Invacare, Motion Concepts join forces

ELYRIA, Ohio - Invacare continued its march toward greater operational efficiency in November, announcing that it had consolidated sales forces and product portfolios with Motion Concepts, a subsidiary that specializes in seating and positioning products.

"Like a lot of providers, we need to take cost out and reduce duplication," said Invacare Vice President Brian Ellacott. "Ultimately, it is our goal to make doing business with us easier."

The consolidation will impact providers in a number of ways. It will simplify ordering, invoicing and pricing; accelerate product development; make components more interchangeable; and provide greater sales and technical support, according to the company.

The two product lines are complementary. Invacare's seating products are mainly off-the-shelf; Motion Concepts specializes in custom engineering, Ellacott said.

The integrated line will be marketed under the Matrix Series, an Invacare brand.

In the past, when Invacare acquired a company like Motion Concepts, it allowed them to operate more or less independently.

"We didn't want to lose the entrepreneurial drive," Ellacott said. "But at some point you have to integrate them to streamline products, eliminate redundancies and focus the savings on product development."