Q’Straint, manufacturer of wheelchair securement systems for automotive vehicles, has unveiled a new logo, along with a new mission statement.
In an Oct. 9 news announcement, the company said it “recently underwent a comprehensive rebranding. The initiative includes a new production facility in 2018, expanded research and development efforts, a new mission statement, and a revamped logo.”
Maria Huertas, Q’Straint’s head of marketing, said, “The rebrand and expansion initiatives continue the company’s commitment to bettering the industry while providing safe and trusted products to its customers.”
The manufacturer’s new logo consists of a sans-serif Q, in Q’Straint’s familiar blue. In its announcement, the company said the Q in Q’Straint’s name and the corresponding original logo “were a tribute to the group’s humble beginnings at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. Since then, it has grown to be a central theme in nearly all of the company’s product names.”
As part of its rebranding and new logo introduction, Q’Straint has pointed out that the shape of letter Q suggests a wheelchair and a securement system, with the circular part of the Q being suggestive of a wheel, and the tail of the Q mimicking the wheel being secured to the floor of an automotive vehicle.
The manufacturer is inviting partners and consumers to learn about the new initiatives by “meeting the new Q.”
Huertas said, “We find it attention grabbing that we’ve discovered the hidden ‘Q’ in this initiative. Anybody can see a distinctive ‘Q’ formed every time a mobility passenger is secured with any tie-down system.”
Q’Straint was founded in Cambridge, Ontario, in 1984, though the company traces its product development back to the 1970s, when students and researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario began working on ways to safely secure wheelchair passengers in automotive vehicles.
As part of its rebranding announcement, Q’Straint said it would open a new production facility next year and will expand its research and development efforts. Q’Straint systems are compatible with most complex rehab wheelchairs. Among the company’s best-known products is the QLK-150 Personal Wheelchair Docking System.
Patrick Girardin, co-president of Q’Straint, said, “The first time a wheelchair passenger was secured in a Q’Straint system was the first time a wheelchair passenger met the same safety standards as everybody else in the vehicle. We’re a safety company in the accessibility industry…and this rebranding initiative has helped us to see that we serve our customers best by focusing on both of these aspects — and we’re proud that ultimately, we’re making safety accessible for all mobility passengers.”
