Bed Techs, Inc., based in Milan, Indiana, refurbishes several thousand hospital beds a year, a hefty number for a company only six years old. Bed Techs' success, in fact, warranted a recently completed major expansion as the company added a new 30,000-square-foot facility, doubling its space to two sites representing 60,000 square feet.

"There are three macro-steps in refurbishing a bed," Bill Montgomery, Bed Techs' VP, explains. "You need a large area to first disassemble the old bed, you need an area to re-condition the bed, and a clean space to re-assembly the refurbished bed."


With a staff of 50, Montgomery's original site was "very cramped." "These two facilities are 10 miles apart, but we increased our capacity not only to re-assemble but also provide a closed, clean area where we can do electronic re-conditioning.

Bed Tech has also moved into the area of circuit board re-conditioning, a critical re-conditioning service, especially as newer beds are almost all computerized.

"One newer model bed has 18 computer chips in it," Montgomery notes. "We needed a closed, clean space to do more circuit board work." With most manufacturers in the U.S. sending their computer work abroad, especially outsourcing to China and Asia, Bed Techs' increased electronic work is unique.

"We're one of the very few U.S. companies that re-condition these circuit boards," Montgomery says with some understandable pride.

Bed Techs specializes in Hill-Rom beds since it was founded by two former Hill-Rom technicians who had a vision to help reduce the cost of healthcare by making a great product better. Its facilities, by the way, are about 15 miles from Hill-Rom's head office.

"Our technicians have about 200 years' combined experience," Montgomery says. "And we offer extensive warranties." Re-conditioned OEM parts, such as motors and PC boards, are guaranteed for one year. All of Bed Techs PCs are fully computer tested. They currently offer 18 new models of new, aftermarket PC boards "more robust in design than the OEM and guaranteed three years," according to its website.

Bed Techs offers mobile maintenance and repair service for the Tri-State area of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

"Our expansion," Montgomery says, "puts us in a position to meet our projected growth plans. We now have a better space to build out our parts department, we're better able to utilize our own people and look to hire additional people as well."

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