Category — Healthcare Marketing

Press release:

Handicare acquires Ligtvoet Products

Helmond - 30 June 2009 - Handicare acquires manufacturing company Ligtvoet Products, part of the Harting-Bank Group. Ligtvoet Products, also known as Lipro, develops and manufactures care and rehab mobility products for disabled people. The dealer organisation Ligtvoet will continue to be part of the Harting-Bank Group.

Ligtvoet Products, based in Helmond, the Netherlands, is a former family business which started as a bicycle manufacturer. Since 1965 Ligtvoet Products has specialized in developing and manufacturing high-quality comfort and rehab mobility products. Ligtvoet Products has a strong position in the Dutch market and export sales to Belgium and Switzerland. For now, Ligtvoet Products will continue to operate independently under the name Lipro. Handicare aims to integrate the company’s activities into the Handicare organisation by the end of the year. Handicare will take over all Ligtvoet Products’ staff.

Handicare is one of the fastest growing healthcare companies in Europe. The company offers solutions and support to increase the independence of disabled or elderly people as well as to improve the convenience of those who are caring for them.

The acquisition of Ligtvoet Products is part of Handicare’s growth ambitions. ”We will grow both organically and through acquisitions and we have a strong development internationally”, says Rens Schoenmakers, Senior Vice President Mobility of Handicare. ”With the expertise and products of Ligtvoet Products we are now able to offer a wider range of manual and power wheelchairs, and scooters. This will strengthen our position in the Netherlands as well as in other geographical markets,” says Schoenmakers.

”We are very positive about Ligtvoet Products becoming part of Handicare,” says Marco Jungschlager, CEO of Harting-Bank Group. ”The activities of Ligtvoet Products have a very good fit with Handicare. The organisation, expertise and extensive dealer network of Handicare can contribute to further development of the Lipro products. Additionally, we are very happy for our staff. Their jobs remain in the Netherlands, close to our operation in Helmond. Our Group will be able to fully focus on service and supplying solutions to the end users,” says Jungschlager.

About Handicare
The healthcare company Handicare AS, owned by Herkules Private Equity Fund, was founded in 1986 and offers solutions and support to increase the independence of disabled or elderly people as well as to improve the convenience of those who are caring for them. Handicare’s extensive range of products is designed to satisfy specific local market needs and includes high-quality mobility products, patient handling and bathroom safety products, stair lifts and car adaptations. Through its subsidiary Puls, the Handicare Group also has a leading position in Norway in the sales of capital goods and consumables to hospitals and institutions. Handicare, headquartered in Moss, Norway, has long-established operations in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, USA and Canada, and distributes its own products to an additional 30 markets. The Handicare Group reached a sales revenue of 225 million Euros in 2008.

About Harting-Bank Group
Harting-Bank B.V., owned by NPM-Capital since 2006, was founded in 1836 and is a service-provider and supplier of care and rehab products for disabled people. The company focuses on the Dutch market, where it offers services on behalf of various customers to their clients. Customers include local authorities and health insurers. The Harting-Bank Group operates under various labels, including Harting-Bank and Ligtvoet. The Group has country-wide coverage with over 25 independent operations. Harting-Bank has chosen to focus on service and supplying solutions to end users and on qualitative and controlled growth. The Group reached a sales revenue of 100 million Euro in 2008.

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For more information, please contact:
Juliet de Kleijn
Communication Specialist
Handicare
T: +31 (0)492 593893
M: +31 (0)6 46308415
E: juliet.dekleijn@handicare.com

The healthcare system in France is the envy of most developed countries of the world. France is also the worlds 5th largest country in terms of GDP.

This makes the above event one of the world’s top events from a business potential for those that have an interest in the rapidly expanding healthcare sectors concerning geriatrics, disability, homecare and institutional care - as the ageing population moves from acute to chronic care.

GerontExpo-handicap provides a venue for updating on the latest technologies, products, policies and trends as well as providing significant business opportunities for either manufacturers, distributors or service providers to significantly enhance their business by finding the right business partners in France and internationally.

As a plus HIT 2009 (Health Information Technologies) - will take place in the same venue and will be linked to GerontExpo-Handicap. HIT represents the rapidly growing French Healthcare IT industry and is expected to have over 100 participating companies - large and small.

Frank Barlin - Sibaya LifeScience! Managing Partner will be attending and can be contacted here.

Days Healthcare Germany - according to this announcement on their website has announced that they will be closing their German business effective end June. Days Healthcare Germany is part of the Irish multinational DCC group and was formerly known as Casacare.
[Read more →]

Market rumors abound that pharmaceutical sales reps at Pfizer may be the next to go. CNBC and Bloomberg are announcing the possibility that 2400 US domestic sales employees (about a third of the sales force) may be let go due to off patent drug expiry, and no doubt the current world financial crisis?

The irony is that we reported about a month ago that Pfizer was ranked number 1 in traditional detailing by physicians.

Pharmaceutical Sales Rep Calls And Sales Force Effectiveness - The Trend

It would not surprising of course to see sales rep layoffs coming in the medical device business as well - judging by the recent news at Cardinal.

Economic Downturn Hits Hospital Supply And Medical Device Business

Cardinal Health, citing reduced demand for equipment capital budgets in hospitals, has reduced their earnings outlook for 2009.

David Schlotterbeck, CEO of Clinical and Medical Products said, “With the delay in hospital capital spending, we expect softness in our capital equipment sales to continue in the second half of the fiscal year. It is important to note that more than 40 percent of our Clinical and Medical Products business comes from the sale of disposable products and remains stable. There are also segments of our capital equipment business less affected, and therefore we expect Clinical and Medical Products segment results for the fiscal year to be flat or better than last fiscal year.”

Cardinal Press Release:

Stock is expected to trade down when the market opens.

We stumbled upon this review from The Traveling Wheelchair.

In tough economic times with health care costs being assailed from governments, reimbursement agencies and insurance companies around the world one often loses sight of where some healthcare products, this one in the rehab space, are essential for daily living and quality of life.

Kenny remarks,

Oh what a marvelous morning it was when Brian from Hudson Home Health Care and Dennis from Permobil were standing at my front door with my new Permobil C350 Power Chair. I was elated by the sight of my new wheels and thought what a beauty it is with those silver rims! Brian and Dennis sat me in the chair while they did the final seating adjustment and instructed me on how to utilize the controls with all the features.

and goes on to describe the lifestyle but also essential clinical aspects of his new powered wheelchair.

Not only can my new Permobil Tilt n’ Space, which relieves pressure from my spine but the back of my new chair can also recline… The neatest feature of all is that my seat can elevate up to eight inches high. This feature is great for it helps me be more independent at home…

Here is the link again to read a very well written and complete account.

We have also written about another extraordinary powered wheelchair - Topchair - which enables the owner to climb stairs.

OK - now back to the business of rationing healthcare, manufacturing, outsourcing, exchange rates, restructuring, hiring and firing.

With the uncertainties of the new onslaught of Medicare cuts on respiratory equipment and the growing opacity and dynamism in the customer supply channel, Donald Spence, CEO at Philips Home Healthcare Systems has issued a statement putting paid to “rumors” that they - in effect - were “going direct” to consumers.

Rumors had been fueled by Philips-Respironics programs of drop-shipping supplies directly to consumers.

The company response is:

Supply Direct is a drop-ship service designed to help providers grow and manage their business. It enables
providers to order and directly ship OSA replacement supplies to their patients’ homes through a convenient
Web portal. This program was developed for and with the input of our customers to help them focus on patient
care, while reducing costs and inventory investments. This creates opportunity for homecare providers and
improves patient compliance.
o EncoreAnywhere is another example of how we are working together to meet market needs. The system
connects all the various care givers with access to a common view of patient compliance data and information
related to their patients’ sleep therapy. And it enables our customers to proactively gather, present and share this
information efficiently through a secure Web portal. This system is intended to provide a lower cost, more timely
and accurate methodology for monitoring patient acceptance to their therapy over manually intensive legacy
alternatives. It also provides a lower cost when changing prescriptions in the field.

The company has embarked on an advertizing campaign to make their perspective clear, in addition to this download on their website.

By the way - I called this one in July.