Avalon Stairlifts

Battery‑Electric Stairlifts, Engineered for the Modern American Home

Founder

Kevin G. Strafford‑Price

Kevin Strafford‑Price is a fourth‑generation stairlift innovator whose engineering work has shaped several of the most influential battery‑electric stairlift platforms of the last forty years. He is also a sitting member of the ASME A18.1 Committee — the American Society of Mechanical Engineers group responsible for developing and maintaining the U.S. safety standard for platform lifts and stairway chairlifts. This committee defines the national safety requirements that govern the design, construction, installation, and long‑term reliability of stairlifts in the United States.

His engineering career began in the UK aerospace sector, completing seven years of advanced mechanical‑engineering training across the Royal Aircraft Establishment and Marconi Space & Defence — Britain’s closest equivalent to NASA’s mechanical‑engineering pipeline. He later joined one of the world’s first Computervision CAD drawing offices at Cable Belt (now JTL), producing a CAD‑designed gearbox the size of a small house for a 32‑km mining conveyor.

Kevin then moved into German industrial power‑transmission engineering with Lenze UK, Germany’s leader in electric drives and motion‑control systems. He later led engineering and sales operations for Bodine Electric UK, the British arm of the U.S. electric‑motor manufacturer Bodine Electric Company. It was here that he entered the stairlift industry and saw firsthand what would define his career: the drive system determines the safety, reliability, and lifespan of a stairlift.

In 1987, Kevin co‑developed the first battery‑powered stairlift drive at Bison Bede with the colleague who would later become his MediTek co‑founder. Together they went on to design the first Acorn stairlift — the product that brought Acorn into the stairlift market and laid the foundation for its later growth (Acorn Stairlift History).

Kevin and his co‑founder then launched MediTek Stairlifts, introducing the world’s first continuous‑charge rail. MediTek sold more than 160,000 units before being acquired by Royal Otolift (Royal Otolift acquisition history). Otolift continues to use the MediTek platform today with the branding removed (Otolift Line).

After qualifying in finance, Kevin combined engineering and commercial strategy, advising manufacturers and mobility companies on product development, safety compliance, and long‑term reliability planning. This dual background — deep engineering and financial discipline — shaped the design philosophy that would later define Avalon Stairlifts.

Avalon Stairlifts was founded to create a modern, U.S.‑engineered stairlift platform designed specifically for American staircase geometry, electrical standards, and safety expectations. The Avalon system continues the MediTek tradition of simplicity and reliability, but with a clean‑sheet design built for today’s homes and service requirements.

Today, Kevin leads Avalon Stairlifts USA from Durham, North Carolina, focusing on engineering clarity, long‑term serviceability, and a design philosophy centered on safety, comfort, and reliability.