One of the best things about being in this business is the variety of people we get to work with and the places we get to go. Whether it’s someone having trouble getting up to the second floor of their home, a builder looking to edge out the competition with an in-home elevator, or a dealer who is a part of our ever-growing network, it’s always great to hear about the different uses for our products. 

May 17-19 ThyssenKrupp Access had the privilege of attending the AIA National Convention and Design Expo in Washington D.C. where we got to spend three days discussing accessibility issues and products with architects. As the one of only two manufacturers in the accessibility industry present at the show, it was very much up to us to explain the importance of universal design. We brought with us one of our most popular vertical platform lift models to spark interest and get architects to ask questions about what it means to make a building ADA compliant. 

“AIA is a great time for us to connect with one of our most important audiences - architects,” ThyssenKrupp Access Marketing Manager Teri Meseke said. “Most architects typically use ramps for a mobility solution; we were able to educate many architects that there are other alternatives to access a building such as our popular lifts.”

As it turned out from conversations we had over and over again, architects tend to think of ramps when designing a building, and the thought of simply adding a lift was almost a breath of fresh air for them. A lift means more space for other things such as landscaping, parking or even just building room. It means easier plans and fewer calculations, and most importantly, easier access for the individual in the wheelchair who doesn’t have to practice control going downhill or experience exhaustion going uphill. 

There is no question that this was an excellent opportunity for us to get in front of our valued customers and educate them on the importance of platform lifts, but we also used this chance to show that our company is full of fun and friendly individuals. Being easy to do business with is always a key component to any great manufacturer or supplier. We invited Premier Lifts, one of our top dealers, to help us out in the booth, and with their extraordinary juggling techniques we had no problem drawing in some laughs or a crowd. 

Look for ThyssenKrupp Access at the PCBC homebuilding show in San Francisco June 27-28. We plan to unveil some of our most innovative and revolutionary products to date, plus a few more wild surprises, you won’t want to miss it! We are also the proud sponsor of the 50+ Housing Forum Sponsor.

Last month we gave you an inside look at some of the exciting places TKA products are popping up, including the new Miami Marlins Stadium and Citi Field in New York. But as we swing into summer you will find that amusement parks are also touting ThyssenKrupp Access.

The PCDE enclosed vertical platform lift can be found at Worlds of Fun amusement park located in Kansas City, Missouri. Camp Snoopy, an area intended for children and pre-teens, features the lift at its kiddy-coaster “Snoopy’s Rocket Express”.

A less colorful version of the PCDE can be found at the exit of “The Prowler” - a wooden rollercoaster, new to the park in 2010. Rides at Worlds of Fun are intended to be used by all people, regardless of accessibility issues, and we are happy to help them in their pursuit of allowing everyone to enjoy the attractions at the park.

Be on the look-out for other exciting places ThyssenKrupp Access products are located.

We’re starting to hear this phrase more and more as our beloved Baby Boomers begin to reach the age of retirement – “aging in place.” This architectural development is all about creating homes that are safe and secure, but more importantly, will allow someone to remain as independent as possible regardless of their physical abilities. However, despite this new wave of individuals who want to stay in their homes without the assistance of outside care, this is something we have seen before, dating all the way back to 1938.

President Franklin Deleno Roosevelt, though certainly not the inventor of aging in place, is thought to be the first to apply its principles. Many know that he suffered from Polio, which could have easily hindered his independence, but he found ways to prevent that from happening. FDR would often escape the White House and head to a private place that he called Top Cottage. As the architect of the establishment he was able to specify things like zero thresholds between the doorways and lower windows, which allowed him to look outside from his wheelchair. So after nearly 70 years, why is aging in place only now becoming mainstream?

The Baby Boomer generation is the largest group of Americans born in a particular time period – approximately 76 million from 1946 to 1964. While the younger boomers are turning 50, the older population is reaching their sixties. This generation is known for their desire for independence and good health, meaning that for many of them, leaving behind their homes is hardly an option. Furthermore, many of them are taking care of an aging parent themselves, and are witnessing firsthand the lifestyles of the alternatives to living at home, such as nursing homes and assisted-living centers. With that being said, between the boomers and their elders, we are looking at a ballpark figure of 100 million people in need of aging-in-place environments. The peak is still about four or five years out, but will quickly approach.

The facts and figures are there, but for some reason it is still a challenge to present this reasoning to clients. The trick is to make the ideals of “aging in place” as transparent as possible. For example, curbless showers are a perfect solution for those in wheelchairs or with walking accessories, but they are also highly fashionable and favorable in modern homes. Another prime example of this would be our home elevator solutions. Although they can increase home value, make a home stand out and serve as an attractive accessory, they are also very practical for those with accessibility issues.

There is absolutely nothing to lose when deciding to make your home accessibility friendly, especially when drawing the plans during construction. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates that there is only a 1 to 2 percent price increase to create a highly accessible home before the building begins or while it’s taking place. However, once you wait until the remodeling stages, the price increase can be between 3 to 5 percent.

Michael Thomas is the coauthor of Residential Design for Aging in Place and a credited interior designer. He says that manufacturers are finally beginning to realize the market, but are not yet focusing on it.

“About five years ago, I had a conversation with an executive at a major plumbing manufacturer. He said to me, ‘It’s just not worth it to create a line of products for old people,’” Thomas said. “My reply was, ‘You have a large group of people who are holding the bulk of the wealth in this country. You can create very fashionable products that will appeal to these people and turn a nice profit for you.’”

Now is the time to make a push for the success of the accessibility industry. The market is there, the demand is there and the products are readily available. The key is to create awareness and emphasize the benefits of building with these materials.

As one of the leading manufacturers of accessibility products in the United States, it is our mission to find an answer to one question: How can I help seniors stay in their homes?

Over the long Easter Weekend I headed down to my friend’s lake house, who already owns three dogs, so I figured the addition of my golden doodle might be a little much on a $100,000 boat. Regretfully I decided to take my pup to a nearby Kennel “Resort” and the look on his face when I dropped him off with his stuffed monkey and baby blanket was a heart wrenching and emotionally painful experience that I hope to never experience again. Not only that, but it was very expensive. Here I was paying $50 a day with no knowledge of how well he was being taken care of, if he was being fed, if he was having fun – for all I know he was cooped up in a kennel, munching on bugs with an empty water dish.

It is one of the worst feelings in the world to leave behind a loved one, whether you’re dropping off your kids at a daycare, a dog at a kennel or a parent in a nursing home, because ultimately we feel that nobody can take as good of care of them as we can. At least with a dog or child, you know that you’ll eventually be back to get them; so even if they are suffering, the worst they will endure is a few hours or days. But when dropping off a parent at a care facility, that is a permanent solution, and one that may seriously hinder the last years of their lives.

2011 marked the first year that our Baby Boomer generation approached senior status. It is well known that this generation is hard working, independent, prepared and will likely not want to consider the option of assisted living. In fact an article by Jonathan Chevreau of financialpost.com states that 72 percent of baby boomers take care of their health, meaning that being taken care of at a facility is not what they have in mind for a happy future. The article also states that 59 percent of retirees are living the retirement of their dreams. These people have logged the man hours, pinched pennies and did what they needed to do to ensure that they could continue living happy lives post retirement.

So with all of that being said, what are our options? We know that emotionally we don’t want the burden of placing them in a home, and we know that the Baby Boomer Generation will likely not accept that as an option. However, luckily for us, and for them, as technology continues to evolve, caregiving becomes all the easier.

The first and most obvious option is a dumbwaiter. This type of device allows someone who is not as strong as they once were to take laundry, groceries, grandkids’ toys or anything else that may be too heavy, up the stairs. A second option is a stair lift or home elevator, which allows an individual to travel safely between floors without having to worry about falling, straining their back, pulling a muscle or any other injuries that may result from using the stairs.

No matter the budget, style of the home or design of the staircase, ThyssenKrupp Access has a solution to cover your bases. Our three different lifts come with an array of customization options to match the unique décor of your home and the Flow II lift is designed to fit even the most complicated stairways. Accessibility products have been around for many decades, and have proven to be a worthwhile investment for many families, but fortunately aren’t the only thing on the market today that is aimed at keeping seniors in their homes.

A new intuitive and innovative product called Misty (Medical Information Systems To You) created by Parental Health was recently released. This touchscreen technology software serves as health monitoring system, an entertainment center, and a pocketbook that allows you to keep track of appointments, to-do lists, emergency contacts and whatever else you might need to ensure day-to-day safety.

ThyssenKrupp Access is proud to be a part of this movement along with other companies like Parental Health, striving to keep seniors safe and happy inside the comfort of their own homes. Every grandparent dreams of having their grandkids stay with them on weekends, hosting holiday dinners at their home and growing old in the house they’ve made memories in. In the world we live in today, with such rich technological advancements, there is no reason why we can’t make that dream a reality. TKA has done their part, have you?

April is underway, which means the beginning of many great things, including America’s pastime, Major Leage Baseball season. This year baseball season might mean just a little bit more to the employees of ThyssenKrupp Access, because we are now a part of the game (or at least a part of a couple stadiums).

The Miami Marlins, formerly known as the Florida Marlins, chose the revolutionary Supra Inclined Lift to gain access to the field from locker room level. The New York Mets, followed suit and chose the Journey for field access at Citi Field. This is excellent exposure for our brand and our products, not only at Marlins Park and Citi Field, but for those watching the games on TV.

“There were TV cameras everywhere, as you can see in the photo [below],” Jason Ford, Corporate Product Trainer, said. “Watching the [Cardinals] game l saw several shots of the lift - Matheny, the Cardinals coach, was leaning on the rail most of the night, so shots of him showed the whole lift.”

Look for the Supra and Journey all season long on MLB networks!

casecharlotte-blog:

Renovations for limited mobility can be some of the most sensitive yet important changes made to Charlotte homes. Aging homeowners can sometimes feel a loss of independence when the time comes to renovate their home to meet their needs. However, these changes are necessary in order to make them…

hsundholm:

Future Elevation on Flickr.

Elevators encased in glass makes for a neat HDR. Somehow it doesn’t look like anything in particular. It just has a futuristic feel to it. Anyway, I shot it onboard the cruiseferry M/S Silja Europa.

We here at ThyssenKrupp Access also have elevators encased in glass. It does have a neat futuristic look to it, we agree!

I love to share awesome elevators: and this is a pretty cool one! Let me know your thoughts! @tk_access

At ThyssenKrupp Access we often try to do the unexpected.  Sometimes going against the grain and doing things a little bit different or out of the ordinary can make a big impact. An entire perception of a company can be altered by switching up any one element of the typical everyday operation, and that is exactly what we are striving for.

Romeo High School in Romeo, Michigan isn’t exactly thought of as a football school. The town doesn’t shut down on Friday nights while hoards of people pack the bleachers around the gridiron, there is no Texas high school life or death mentality, and aside from parents of the players and the students at the school, few people even know that there’s a game happening at all. So needless to say, in their second game of the season and already one loss in, an upset of the powerhouse Dakota seemed less than probable.

But this time around, Romeo decided to do the unexpected, start a girl. Ashley Flinn was called on for kicking duties when the team’s starting kicker, Evan Simpson, was forced to miss the game because of a scheduling conflict with the men’s soccer team, for which he also plays. But he wasn’t missed much; Flinn turned out a stellar performance, completing two extra points and a field goal that would ultimately lead to a Romeo victory.

The coach made a bold move selecting Flinn as the kicker, but what a great move it turned out to be. Not only did the game end in the result they were looking for, but the team gained positive press, publicity and some fans in the stands. If we can make bold and brilliant moves like this, people will start to notice; not only our consumers, but our competitors. We want to be trendsetters, we want to come out on top, and as we can learn from Romeo’s story. One way to do that is to be daring and give people the chance they deserve to make a difference and help us stand out. 

Already in the year 2012 we have launched a new marketing development site for dealers to use to build their business and make us easier to do business with. We launched a very successful iPad promotion. We are in the works of building brand new products that are intended to launch this year. And we have been working hard to improve our processes and increase efficiency.

Every member of this team is working to find ways to make an unexpected impact in the way we conduct business. Whether it’s the coach calling the shots, the quarterback running the show or the kicker who comes out every now and then with a brilliant performance, ultimately we are working together in order to best benefit you. If we play as a team, we’ll win as a team.

The old freight elevator in the Watson Library’s stacks at the University of Kansas has been retired after more than 70 years of service. Just goes to show that even elevators can retire with old age!