API Germany works with many long-standing partners across Europe. It has a long-standing and successful partnership with Activa Automobil-Service GmbH, based in Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, a subsidiary of the major automotive group Bleker Group. The Bleker Group operates a total of 14 car dealerships at eight locations in Borken, Bocholt, Ahaus, Dülmen, Münster, Dortmund, Bremen, and Stuhr.
Activa has been headquartered in Borken since 1993 and has since established a strong presence in the automotive market in the areas of vehicle interiors, vehicle painting, upholstery, and, above all, specialty vehicle manufacturing. The company employs approximately 60 people.
The special-purpose vehicle manufacturing division benefits from the extensive experience of its specialized staff in the conversion and custom outfitting of vehicles for transporting people with disabilities, service and emergency vehicles, and other customizable commercial vehicles. The collaboration with API has successfully advanced special-purpose vehicle manufacturing in the past.
Plant Manager Olaf Benning stillremembers his first encounter with API very well: “In 2009, API sales representative Norbert Heil came to Borken and presented the retrofit concept to us. When he explained that a cutout in the rear was necessary for installing the ramp, we were skeptical at first. After all, who wants to go cutting into a car that’s in perfect condition?”
However, those doubts quickly dissipated, and a general interest was sparked. In August 2010, the first Activa mechanics completed training on retrofitting with the FlexiRamp at the company’s Czech headquarters in Slapy. Shortly thereafter, company officials decided to establish a permanent partnership.
Identifying needs – capitalizing on market opportunities
Benning explains the decision: “There are 7.8 million people with severe disabilities living in Germany. So the need for modified vehicles was obvious. At the same time, competition in this market was very limited. And so we just gave it a try—starting with five vehicles.”
Today, Activa sells approximately 350 retrofitted cars per year, making it the largest API partner in Europe in terms of volume. However, this rapid growth did not happen overnight. “At first, the salespeople at our dealerships were very skeptical, because until then they had had no contact with the target audience. We quickly realized that we needed to approach this business with professional structures. And so we established our own division for special-purpose vehicle manufacturing,” explains Benning.
API was also breaking new ground with this partnership, as Managing Director Stephan Schwartz explains: “Up until then, we had only worked with repair shops that equipped individual cars with our FlexiRamp on a contract basis. The fact that the partner would handle both the conversion and the sale was a first for us.”
Success Thanks in Part to the FlexiRamp
Benning has never regretted the decision to focus on specialty vehicle manufacturing: “The whole venture has been a financial success. With the API-FlexiRamp, we’re building what I consider to be the best product on the market, and we’ve built an excellent reputation.”
Many Activa customers are transportation services that don’t just transport wheelchair users. That’s why it’s important that the seats can be folded back to their normal position quickly and easily. The FlexiRamp is ideal for this. Families also benefit from this proverbial flexibility. They can all travel together in a single vehicle on vacation. At first glance, the converted car looks like a conventional passenger car. But it can also be used to transport people in wheelchairs.
Benning cites another key to success: “Customers trust our many years of expertise. Many of them are already in an exceptional situation following accidents or other misfortunes and have to deal with many problems in their daily lives. That’s why they’re very grateful to have an experienced and knowledgeable contact person who specializes in mobility.”
Activa sees itself here as a solutions provider rather than a car dealer. As a result, older vehicle models are also regularly retrofitted because, as part of the overall package, they represent the best solution for the individual customer.
A Fair Partnership on Equal Terms
Stephan Schwartz is pleased with the trusting partnership. “Right from the start, Activa provided us with a vehicle that we could equip with the FlexiRamp and use for sales purposes. I think this show of trust has paid off.”
Both partners share a very similar understanding of professionalism and equal partnership, explains Olaf Benning: “For us, a business handshake and our word are just as binding as a signed contract. Negotiations are conducted transparently and honestly. Everyone contributes what they do best. We can rely on each other one hundred percent. To me, that’s what a true partnership is.”
Together Through Challenging Times
Even three years after the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, supply chains remain severely disrupted. The time between ordering and delivery of vehicles is still very long. Prices for energy, replacement parts, and raw materials remain high or fluctuate rapidly. “Long-term forecasting and planning are nearly impossible. The continuity we were used to before COVID-19 won’t return anytime soon,” Benning is convinced. Activa is responding by setting time limits on prices and offers.
Schwartz sees the shortage of skilled workers as another challenge. “There is a particular shortage of experienced workers in the workshops and in production. To make up for this, we need to explore innovative approaches, such as recruiting skilled workers from Asia.”
Especially in challenging market conditions, a reliable partnership—such as the one that has existed between API and Activa for 13 years now—is a great help. Just recently, additional Activa employees were trained in installing the FlexiRamp into the E-K9 series. These employees can now install the API ramp into the Peugeot Rifter, Citroën Berlingo, Opel Kombo, Fiat Doblo, and Toyota Pro Ace City vehicles.
The headquarters of Activa Automobil-Service GmbH is currently being expanded. Once construction is complete, there will be space for an exhibition hall measuring approximately 200 m². In addition, once the new building is finished, it will provide space for eight additional workstations and lifts, which will enable the modification and expansion of vehicles weighing up to 3.5 metric tons.
The demand for mobility solutions for people with disabilities remains high; neither a pandemic nor Russia’s war against Ukraine has changed that. Together, the two partners will find ways to meet this need.
