One of the automotive access market’s best-known names may be adopting a new slogan soon — something like “When it comes to mobility, there’s no place like home” — while at the same time underscoring the growing clamor for home access innovations.
Harmar Mobility, which has been providing a wide range of ramps and lifts to mobility dealers for years, has announced its intention to launch a series of home and environmental accessibility products as well. According to Harmar President Chad Williams, the expansion is a logical move given the company’s accessibility history and focus.
In fact, Williams says Harmar dealers “have been asking us to do stairlifts forever — and porchlifts are a natural fit.” Those two products are among the ones Harmar will be carrying; the manufacturer displayed stairlifts and porchlifts, in addition to a bathtub lift, at Medtrade 2006 in September in Atlanta.
Included with the product launches will be an expansion of Harmar’s educational offerings, so dealers are well versed in the new product lines and applications. “We’re going to continue that,” Williams confirmed. “Our products really depend completely on the dealer and installation. We make our products as simple as possible to last as long as possible, and then train our dealers to be able to put them in properly so the end-user has years of trouble-free use.”
Harmar is also supporting its new accessibility products by offering a range of marketing materials, from signage to literature, door stickers, co-op advertising funds and Web site help.
Williams says dealers have been “very excited” to hear the expansion news. “They’ve been asking us to do it for probably too long,” he adds. “The bathlift was incredibly well received as a product that not too many people necessarily knew about, but once (they saw) how simple it was and what a nice-quality piece it was, they were very excited to be able to offer it to their clientele.”
The new products will help to make up Harmar Access, which Williams describes as “a wholly owned subsidiary of Harmar Mobility” it’s a separate company.”
Stay tuned for more news, as Harmar Access rolls out its products this year (and, of course, Harmar Mobility continues with its automotive access innovations). To keep up via cyberspace, go to www.harmar.com.
