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  Topic: Healthcare beds
  Topic: Hospital beds
 Hospital beds made in Germany: quality advantage and cost disadvantage?

 

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For decades, the proof of origin "Made in Germany" has been standing for exceptional quality - also internationally. Quite automatically, this mark has also the following overtones: Good and expensive. So it's hardly surprising that trade fair visitors walking from stand to stand evaluate, for example, the price of hospital beds on the basis of their first general impression. Looking fairly normal: Cheap. High-tech appearance, and a lot of technology: Expensive. But also: Looking different, and moreover, very good: Expensive.

But what is cheap, and what is really expensive? Walking around the Medica 2003 fair in Düsseldorf, one gets to know the supply of hospital bed manufacturers. In brief, it can be divided into three categories: First, there are standard hospital beds - the way we have known them for decades, but probably being state-of-the-art technology. Then there are high-tech beds clearly offering 1.5 times the functionality of standard beds. And finally, there is the group of those hospital beds that, while also having complete functionality, bet on visual effect, with transitions being smooth, though.

So it's not an easy task to decide on how to invest into hospital beds. The quoted price alone should not be the deciding factor, but the type of the whole equipment and thus also of the rooms instead in the first place - both factors of which in future will determine competitiveness among hospitals themselves much more than so far. Once equipment comfort is seen as an investment into the future, however, one cannot think within previous boundaries any longer - neither within the boundaries of a specified investment budget.

In future, the tasks of decision-takers will be to not only evaluate purchase prices, but - having carried out a functional and safety check - to assess add-on and operating costs that a hospital will more or less cause or save. Here at the latest, the quality factor comes into play again. And if quality is understood by the total number of features of a commodity, then the quality of a hospital bed, simply speaking, is the result of internal and external values. But specially the internal values of a hospital bed make a production "Made in Germany" so useful. After all, a hospital bed is mostly an electrically operated and a highly functional medical product that is subjected to norms and guidelines, of which the risk assessment (CE conformity) is left to manufacturers in addition.

So it not only seems to be important that development and design is carried out within the country, but it also seems to be logical to place the production close to development in order to ensure permanent monitoring and quality control to provide the relevant feedback. Only this way it is possible to manage permanent further development of product and production at a high level over years and decades.

A good example for this line of procedure is the manufacturer Völker AG with its hospital beds. For decades, Völker has been focussing on the production of high-quality healthcare and hospital beds, with the originally handicraft oriented tradition leaving its mark during times of continuous growth. Today, production takes place on this basis at one location by constantly achieving lean production and improving logistics, target engineering and supply management. According to Völker, all this can only be realized under the permanent control - also quality control - through the responsible management.

However, much effort undertaken in the fields of development, production and quality has its price. That is why Völker hospital beds are reputed to cost slightly more. But the market share of Völker healthcare beds is more than 50 percent, while the one of hospital beds continues to narrow this mark in the current year. What is the reason for this? The Völker board is obviously right in saying that above-average demand at a higher price is a proof for larger benefits expected by purchasers in the long run when buying Völker hospital beds.

With Völker, too, the value of a hospital bed is judged to be higher than its market price. The latter was ultimately a result of the steadily growing demand; not only in Germany, but - with an export share of more than 30% - also worldwide. Stronger demand required higher production units, which, in turn, would lower the unit costs. "That's why our products are so good and at the same time very reasonable, too," says Michael Hüppe, a board member of Völker.

So they are not expensive, but very reasonable instead? "Yes, because what finally counts is the price/performance ratio. Despite a mix of ambiance and functionality, quality and ease of maintenance, it is in fact possible to assess different products." And finally, it was a matter of simple arithmetic - assuming a bed's service life of ten years, a higher price of 100 euro results in a higher daily rate of only just 3 cents. This is certainly a striking argument.

Press contact:
ProSell! Werbeagentur GmbH
Leisewitzstraße 39a
30175 Hannover
Mrs Katja Linkert
Phone: +49 511 / 28 35 7-32
Fax: +49 511 / 28 35 7-18
E-Mail: katja.linkert@prosell-hannover.de