Karma Medical appoints Product Innovations Chief to develop new mobility solutions
As part of its ongoing investment in designing the latest in wheelchair and powerchair solutions, Karma Medical has appointed Eric van Olst to the position of Chief of Product Innovations.
With over 30 years’ experience in the wheelchair market, Eric brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. Since joining the company, Eric has already been involved in the design of the Versus seating frame, Leon Kameleon paediatric powerchair, along with the development of the EvO range.
He commented: “When the opportunity to join such a forward-thinking innovative organisation arose, I knew I could not turn it down. A trained engineer by profession, I am always looking to translate the demands and aspirations of our customers into new designs and concepts.
“When we are coming up with these new ideas, we focus our thoughts on how they will benefit not just the user but also the therapist, family members and our service engineers.”
Looking to the future, Eric believes there will be increasing levels of investment into battery technology as there is within the automotive industry.
“These advances in battery performance combined with Internet technologies and IOT which are offering new ways to communicate with the wheelchairs, solve issues faster and even prevent them from happening in the first instance can only help us here at Karma Medical as we continually evolve the Karma product portfolio” he added.
Karma Medical has several R&D and product management departments in Taiwan, as well as offices in Europe, all of whom communicate on a daily basis as they work on product development. Eric and his teams also work closely with well-known companies in the development of new components and technology along with production processes.
“From our perspective here in the UK, the appointment of Eric is great news for us and our end users and retailers,” said Mark Duffield, General Manager, Karma Mobility.
“We pride ourselves on offering the best possible wheelchair and powerchair solutions and I know Eric’s expertise will benefit all concerned.”
