The Helixx Group brings together four Invacare-owned rehab-focused manufacturers — Freedom Designs, Kuschall, Motion Concepts and PinDot — under VP/general manager Chris Yessayan. So inquiring rehab minds want to know: What is to be gained from this new specialty group, and what differences will rehab professionals notice in day-to-day operations?
Mobility Management: Explain the structure of The Helixx Group. How do the companies fit together and complement each other?
Chris Yessayan: The Helixx Group has been set up to focus on the high-end rehab market in North America. We have brought together four products with emphasis on improving mobility for those individuals who want to improve their lifestyles. We currently see three focus areas for Helixx — manual chairs (K?schall and Freedom Designs), power chair subsytems (Motion Concepts) and seating (Freedom, Motion, and PinDot).
MM: Will the group have centralized functions, or will each company work autonomously? Describe the day-to-day interactions among the companies in the group.
CY: Each group will work autonomously, run by a GM challenged with ensuring we have the best products, customer service, quality and delivery in the industry for their respective product lines. Each one of our products is sold by similar dealers/providers, utilized in similar rehab clinics and prescribed by the same clinician group; therefore, we believe it makes the most sense to migrate to one sales organization of direct and independent sales professionals representing the portfolio of Helixx products. We have a lot of work to do in that we are starting with separate but similar sales organizations, but are confident this is the right long-term approach for our customers.
MM: What differences will dealers see in everyday operations?
CY: No immediate changes will be seen by the dealer network. Over time, we will look to simplify doing business under the Helixx umbrella, based on the needs of our customers.
