About Savaria

Olf fashioned advertisement in black and white

Our History

Founded in 1979 in Quebec, Canada, Savaria has grown to be a powerhouse accessibility and mobility leader. In 1989, the company was purchased by Marcel Bourassa, who serves as the Executive Chairman, with his son, Sebastien Bourassa as President & CEO. Savaria is now publicly traded on the Toronto stock exchange (Canada). Today, with over 2500 employees and 14 manufacturing or distribution sites, Savaria has global reach.

In 2021, Savaria acquired Handicare Group AB, a leading manufacturer of stairlifts. Notably, Handicare continues to operate a full manufacturing site in Kingswinford in the, UK as well as a sales and customer service office in Leeds.  

Handicare’s history dates back to 1886 in the Netherlands as a lift company called Jan Hamer & Co. In the early 1960s, the first seat lift was developed. Over the years, the product line expanded and evolved, adding more innovations, manufacturing expertise and a stellar reputation for a company whose products could change peoples’ lives. 

Our Present

Today, Handicare brand stairlifts are available around the world and are now part of the Savaria family of products which includes home lifts, through-floor lifts, wheelchair lifts, luxury glass home elevators and commercial-grade accessibility lifts.

Ultron Technologies, based in Birmingham, in the UK, is also part of the Savaria family. Ultron develops and manufacturers circuit boards and software technology for Savaria products. Through its Patient Care division, Savaria manufactures and markets medical beds, surfaces, ceiling track lifts and patient slings.  In 2019, Savaria acquired Silvalea Ltd, a specialty patient sling manufacturer headquartered in Newton Abbot. 

Savaria LUMA UK home mockup

UK Presence

Hover over the green dots to explore:

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Kingswinford

The Kingswinford manufacturing facility (~7432 sq m) produces stairlifts primarily for the United Kingdom. Custom fabrication of top-selling Handicare curved stairlifts are completed here.
The Kingswinford manufacturing facility (~7432 sq m) produces stairlifts primarily for the United Kingdom. Custom fabrication of top-selling Handicare curved stairlifts are completed here.
Ultron Technologies, a subsidiary of Savaria operates an office and production facility in Birmingham (743 sq m). As a technology company, Ultron designs and builds circuit boards used in Savaria products. They also build and support innovative, proprietary software for Savaria including Savaria Link, the Corporation’s remote monitoring system for elevators and lifts.
The Leeds office is a UK Savaria headquarters and sales hub. This facility is home over 50 sales and support staff and we also have a showroom open to the public that includes a full array of stairlifts to try.
Founded in 1993, Silvalea designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of patient slings. Known for their high-quality product and innovation in fabric, Silvalea slings are used in hospitals, care centres, retirement homes and home care. The company is part of the Savaria Patient Care group that offers ceiling hoists, medical beds and therapeutic surfaces.
With its Canadian roots, Savaria has an extensive presence in Canada including two factories (Ontario and British Columbia) manufacturing elevators, wheelchair lifts and stairlifts. In Ontario, Savaria also operates a bed factory for the patient care business.

A global leader in the accessibility industry

Together, Handicare, Garaventa Lift and Savaria products comprise the widest range of accessibility and mobility products available on the market. With over 60 people dedicated to research and development, Savaria is dedicated to continuous product improvement and new products that will continue to serve the ageing population.

Should you wish to read more about Savaria Corporation, please visit its website.  

Black glass Luma homelift next to modern wooden stairs

HOME ELEVATORS

Modern cream stairlift on wooden curved stairs

STAIR LIFTS

White Multilift lift, placed outside next to some stairs

VERTICAL
WHEELCHAIR LIFTS

Garaventa Platform Stairlift on grey and black stairs

INCLINED
WHEELCHAIR LIFTS

A Message from the Executive Chairman

“In 1989, I bought Savaria with the vision of building a company that I could keep for my lifetime and work with my family. What we do can truly make a different for people’s day-to-day life and I continue to have great passion for this industry.”  

Marcel Bourassa, Executive Chairman of Savaria Corporation

Is a Luma Home Lift right for you?

With a free home visit, one of our engineers can assess the suitability of the Luma lift in your house. This includes suggesting the best location for the lift and what preparation is needed for installation.