DRIVE DEVILBISS HEALTHCARE: OVER 130 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare was founded in January 2000 under the name Medical Depot, Inc. The company name was soon changed to Drive to reflect the spirit of the company and the quality of life that the products offer many people and to make it more recognisable. And with a lot of drive, clever acquisitions and lots of ideas, the company has grown into a large, multinational organisation in a very short time.
OUR HISTORY
Since Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare was founded in 2000, we have taken over more than 15 renowned companies and brands that specialised in various core sectors within the medical aids segment, including Peter Endres GmbH & Co. KG and DeVilbiss Healthcare GmbH.
After the acquisition of the long-established respiratory and oxygen specialist in 2015, the brand name was changed from Drive to Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare.
THE SECRET OF OUR SUCCESS
As a full-range supplier, we ensure first-class customer and market supply. In the last few years, we have been able to achieve enormous organic growth through skilful acquisitions and our constant drive We haven’t just continuously extended our product range in the healthcare segment but can also - despite only being established for a relatively short period of time - take advantage of over 130 years of experience.
Continuous growth and expansion over previous years have been supported by the best specialists in the industry, latest technology and a relentless winning mentality.
This spirit of innovation and indefatigable drive can still be felt within the company and in every single one of its products.
What we want
The primary goal of Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare is to provide first-class products to all customers worldwide from our network of over 20 locations and more than 2,000 employees. Such focus is also firmly anchored in the mission of our company
TWO ACQUISITIONS THAT STAND OUT
Amongst the many acquisitions made by Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare, two stand out in particular: The first one is the acquisition of the Isny-based Peter Endres GmbH & Co. KG and the second is the respiratory therapy specialist DeVilbiss. Both of these takeovers were special as they - like no others - really characterise the company as it is today.
2007: The bath lift conquered the world.
Back in 2007 - when still called Drive Medical - we took over Peter Endres GmbH & Co. KG, based in Isny im Allgäu. This company was founded in 1991 and established a fine reputation producing quality rehabilitation aids for the bath, shower and toilet sectors as well as innovative mobility products within the industry.
Above all, the company became known as the inventor of the first battery-powered bath lift.
These are still produced at the Isny im Allgäu site predominantly with regional suppliers and then sold worldwide.
2015: New options became available with respiratory therapy.
Drive Medical took over DeVilbiss Healthcare, the specialist in oxygen and respiratory therapy, in July 2015. Their company founder, Dr. Allen DeVilbiss, was the inventor of the first medical nebuliser for inhalation therapy.
Both companies officially merged in 2017 to create the brand Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare, advancing to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of rehabilitation and medical aids, as well as aids for respiratory therapy. As DeVilbiss already had well-established links in the rehabilitation and medical products sectors, this opened up new markets
A GLANCE AT OUR HISTORY
DR. ALLEN DEVILBISS: THE MAN WHO HELPED PEOPLE TO BREATHE
From a simple medical nebuliser to a worldwide specialist in respiratory therapy
Back in the day, a very smart man was so unhappy with the conditions of his time that he set out to change them. The hero of this story was called Dr. Allen DeVilbiss and he developed the first medical nebuliser at the end of the 19th century. Back then, he could never have suspected that his ostensibly simple invention would lay the foundation for a company with a worldwide presence.
Searching for alternatives
Dr. Allen DeVilbiss was a simple country doctor who cared for patients around Toledo, Ohio, as best he could with the resources of the time. However, the tools he had at his disposal were incredibly basic, which increasingly bothered him.
In order to make breathing easier for his patients suffering from lung and respiratory diseases and to treat them, he set out to find a better, alternative method of administering medication. Back then, respiratory illnesses were treated with goose fat or Vaseline, which was applied to the throat and inside the nostrils. However, this did not have the desired effect.
The breakthrough came in 1888
In a wooden shed in his backyard, Dr. Allen DeVilbiss tinkered, tried and experimented until he found the perfect "tool" for the direct treatment of respiratory infections and diseases.
He developed the first atomiser from a rubber ball, a piece of metal pipe and the base of a small oil can. He held the glass body containing the medication over a flame to melt the semi-solid substance, then he used his invention to directly spray the affected areas with a mist. His “spray injection” was so unique that he gained a patent for it.
A success story begins
Dr. Allen DeVilbiss took his invention to several leading manufacturers of medical accessories, but none showed real interest. He therefore decided to handle matters himself, founding the company “DeVilbiss Manufacturing” in 1888 with the sole mission of producing these nebulisers. A success story started.
Oxygen therapy today at Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare
Nowadays, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare is one of the leading developers and manufacturers of aids used in respiratory and oxygen therapy, helping millions of people worldwide to breathe more easily.
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare provides a wide range of products for respiratory therapy that support and improve the quality of life for many people worldwide. These include oxygen concentrators, nebulisers, suction units, inhalers and many other aids for oxygen and aerosol therapy as well as diagnostics.
A MODERN FAIRY TALE: INVENTION OF THE BATTERY-POWERED BATH LIFT
Bathing - where and whenever you like. This cannot always be taken for granted. Those who like having a bath do not like to have to do without. But what should you do if your mobility decreases with age or is suddenly restricted due to illness or an accident? If climbing in or out of the bath on your own is no longer possible? Bathing is not just a cleaning ritual but is indeed a benefit for many people that does not just relax muscles and limbs, but also frees the mind and spirit.
The solution came in the 1980s when the first bath lift was invented in the Allgäu region of Germany.
Full machine - empty bath lift
The first bath lift was purely operated on hydraulic power. To do this, hoses have to be connected to the taps. Turning on the tap raises the bath lift as a result of water pressure. The water must be drained away again to lower the lift.
The installation of such a water-powered bath lift was not so easy and harboured some difficulties. If assembled incorrectly, there were cases where the washing machine was full instead of the hoses on the bath lift. Also, many users found the long hoses annoying. There had to be another solution.
The battery-powered bath lift.
The first battery-powered bath lift was launched on the market in 1996 by Peter Endres GmbH & Co. KG, based in Isny im Allgäu. This invention made bathing for people with handicaps or limited mobility far easier.
The battery-powered aids were ready for use immediately after assembly without any major assembly work No more hoses running through the bath and no complicated assembly. Bathe whenever and wherever you want - dreams finally come true.
From the Allgäu region to the whole world
Peter Endres GmbH & Co. KG has been part of Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare since 2007. Bath lifts are still developed, designed and produced in Isny im Allgäu. The Bellavita Nova, the newest star in the product range, is manufactured predominantly working with regional Allgäu suppliers and sold worldwide. This product is genuinely “Made in Europe” and embodies 30 years of experience.
