Corporate presentation

INSPIRED BY PEOPLE

All throughout our history we have been pioneering product development. The wheelchair lift and the seat lift are just two of many products that we were first to introduce.

The secret to our success is actually no secret at all. We talk to our end-users, we analyse their needs, learn from their experiences and listen to their feedback. It’s together with our end-users that we find the inspiration for new products and solutions.

OUR PRODUCTS

Over the years our product portfolio has come to cover many different aspects of limited mobility in combination with vehicles. Today we are the only true one-stop-shop in our industry.

Enabling people to get into and out of cars

Loading and unloading mobility devices into and out of vehicles

Alternative ways to drive a vehicle

Enabling people to enter a vehicle, while seated in a wheelchair

Secure people and mobility devices during transport

Flexibility in flooring layout for vehicles

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These are our areas of expertise.

• Getting seated
  Enabling people to get into and out of cars.
• Stowing solutions
  Loading and unloading mobility devices into and out of vehicles.
• Driving aids
  Alternative ways to drive a vehicle.
• Wheelchair lifts & ramps
  Enabling people to enter a vehicle, while seated in a wheelchair.
• Tie-downs and seatbelts
  Secure people and mobility devices during transport.
• Flooring and seating
  Flexibility in flooring layout for vehicles.

TRUSTED BY VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS

It all started with a joint project together with Volvo in the late 90's. Today we have numerous collaborations with some of the largest car manufacturers in the world.

In Germany Mercedes-Benz offers the Turny Evo as a factory installed option. In the commercial vehicles segment we supply directly to the production line at EvoBus and Iveco. From Volkswagen we have a Letter of No Objection, declaring that we are proven to meet their high standards. In similarity Ford dubbed us QVM - Qualified Vehicle Modifier.

We have also been involved in several localised partnerships with for instance Ford Spain, Fiat Turkey and Toyota UK to name a few.

A GLOBAL ORGANISATION

Local specialities
Everything from product design to manufacturing takes place at the respective main facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden. By keeping manufacturing in-house, we can ensure a consistently high level of quality. Not only do we have the possibility to perform the appropriate quality controls, but should a problem arise the source of the error can be found and eliminated quickly.

Short lead times are another great benefit of local manufacturing that allows us to quickly implement changes in production and handle custom orders.

The importance of people
The employee turnover rate is remarkably low at BraunAbility. There are of course many reasons people choose to stay with BraunAbility. For example, the possibility to influence and our continuous development of competence but perhaps most important is the feeling that what you do for a living improves the quality of life for people all over the world.

Owner structure
BraunAbility is one of many high-quality, high-growth businesses in Investor AB’s Patricia Industries portfolio. Investor AB is the leading owner of Nordic-based international companies, founded by the Wallenberg family more than 100 years ago. Investor’s investments are divided into Listed Companies, Patricia Industries and Investments in EQT.

Listed Companies consists of long-term, strategic listed holdings such as ABB, Ericsson, NASDAQ and many others. Patricia Industries contains wholly owned subsidiaries and other unlisted investments, for example, Mölnlycke Health Care, Laborie, Aleris and Permobil. Finally, EQT is an investment firm with portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the U.S.

EQUAL SAFETY

In addition to getting people out on the road there's one thing we take very seriously - Safety.

Our philosophy is that everyone should be able to travel safely in a vehicle regardless of adaptation needs. As a global leader it is our responsibility to continuously strive for a higher level of safety within the vehicle adaptation industry.

One way of achieving this is to offer high quality products that are both safe and functional. To guarantee our end users’ safety, BraunAbility products are designed and tested according to relevant directives and standards. We also work together with users, organisations, the automotive industry and other interested parties to constantly push for increasingly stringent safety requirements.

Learn more about safety

BraunAbility Safety Centres
To remain in the front line among producers of safe and reliable vehicle adaptation products we have invested in multiple inhouse test facilities. Here our products must pass various tests before being released onto the market. Dynamic crash tests, static pull tests, climate tests, vibration tests and cycle tests are examples of tests that we perform at our BraunAbility Safety Centres. For the tests we don’t perform in-house we team up with RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden and TÜV in Germany.

Standards and paperwork
The rules and regulations regarding vehicle adaptation differ widely all over the world. To make sure our end users get the independence they desire we will provide all the necessary certificates and documents often required by road authorities and car inspection agencies.

Quality Control
Everything we do is carefully tested and documented. To provide peace of mind for everyone, design, development, production and installation plus our final checks are certified under the quality system ISO 9001. We want to be able to offer our end users a vehicle with the same safety conditions it had before being adapted.

Lean Production
All throughout the company we have adopted the philosophy of Lean Production. A monumental and long-term investment that affects all parts of the company and everyone working in it. Lean helps us refine how a worktable is organised as well as it helps us recognize and develop the individual skills of an employee.

A simplified explanation is that it helps us reduce waste in all forms. Waste such as overproduction, wait, stock, movement, rework, overwork, transport and untapped creativity of the workforce.

Strive for perfection – know that you are not
The notion that nothing is perfect has a central role in Lean Production. There is always room for improvement. This is usually referred to as continuous improvement and it’s an area were the entire workforce is encouraged to constantly look for possible improvements. Suggested changes are then audited, then evaluated before being adopted or dropped. The goal is to become a constantly evolving and learning organisation. In conclusion, Lean helps us build a trustworthy, solid foundation for our employees, customers and owners.

SERVING THE WORLD

The BraunAbility Customer Support Centre serves as a vital connection to our dealers and converters. Today we are represented in over 60 countries all over the globe.

Our competent support team handles tasks varying from complex installation questions to technical troubleshooting. However, they can just as well be helping a customer place an order and ensure on-time delivery anywhere in the world.

With their ears to the tracks, the Support department are in close communication with our other departments such as our Application engineers, Sales team and Quality department. This helps us as an organisation to swiftly act on issues, questions or customer requests. In short, they're here to help.

Marketing Support
Our marketing department serves our dealers with marketing material in multiple languages. Anything from small stickers, product sheets and manuals to big roll-ups, banners and even specific photo or video requests are available to our dealers.

Training
Vehicle adaptation and conversion is highly responsible work that demands a great deal of technical expertise and a strong focus on safety. We provide training in all aspects of our products, application, installation, service and safe use. Training can be at one of our facilities or on-site at our customer.

Warranties
We offer all BraunAbility products with a minimum 3-year warranty. It's something we're able to do thanks to our strict quality control and rigorous testing. A vehicle in itself is a big investment. Adapting one for special needs can put the vehicle's original warranties at risk. Our high-quality aftermarket products mean less worry for our customers.

Local Service Partners
As an additional service to transit providers, we have service partners with on-site service in selected countries.

INNOVATION IS OUR LEGACY

Although BraunAbility was originally founded by Ralph Braun, the three companies collectively known as BraunAbility Europe were also founded by pioneers of the mobility industry.

• Unwin Safety Systems

  1956 - Martock, UK

  In 1960, at the request of a friend, Norman Unwin created what came to be the wheelchair clamp – the world’s first device to secure wheelchairs in vehicles. This invention represented a turning point for Norman, who later dedicated his life to improving vehicle safety for wheelchair users.

• BraunAbility

  1972 - Winamac, Indiana, USA

  At the age of six, Ralph Braun was diagnosed with a fatal form of muscular dystrophy. His diagnosis wasn’t fatal, but it was lifelong. To keep his job and reclaim his independence Ralph designed the world’s first powered scooter. When his job moved further away, Ralph moved with it – this time in a renovated postal Jeep with hand controls and a hydraulic lift. When others took notice of what he was doing, requests for orders began pouring in.

• Autoadapt

  1996 - Stenkullen, Sweden

  In the early 1990’s Peter Wahlsten worked as an adaptation technician and witnessed first-hand how an adapted vehicle could change the life of someone with a disability. He knew that desire for independence wasn’t just local, it was global. Peter’s own company Autoadapt, began designing and manufacturing various mobility solutions that could be installed into cars universally.

• Martech

  1998 - Aabenraa, Denmark

  Martin Christensen's Martech was the Danish company that introduced aluminium flooring in vehicles in order to provide a modular layout of seats as well as various types of tie-downs. The patented solution is sold all over the world under various licences.