People living with physical disabilities that require the use of a wheelchair have probably heard of Permobil, but now more and more Tennesseans will be hearing the company name. That's because Permobil announced in October that it will expand its operations in Lebanon and build a new $12 million North American Operations Center on 17 acres in Park 840.

 

"We anticipate that we will be growing in the next three-to-five years, so we wanted to be able to expand, as well. Building the new building will also increase some manufacturing efficiencies for us and actually make it easier for us to work a little leaner," said Barry Steelman, marketing manager. Steelman took the job nine years ago, when Swedish-owned Permobil moved its U.S. presence from Boston to Middle Tennessee. Lured by the region's logistical advantages – three interstates and an international airport close by – and a lower cost of living and doing business, the company has thrived in its Lebanon locale.

 

Today, Steelman said Permobil is "spread out in three different facilities" and is ready to bring the operation under one roof. The company has about 90 employees in Lebanon, in addition to 40 sales representatives and regional sales managers in the field.  "We look to almost double that [workforce] in the next three-to-five years with the new building," Steelman said. "Permobil has continued to grow in the complex rehab market for the past 10 years, and the wheelchair market is growing because the baby boomer population is getting older. We started out as a very small company, and Permobil has really positioned itself as the premier complex rehab brand. That's now starting to show in sales."

 

Steelman attributes Permobil's growth to "putting the end user first," and that's where the Lebanon operation makes it mark. While some basic wheelchair models, which the company dubs "sit and drives," are sold occasionally, a lion's share of sales are customized products. Even the stripped-down models end up back in Lebanon or with a dealer for some modifications. "Really, every chair that goes out of here has some form of modification done for the individual user … so much so that we put names of the clients on the product to identify the product. It's not just a model number we're producing and shipping 10,000 out the door," Steelman said.

 

Permobil doesn't sell directly but through dealerships nationwide. That's where physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and rehabilitation centers send their patients to order the chair needed. Permobil uses physical therapists to take the customer's precise measurements and to help choose the appropriate features needed to assist with specific disabilities. "Sometimes, their injury or disability may be so complex that there has to be a lot of customization done for the product," Steelman explained.

 

Permobil, which is one of the few companies that makes both the power base and the seating system, offers several different ergonomically designed seating configurations that tilt, recline and elevate, as well as a "stand-up" seat. What's more, the chair can "grow" with the client, Steelman said. "As kids grow, then the seating system can be expanded to fit their needs. Also as a disability becomes more intense, we can add power features without having to change the seating system," he continued. One such modification could be a powered elevating leg rest. Newly diagnosed ALS patients, for example, initially might just need a tilting seat for pressure relief, yet an actuator can be added later for powered weight-bearing chair motions.

 

Permobil's basic chairs are manufactured in Sweden, and very stripped down versions arrive in Lebanon for the modifications and finish work. Steelman said a particularly rewarding part of the job is when a client faced with an unusual or particularly devastating disability needs the know-how and brainpower of the Lebanon staff. He recalled one client, a little girl born with hands and feet but without arms and legs, whose mother had been lifting her into the wheelchair. As the child grew and gained weight, the strain on the mom's back took its toll. Lebanon staff designed and developed a foot plate that would lower all the way down to the floor, allowing the child to move independently onto the footplate and raise herself up to the seat.

 

That kind of ingenuity was exhibited by Permobil's physician founder, Per Uddén, more than 40 years ago. "He had a patient who needed a chair that would work as well indoors as it did outdoors. At the time, other wheelchair manufacturers were telling him that that was not possible, that no one had a product that could do that," Steelman said. "He just didn't take 'no' for an answer … and he was an inventor anyway … so he built his own chair for his patient."

 

The new Lebanon facility, at 120,000 square feet and equipped with innovative green-building technology, will be Permobil's second-largest and most technically advanced manufacturing plant. It's slated for completion in summer 2010.