Phenomenal success for bedpans

Markus Braun

This feature protects staff, for example, against escaping steam when they remove utensils after cleaning (it also protects them from unpleasant smells). Integrated automatic disinfection management, combined with a novel telescopic rotary jet, produces enormous water and energy savings, whilst also achieving top level cleaning.
Additionally, if the appliance is fitted with the automatic door opening/closing technology, the door opens and closes at the wave of a hand. TopLine appliances also remove hygienists’ concern about water-cooling utensils, which could cause recontamination by water-borne bacteria. The firm’s new technology solves that problem: utensils treated in TopLine appliances are already cool at the end of the cycle, so are already dry, cool enough to handle and ready for immediate re-use. Additionally, the company’s experts at Offenburg have reduced maintenance and service costs by using M-Commander, which enables precise analysis of the appliance’s operating condition and status to be assessed on a PC or Palm PDA.

Available for a year, the TopLine range has achieved phenomenal market success. In conversation with Markus Braun, Manager, Sales and Marketing, Cleaning and Disinfection Appliances at Meiko, who is responsible for the project, we asked how this feat was achieved. ‘In TopLine, Meiko has created an appliance which meets the long-held wishes of a wide range of customers and users – for example nursing staff, hygiene specialists and technical staff. At the start of the project,’ he explained, ‘their very different requirements were researched by our marketing team; their findings were then processed and incorporated into the appliance’s design by our technical experts. The result is a product that can conquer the world! It meets the most stringent demands of the industrialised countries, a well as the more simple applications in the rest of the world. But, of course, this would be worth nothing without the efforts of our staff and sales partners internationally. Whether in production, design or sales, the success is due to our committed and highly motivated staff. I am happy to say that this, plus the unique advantages of TopLine, mean that our competitors must do a lot of catching up.’   

Is the firm’s production capacity sufficient to meet orders? ‘The extraordinary demand showed that we had to overcome certain bottlenecks, but this does not cause me to lost sleep. We’ve already taken the right actions to satisfy demand, which are having the desired effect.’ 

The company, Based in Baden, Germany, Meiko’s main market is in its own country. Other main markets are in Europe and Asia. ‘The export share is steadily increasing and other companies confirm,  time and again, that we are viewed as a global player in international markets’.

What looms in the immediate future? ‘Things aren’t getting any easier!’ he replied. ‘But we are going to stay out in front because we are flexible, committed and faster. This also makes us very close to our customers. Thanks to our strategy, hard work, readiness to innovate, our exceptional quality consciousness and passion for providing our customers with optimal solutions we remain on our successful course.’

14.11.2006