LMT Leuenberger Medizintechnik AG and Schnell Trainingsgeräte GmbH recently announced a cross-border partnership. Both traditional companies are owner-managed and have many years of experience both in the fitness industry and in the segment of medical-rehabilitative training therapy. These competencies will now be synergistically bundled in the areas of sales and service.
F&G Editor-in-Chief Patrick Schlenz met the brothers Klaus and Achim Schnell as well as Gregor A. Hüni (CEO of the LMT Group) and Thomas Janz (Managing Director LMT Germany) for a joint insider interview.
F&G: Dear Klaus, dear Achim, dear Gregor, dear Mr. Janz - first of all, congratulations on the new cooperation!
How did the idea come about that Schnell and LMT could work together in the areas of sales and service?
Gregror A. Hüni: The first talks came about through an existing LMT customer from Switzerland, who was interested in a synchro circle from Schnell. That was the stone that set the whole thing rolling at the beginning - although Schnell had been a desired candidate of ours for some time. We then sat down together several times and discussed the possibilities of cooperation in detail until it was clear that we would work together in all three countries.
Achim Schnell: Since we were looking for a new sales partner in Austria anyway, the contact with LMT made it natural to talk about Germany and Switzerland as well.
F&G: How long did it take for the idea to mature before you were in agreement?
Gregror A. Hüni: It took almost a year between the first idea and the final implementation.
Klaus Schnell: We took this time to first get to know each other better. It was important for both LMT and SCHNELL to have a partner with whom we could understand each other and work together in the long term.
F&G: How is the new partnership to be implemented? In which countries or markets are you on the road and how?
Gregror A. Hüni: The partnership is structured in such a way that LMT supports Schnell in all sales issues relating to the entire portfolio.
As Schnell's distributor, LMT will assume responsibility for Switzerland and Austria - this includes all elements of distribution, from sales and delivery to after-sales service.
In Germany, LMT will support Schnell's existing sales force with its sales representatives.
Achim Schnell: Schnell and LMT complement each other perfectly in all three countries. In Switzerland and Austria, LMT is very well positioned in both the sales and service areas.
Our previous partner in Switzerland, Balmer Services AG, was involved in the discussions very early on and is now working together with LMT. In Germany, LMT supports us in sales, as already mentioned. The regional locations of the LMT people are well positioned for Schnell. We continue to do delivery and service directly.
F&G: What advantages does this cooperation bring to your customers?
Gregror A. Hüni: Both companies, with their family background and long-standing traditions, have their roots in performance diagnostics and have grown over time through the fitness industry into medical rehabilitative training therapy.
The common demand for high quality, correct biomechanics, a scientific background as well as good ergonomics and innovative design, creates a strong link between the two corporate philosophies and increases the solution competence of the LMT Group.
Achim Schnell: The customer benefits from the fact that we complement each other and the distances are shorter on both the sales and service sides.
F&G: LMT is taking over sales of Schnell equipment in Austria and Switzerland, as well as in the medical sector in Germany. Up to now, we had the impression that Schnell has its strengths in the medical sector in particular. Aren't you giving up an important an important pillar?
Gregror A. Hüni: Why? On the contrary; Schnell is not withdrawing from sales, but is being supported and supplemented by LMT.
Achim Schnell: Austria and Switzerland are independent markets anyway. In Germany in particular, LMT's regional sales locations are a good fit for SCHNELL, as previously mentioned. We will complement each other excellently here.
F&G: LMT has the distribution rights for several brands, such as TECHNO BODY, DELL TEC, h/p cosmos, ITENSIC & Octane. Will Schnell include some of these brands in its distribution?
Gregror A. Hüni: That is not the plan to date. Schnell is basically a manufacturer with its own production facilities and wants to concentrate on its core competence. However, as a partner we are of course in a position to handle possible joint products and also to support Schnell in their own projects with LMT products.
Achim Schnell: The inquiries often go beyond the products that we manufacture ourselves. We therefore have the opportunity to expand the portfolio through our partner LMT.
F&G: The fact that the fitness and therapy or medical markets are growing ever closer together is becoming more and more apparent at trade fairs, in the range of products offered by manufacturers and in the demand from customers. How do you see the overall market developing in the next four to five years?
Gregror A. Hüni: We assume that the trend will continue and that the two markets will increasingly merge. At the moment, there are still fears of contact and there is often a lack of implementation and realization expertise. We are currently observing a faster development of the medical market in the direction of fitness, but we assume that this will change in four to five years and that the premium fitness providers in particular will have significantly caught up here.
The economic and demographic development creates economic arguments that providers with a high claim to success will not be able to avoid.
Klaus Schnell: We also believe that the trend will continue. The classic owner-operated fitness studio has been increasingly squeezed from below by discounter chains for some years now. Many studios therefore have no choice but to stand out from the crowd by offering more quality and therapy.
F&G: What do you think will become more important? Fitness studios with a preventive and rehabilitative approach and corresponding staff qualifications or will the top trained therapists increasingly dominate with self-pay offers?
Gregror A. Hüni: Due to the significantly higher number of people training in fitness studios, the financial power and the marketing competence, we expect a higher medical fitness share in the fitness sector in the medium to longer term. It will be exciting to see how the two markets adapt to each other.
Achim Schnell: We see it similarly. But it will probably be the individual local market situation that determines who comes out on top.
F&G: Do your customers see you with a joint appearance at MEDICA this year?
Klaus Schnell: Even before the cooperation with LMT, SCHNELL decided not to participate in MEDICA 2014 for scheduling reasons. Instead, we will be more strongly represented at the regional trade fairs.
There will also not be a joint FIBO appearance in 2015, as both companies already booked their stand areas several months ago.
Gregror A. Hüni: We will have the first joint appearance at Therapro in Stuttgart. After that at Therapie Leipzig. At the moment we are in discussion for Medica 2015.
F&G We thank you very much for the interview
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You can also find equipment from Schnell at fitnessmarkt.de!
Image source: #486890652 © ASDF / Adobe Stock
Published on: 31 October 2014