First Business Visit - Bruno!

Business:

Sweden is only a couple of days away!

 

Before leaving for Sweden we all went to visit Bruno Independent Living Aids, Inc.  Bruno is partnered with AutoAdapt that is located in Gothenburg, Sweden.  Once in Sweden we will be visiting AutoAdapt as well and discover how their business is run in comparison to Bruno.

The gentleman that showed us around the company was Bill Belson.  He was very informative and made the experience very exciting.  There was always something that we could all relate to in understanding everything that was happening and how it was happening.

When entering the lobby of the first building there was a stair case that had a demonstration of the Curve Rail Unit.  The Curve Rail Unit is simply a a seat that rides along a track up the stair case that does not go straight up but bends with the wall.  Their most common unit to sell is the Straight Rail Unit.  When thinking about it most house do have a straight stair case.

One thing that was really interesting and smart about the units is that majority of them are battery powered.  They did this to ensure that if there was a fire in the house the person can still get down the stairs and get out of the house before any injury can occur.  This is very smart since usually the first thing to go out when there is a fire is the power to the house.  Even in storms this is very helpful.  Power can go out for any reason at all and to ease the mind knowing that one can still get out of the house if need be is great.  Bruno uses sealed lead gel batteries due to the fact that these batteries seem to work better in the cold weather.  Bruno seems to have truly thought of everything when it comes to the safety and accessibility of their customers.  

The way the units are mounted are always to the stair case themselves.  The strength of the stair case is more than that of the wall.  So for the safety of the people using the unit it is necessary to build the unit on the strongest structure.  These specific units can hold up to 400 lbs.  Bruno also builds vertical lifts that can be compared to elevators.  The vertical lifts are capable of carrying up to 750 lbs.  Due to manufacturing codes the lift cannot exceed 750 lbs.

There is a lot that goes into creating the stair lifts.  Each lift is custom to the customer and the stair case itself.  Bruno used to have to go to the customers house and take nearly 75 to 150 photos of the stair case.  The pictures were
used to enter into the computer and figure out the specific dimensions needed to build the unit.  Bruno has now adapted a new program called Photogrammetry.  This program allows for there to be far less pictures to take and to also show the customer in 3D exactly how their lift will look and work.  This new program also calls for no measurements to be taken.  Everything can be done through the pictures and through mathematics.

Bruno is very dedicated to the customization part of the process.  To assist with this customization process Bruno supplies their units with six different colors and four different fabrics.  The actual rails themselves are made with aluminum and steel. There is no way around that but the seats are able to change due to the needs of the customer. 

Over all, Bruno designs and manufactures around 41 different products.  These products create about $100,000,000 a year.  This company is also privately held.  With this being said, inventory is very important in making sure everything is done correctly and that deliveries are done on time.  In their facilities Bruno has these vending machines that have small things such as, cutting wheels, drill bits, etc.  This allows for Bruno to count every single piece of inventory that is used.  With items such as these the amount used is a lot more than many might believe.  Every time a drill bit breaks or a cutting wheel is worn down or breaks is more money that needs to be spent.  So to guarantee that Bruno does not have to spend more than needed they created these vending machines so that there is always a count of how many are being taken and having the quantity subtracted from inventory at the moment.  These leaves very little room for error on inventory.

A great quote that I loved was said by Bill Belson while on the tour.  Bill said, "We are not selling a product, but what the product does."  I believe this to be very important.  Bruno is not completely focused adding up the dollar signs.  They are focused on how they can help improve the living situations of those who have difficulty moving around.  Majority of their customers have knee or ankle problems that keep them from being mobile around their home.

Leisure:

After the tour I ended up having to leave early and miss the lunch.  I had to run off to work.  Unfortunately, I did have to stop at my dads work and drop off my car and take his truck.  My car did not seem right and I did not have time to look at it.

Daily Reflections: 

• It is amazing that someone thought of this.  
• This allows the elderly stay in their homes longer.
• I am so thankful for those who have thought of helping others in situations that keep them stationary.