MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS
F
or more than 130 years, Handicare, part of Savaria Corporation, has designed and manufactured stairlifts, platform lifts, and home lifts that enable people to live comfortably and independently in their own homes for longer. In the UK, the company works closely with healthcare providers, installers, and mobility retailers to deliver safety-critical products that customers rely on every day, building its reputation on safety, reliability, and innovation. As product designs became more intricate and component geometries increasingly complex, Handicare found that its existing inspection methods were struggling to keep pace. Traditional systems such as manual coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and shadowgraphs required a high level of operator input, making them both time-consuming and prone to inconsistency. The resulting inspection bottlenecks delayed feedback to production, an unacceptable situation for a company whose equipment is used daily by vulnerable people.
A MODERN AND EFFICIENT APPROACH Recognising the need for a more modern and efficient approach, the company set out to find a measurement solution that could combine speed, accuracy, and traceability. The answer came in the form of the Baty Venture FV 2020 Vision System from Bowers Group, an advanced non-contact measurement platform designed for precision inspection of intricate components. “The Baty FV 2020 has transformed the way we measure and validate our components,” said Andrew Williams, quality and compliance director, Europe RoW, at Handicare. “It is fast, accurate, and easy to use, giving us full confidence in the quality of our products. The support from Bowers Group has been excellent, and the system has become an essential part of our quality assurance process.” Installed as part of a continuous quality improvement programme, the FV 2020 was quickly integrated into both the Quality and
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HANDICARE SEES QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY SKYROCKET WITH VISION SYSTEM
Engineering departments. It is now used daily to inspect precision components such as carriage brackets, drive train elements, mounting plates, and other safety-critical parts that demand absolute dimensional accuracy. The system allows engineers to verify tolerances directly against CAD data, making it ideal for new supplier introductions, prototype validation, and ongoing production checks.
GAINS IN EFFICIENCY AND CONSISTENCY By digitising and automating the measurement process, Handicare has achieved exceptional gains in efficiency and consistency. Inspection times on complex components have been reduced by as much as 98 per cent, and the team have improved measurement repeatability. The result is a faster, more precise inspection workflow that delivers consistent, traceable results and accelerates product validation across the business. This improvement has not only enhanced operational efficiency but also reinforced the company’s commitment to safety and quality, values at the heart of its global reputation. Engineers and quality staff have found the Baty
Venture FV system intuitive and easy to operate. Its automation capabilities have simplified what were once complex measurement tasks, reducing reliance on manual skill and allowing users to capture detailed data with confidence. The FV’s ability to generate digital records of every measurement has also strengthened traceability and compliance processes.
HANDS-ON PARTNERSHIP
Bowers Group provided comprehensive installation, training, and support throughout the rollout, ensuring the system was quickly adopted into daily use. This hands-on partnership was key to achieving the rapid improvements seen across its inspection process. For Handicare, the investment has strengthened its ability to produce safety-critical components with greater speed, accuracy, and confidence. For Bowers Group, it is another example of how advanced vision systems are helping manufacturers modernise their inspection processes, improve productivity, and deliver peace of mind to customers who depend on precision.
Bowers Group
www.bowersgroup.co.uk
Winter 2025/2026 UKManufacturing
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