Liko
Security Services in Midrand

Liko develops, manufactures and markets mobile and overhead patient lifts for safe patient handling.

Since 2008, Liko is a part of the world-leading medical technology company Hill-Rom, in close to 80 countries and with more than 6000 employees. Together we offer our customers a complete solution to patient care and transfers, focusing on improving the care quality and the caregiver's productivity. Liko's head office is located in the village of Alvik in the north of Sweden, the same place where it all started more than 30 years ago. Today it is the Global Patient Mobilisation Center of Excellence. From the very beginning consideration for those for whom we develop our products has been our most important guiding-star. The history of Liko starts with at two separate dates, with 50 years in between. In 1929 William A. Hillenbrand founded Hill-Rom with a dream of bringing the home into the hospital; patients should feel comfortable and secure in a hospital. Liko and Hill-Rom have a common background as family companies with a mission of improving the quality of the care for both caregivers and patients. In October 2008 Hill-Rom acquired Liko, the cultural and historical similarities in combination with the complementing product portfolios made the integration of he two companies a natural fit. Liko's history started in the 1970's when Gunnar Liljedahl worked as an engineer and designer of special assistive devices at the Norrbotten County Council. There he developed innovative aids to help individual patients. Gunnar was happy with his job, but wanted more people to be able to profit from his innovations. This is the way the thought of having his own company Liko was born. The production was located in the village of Alvik outside Luleå, where Gunnar had inherited a patch of land from his father. Here he built a small red garage where all of the development, production and sales were managed in the beginning. The first product that Liko produced was the furniture riser Liljan, which is still going strong. But it didn't take long before the company started focusing more and more on lifting and transferring patients. Soon the company started to grow and employ several people. She had worked as an occupational therapist in the County Council, and brought with her even more functional knowledge to the company. Soon the next innovation came, the world's first all-textile sling. As the company continued to grow and develop new products, the garage was extended successively. When Liko had become a well-known and established brand within Swedish borders, international expansion plans started to take form. The 90's were the period when Liko became more and more known outside Sweden and the Nordic countries. By the establishment of its own companies and cooperation with exclusive distributors in different countries, Liko become one of the big international players. From the end of the 90's and up to today, the expansion has continued with unabated speed. The red garage, which fast grew too small and was joined by big production, storage and office buildings, is still there as a humble reminder of the quick journey. With this merger Liko's products could be offered to more customers globally, and, together, the two companies could offer their customers a complete solution for patient care and transfers, with a focus on improving the care quality and the caregiver productivity.