Manufacturers and social enterprises supplying to LMICs

Various emerging manufacturers and social enterprises, supplying to LMICs, fill the gap and deliver low-cost, manual wheelchairs that are specifically designed for LMIC environments.

131

Table 53: Emerging manufacturers

Company (Headquarters location) Description Regional presence Manufacturing sites Products
ALIMCO (India) Public enterprise that manufacturers various assistive products; fully owned by the Government of India India India
  • Manual: active, postural support
CE Mobility (South Africa) Started in 1949; largest wheelchair manufacturer and distributor in South Africa Southern Africa South Africa
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports, standard
Colors (United States)

Part of Nissin Group, Custom wheelchair manufacturer

OEM for Latter- day Saint Charities, Momentum Wheels for Humanity, and Participant Assistive Products

Around 60 countries

China, Viet Nam, United States, Japan, South Korea

Manufacturing for LMICs in China and Viet Nam

  • Active wheelchair (Rigid and Folding), Standard (Rigid and Folding), Light weight chair, Reclining, Paediatric, Module, Postural support
Comfort Mobility (Chinese Taipei) OEM/ODM enterprise for wheelchair companies in Europe/ US; have own brands Europe (70 per cent of sales) Chinese Taipei
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports
  • Powered
132
Company (Headquarters location) Description Regional presence Manufacturing sites Products
Foshan Wheelchair (China) One of the top exporters of wheelchairs in China with 60 per cent of its exports being made to LMICS

Middle East Latin America

Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam

Africa: North and central Africa

China
  • Active outdoor/ rough- terrain
  • Postural support
Heartway Medical (Chinese Taipei) Primarily a producer of powered mobility products Europe, North America, Asia Chinese Taipei
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports
  • Powered
INTCO (China) Specializes in the production of metal- related medical equipment (e.g. wheelchairs). Public listed company. OEM for Latter- day Saint Charities Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific China
  • Manual: active, standard, all-terrain, cross-terrain
  • Paediatric
Karma Medical (Chinese Taipei) One of Asia largest wheelchair manufacturers India (25 per cent market share) + 40 countries China, Thailand, Taipei
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports Powered
Kien Tuong (Viet Nam) Manufacturer of various hospital equipment OEM for RoughRider Europe, North America, Asia Viet Nam
  • Manual: active, postural support, standard
133
Company (Headquarters location) Description Regional presence Manufacturing sites Products
Merits Healthcare (Chinese Taipei)

Specialized in scooters, wheelchairs, home care bed, accessibility, patient aids

OEM (China) for Motivation, DDO

Europe, Japan, America Chinese Taipei, China
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports Powered
Nissin (Japan) Leading developer and manufacturer of wheelchairs and welfare equipment in Japan Japan (60 per cent market share), United States, Asia, such as China, Mexico, Brazil, India, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand) 160 China, Viet Nam, USA, Japan, South Korea
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports
  • Powered
  • Standard
Rehasense (Hong Kong SAR) Manufacturer of mobility products (e.g. wheelchairs) Europe, Asia China and Poland
  • Manual: active, postural support
Taiwan Armada (Chinese Taipei) Primarily a producer of powered mobility products Chinese Taipei, US Chinese Taipei
  • Manual: active, postural support, sports Powered

Note: Listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer.

134

Table 54: Social enterprises that design and manufacturer wheelchairs (listed in alphabetical order)

Company (Headquarters location) Description Regional presence Manufacturing sites Products
Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (Kenya) NGO that produces wheelchairs and provides wheelchair services in Kenya Information not available Kenya
  • Active
  • Postural support
  • Standard
Beeline Wheelchair (Guatemala) Non-profit that designs, produces and provides wheelchairs; spin off from Hope Haven Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Asia Guatemala
  • Active outdoor/ rough-terrain
  • Postural support
Diversability Development Organization (Canada) Non-profit that designs and supplies innovative mobility and positioning solutions Information not available Contract manufacturing (by Meritis in China)
  • Active folding and rigid frame wheelchair
  • light and ultra-light wheelchairs
  • Sports wheelchairs
  • Postural support wheelchairs,
  • Wheelchair postural support unit
  • Power add-on motorized drive for wheelchairs
135
Company (Headquarters location) Description Regional presence Manufacturing sites Products
Momentum Wheels for Humanity (United States) Non-profit that implements projects globally to strengthen rehabilitation services and increase access to AT, including the USAID-funded CLASP project Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America

Contract Manufacturing:

Colors Through CLASP, carries a diverse range of products from several suppliers

  • Active urban/ even-surface
  • All-terrain\ Postural support
  • Sports
  • Transport
Motivation (United Kingdom) Social enterprise focusing on appropriate wheelchair provision Asia, Africa Contract Manufacturing: China
  • Active rigid/ folding
  • Rough-terrain
  • Postural support
  • Sports
  • Paediatric
Participant Assistive Products (United States, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia) Benefit corporation that is looking at cross subsidization model for both HIC and LMIC 20 countries worldwide China
  • Active Dual Terrain
  • Active urban
  • Transport
  • Postural support
RoughRider America (United States) Previous Enterprise arm of Whirlwind Wheelchairs International (WWI); just recently began to operate independently Information not available

Contract manufacturing:

- Kien Tuong- Viet Nam

- INTCO – China

  • Active outdoor/ rough-terrain
136
Company (Headquarters location) Description Regional presence Manufacturing sites Products
ShonaquipSE (South Africa) A Hybrid Social Enterprise that designs, manufactures and sells products and provides training and services through both a company and non-profit organization that supports the inclusion of children with mobility disabilities in Africa Africa South Africa
  • Postural support buggies, active and attendant propelled manual and electric powered wheelchairs;
  • Paediatric and adult;
  • Complete devices and Postural Support Devices, and components (back systems, laterals, cushions, head supports and 24 hour posture support equipment – standing and lying).
  • Rural, peri- urban and urban focus