 2008.