Howard Wright was a motor mechanic who loved to make things and solve problems.
In the 1950s Howard started his own engineering business in a small workshop underneath his house in New Plymouth, a small city on the West Coast of New Zealand's North Island. He mostly made things out of wrought iron, like balustrades for stairs, until he was approached by a nurse from the local hospital. Could he make a modern hospital bed like the ones they had seen in photos from overseas?
Howard looked at the photos and talked to the nurse and decided he could. It wasn't long before he realised he could in fact do a lot better, using the latest hydraulics. Howard's fame and his hospital beds spread around New Zealand and in the early 60s he took the plunge and opened his first dedicated hospital bed factory.
By the 1970s Howard Wright Limited was making and selling most of the hospital beds in New Zealand, but it was the innovative M4 bed in 1976 that was the breakthrough internationally.
Howard came up with the idea of using remote hydraulic pumping at the foot of the bed to raise the bed surface. That placed Howard Wright at the forefront in hospital bed design.
The M4 was followed by the equally innovative Pacific Shower Trolley which Howard Wright developed and exported all around the world.
Unfortunately Howard passed away in 2012, but the team at Howard Wright Limited have retained his vision for innovative yet practical design; and extended it across a whole range of patient care products using the latest electronic componentry. Every new product has been developed the same way, by firstly talking to the clinicians in hospitals and then converting their ideas into practical cost-effective designs.
Purpose & Philosophy
Our commitment to excellent design never ends when we can improve people's lives and work.
Since Howard Wright founded the company in 1963, we have quietly become a leading specialist in the design, manufacture and distribution of medical beds and stretchers.
This has been achieved by having a simple purpose “to make human care easier” and a philosophy of continuous improvement.
The increasing average age of nurses, higher patient weights and the importance of occupational health and safety combined with pressures for even greater workplace productivity are challenges we share with healthcare providers.
Our research with users has shown they need solutions that are practical, innovative and intuitive. At Howard Wright, we are providing these solutions.
Every day we ask ourselves, how can we make a difference?
We have applied continuous improvement to all activities, making processes and performance highly visual and creating an atmosphere which values free thinking. Ideas are captured and refined constantly.
For us, teamwork and creativity go together. Within our new environmentally conscious facility in New Plymouth, New Zealand, we have an informal yet professional outlook. When skilled people engage with a clear purpose, they contribute on all levels.
There is a sense of a close working partnership and mutual respect between our staff and customers. Everyone benefits from the organisational and design efficiencies that result.
Design Approach
Design is research and development. For our R&D team, it's all about understanding human problems and finding a solution.
At Howard Wright the people who design the products do the research. We work alongside all users of our products from nurses and patients through to maintenance technicians. Listening to, questioning, observing and discovering ways our products can make their lives and work easier.
How and where care is provided influences the way we innovate. It can be one small clever modification that makes a giant leap in comfort or manageability.
All design development and prototyping is tested to international standards, working closely with the Operations team.
In our model shop we can test ideas quickly and frequently. It means our full prototype models are more comprehensive and complete, so we can efficiently release a product that is right first time.
Every Howard Wright product is influenced by our design values. We term this Simple, Smart and Human:
Simple. Practical
Smart. Innovative and elegant
Human. Intuitive and empathetic
Our design approach has resulted in a range of medical beds and stretchers which are easy, safe, efficient and enjoyable to use.
Manufacturing
Exceeding our customers' quality expectations is paramount to the team at Howard Wright.
Whether it is improving tooling, developing new processes, streamlining factory workflow or training to work smarter and safer, the philosophy of continuous improvement always applies. The principles and commitment to 'lean manufacturing' have secured our ISO 13485:2012 quality system accreditation from TUV.
Our spacious setting inspires fresh thinking.
Being a design-led company with original thinking is exciting. Every new product we supply we know makes human care easier.
Because caring about what we do is second nature at Howard Wright, we put a lot of effort into making any supply chain interaction a simple, reliable and friendly experience for our customers.
Our dedicated team of Customer and Technical Services personnel are always willing to go the extra mile for you.
We never shy away from a challenge, because our attitude is "we can do this, we can make it work" and we do.
Howard Wright Cares!
Compliance
Howard Wright is committed to design, manufacturing and service excellence while conducting all its activities to the highest ethical standard.
We are independently certified to the ISO13485:2012 Quality Management System for Medical Devices and our products are tested to the latest standards by ISO17025 certified laboratories.
Our R&D Team utilises customer feedback, on-site observation and both real and simulated experiences to ensure user and patient safety with every design.
