Access is one of the world’s leading suppliers of stairlifts, home lifts and platform lifts and sells its products through a network of carefully selected partners in over 50 countries around the world. The key business regions include the UK, Europe, the Middle East, South-East Asia and North America with each territory being supported by designated sales, sales office and technical managers.
Easy Engineering: What’s the news about new products?
The most recent additions to the product range have been the Flow X and HomeGlide stairlifts.
The Flow X curved stairlift features the innovative Advanced Swivel and Levelling technology (ASL) which enables the stairlift to rotate and swivel during travel, ensuring the stairlift is always in the safest and most comfortable position. With ASL technology, the footrest remains independent from the drive unit and swivels with the seat, ensuring better posture and reduced knee bending. The Flow X offers four rail options, including standard drop nose, vertical ‘short-start’ drop nose, horizontal overrun, and parking curve meaning it can be installed on almost any staircase. It can support a maximum weight of 125kg and can fit on narrow staircases as small as 610mm. Unlike other stairlifts, the Flow X has no visible mechanical parts.
The HomeGlide stairlift is the ultimate solution for all straight staircase requirements and comes with luxurious seat padding, armrest detection and an emergency stop button as standard. This lift is suitable for more people than ever before with a generous weight capacity of up to 160 kg and can be installed on staircases as narrow as 740 mm. For added comfort, the extra package is available with a powered swivel seat and linked footrest. For outdoor environments, the HomeGlide Outdoor package has a weatherproof coating to protect against rain, dust, and direct sunlight and a weight capacity of 125kg. Both the HomeGlide and Flow X stairlift fully comply with the new EN 81-40:2020 regulations which came into force in April this year, meaning the dealer and their customer can have complete confidence when recommending an Access stairlift
As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering a seamless customer experience to its partners, we have invested in LINC – an innovative cloud-based order processing platform.
LINC has been specifically designed for Access partners to give complete visibility of their order book. From the point of order, right through manufacture to dispatch. Enabling the partner to have real-time, up-to-date information to keep their customer informed on the status of their lift at the click of a button. Therefore, partners benefit from a transparent flow of communication from the factory to their customers. Additionally, with LINC being a cloud-based platform, partners can place an order from anywhere and on any device, even in the customer’s home.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
In addition to the HomeGlide and Flow X stairlifts, we have a comprehensive range of platform lifts and home lifts. The Supra and Supra Linea platform lifts are manufactured to meet the needs of customers who demand the best comfort and quality. Offering a superb solution for straight or curved staircases. The Supra can be fitted to most staircases either indoors or outside and has a dual rail design that doubles as a handrail for the best use of space. Both models feature optional push-button controls, and the range of parking options and platform sizes ensure they are perfect for busy environments where space may be at a premium. Manufactured using only quality components, the Supra range feature foldaway arms, are ergonomically designed to blend into any commercial or domestic setting and are certified to European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and EN 81-40:2020 standards.
The Altura range of home lifts consists of three models: The Gold, Diamond and Platinum. All three models offer varying levels of comfort and have been designed to be easily installed in most indoor and outdoor environments. To assist people who are considering a home lift we have developed a home lift product configurator for our business partners and their clients so they can sit down and specify their lift, put in dimensions, then choose colours, finish, door style etc – it is like choosing a new car. This enables them to see how their home lift will look when installed and is already proving very popular.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
The stairlift market has grown during the pandemic due to the demand for accessibility solutions. Stairlifts became a key element in addressing mobility challenges and provided a reliable means for individuals with limited mobility to navigate their homes. The market is witnessing a resurgence in consumer confidence as the world moves towards a post-COVID era. One significant improvement is the reduction in lead times, allowing us to meet demand more efficiently.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
Technological innovations have influenced the mobility and accessibility market. Stairlifts, home lifts, and platform lifts have seen advancements such as smart controls, remote monitoring, and safety features, making them more user-friendly and efficient.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
We pride ourselves on being one of the most innovative manufacturers in the access market with all its stairlifts, home lifts and platform lifts offering the end user an innovative access solution that will help them live a more independent lifestyle.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
We have strong growth expectations for the next 3 years with a very solid plan of how we will achieve that. We will still be very much focused on our core European market, not just for stairlifts but also the platform lifts which are growing in the developing markets of the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. We are also further developing the Canadian and North American markets which have seen considerable growth in the last 12 months. We know there are challenges around the world at present, but we believe we have a strong business model to overcome any potential obstacles.