Minivator Stairlifts

Naidex 2008 was a big hit for Minivator once again this year, giving us a platform to showcase our newest innovations and launching some revolutionary products.  As well mobility dealers, the show also offered the most up to date information and technology to health care professionals and the public.
We were excited to be able to show a selection of some of the newest technology we are working on, including what proved to be the star of the show, the SlideTrack.  Alongside SlideTrack we previewed two new bath lifts, the Nirvana and Atlantis and our talking stairlift, which demonstrated our latest eDiagnostic technology.
Exclusive to Minivator, SlideTrack was considered to be the showstopper of the event.  This significant development in technology founded by our specialist research and development team completely removes the need for a hinge on straight stairlifts.  The SlideTrack offers a safe, fully automatic and neat solution.  The track actually slides automatically up the stairs whilst the lift is moving.  Shown on the New Simplicity 950⁺, the SlideTrack attracted admirers from all over the industry.
We hope to release SlideTrack for sale in August and judging by the reaction of visitors to our stand it promises to be a huge success.
The talking stairlift also had its share of admirers too. This is the first time that we have publicly demonstrated the technology that will allow us to open up communication channels with stairlift users. Effectively the stairlift acts as a mobile phone, at the push of a button the user can call a pre-designated number in the case of an emergency - there is a microphone in the armrest and speaker in the back of the seat.
 
This technology also allows for remote diagnostic reporting which means the stairlift can call us to let us know if it has a problem. In practice this means we can call the client to advise them of potential problems, if for example they leave their lift off charge we can call and tell them thereby preventing the batteries draining.
 
We also showed preproduction samples of our two new bath lifts, the Nirvana Reclining bath lift which will replace the Minivator 303 and the Atlantis fixed back bath lift which will be a new addition to the independent living products range. Both these products were well received and we even took pre-orders for delivery as soon the products become available later in the year.
 
Overall the response from visitors was very positive indeed. We look forward to the full release of these products and many more exciting innovations from our product design specialists.

Stairlift manufacturer Minivator has announced another year of continued growth with like for like sales increasing by 13% over 2006. Having enjoyed another strong year in both the Trade and Government sectors Minivator has also reported an operating profit up 32%. Performance in international markets was also strong with Sterling Stairlifts, their US subsidiary, again achieving high double digit sales growth. 

Reflecting on 2007 Chief Executive Mike Lord Commented “2007 was a busy year for the team at Minivator: it is amazing to think the business is now five times bigger than it was when it was acquired just seven years ago! We have continued to invest in both New Product Design and IT, with last year seeing our third successive year of record capital investment. 

Last years investment has built the foundation for an even busier year in 2008. We have got off to a flying start having achieved some early wins gaining established business from key competitors. We expect to continue this run as we role out our eVolution service package and embark on a programme of new product launches which promises a year where we introduce more products and developments than ever before.”