The reduction in workload for Erkodent employees is clearly noticeable.

Schmalz Vacuum Lifter Facilitates Logistics at Erkodent

Erkodent wanted an ergonomically designed lifting aid, but the room height was too low for conventional crane systems. The solution from Schmalz is a modular flat jib made of aluminum, which ensures effortless movements even in low rooms.

Products used in the application

Features of the success story

Industry	Medical technology
Workpiece	Cardboard boxes
Product group	Vacuum Tube Lifter JumboFlex
Type of handling	Manual Handling

With Schmalz

380

millimeter

space gain

kilogram

effortless handling

The customer: Erkodent Erich Kopp GmbH

Erkodent is a leading manufacture of high-quality products for dental technology, dentistry and foot orthopaedics. The company was founded in 1954 by Erich Kopp in Pfalzgrafenweiler near Freudenstadt. By developing its own instruments based on practical experience, Erkodent grew to become one of the world's leading companies in dental thermoforming technology. In 1980, the second pillar was established with foot orthopaedics, which today accounts for around ten percent of turnover.

The challenge

Erkodent was looking for a solution to improve the packaging process at the end of the assembly line. The aim was to reduce the manual workload for employees who were stacking thermoformers on pallets on every day. Due to the increasing weight of the packages, which weighed between 15 and 25 kilograms and often came with accessories such as instruction manuals, manual handling was a challenge. The employees had to stack the packages on pallets and make sure that the serial numbers remained visible. This process was not only labor-intensive, but also strained the employees' backs and arms. An ergonomic lifting aid was therefore needed to reduce the workload and make the work process more efficient.

We package twelve to fifteen thermoforming appliances per day. Stacking them on the pallet by hand without a lifting aid put a lot of strain on our backs and arms.

∼ Helmut Seeger, Erkodent employee

The solution from Schmalz

Schmalz developed a custom-made solution for Erkodent to optimize the packaging process. As conventional crane systems were not suitable due to the low ceiling height, Schmalz designed an innovative, modular flat jib made of aluminum. This flat jib is part of Schmalz's modular jib crane system and significantly reduces the overall height compared to conventional steel constructions. This means that the vacuum tube lifter JumboFlex 50 can be used efficiently. The JumboFlex 50 is a powerful vacuum tube lifter that has been specially developed for the ergonomic lifting and moving loads. With a load capacity of up to 50 kilograms, even heavy cardboards boxes can be lifted and moved effortlessly. The central one-finger control enables intuitive operation and the continuously rotatable handle makes it easier to position the load. This significantly reduces the strain on the operator and increases working comfort. The use of the modular aluminum flat jib offers further advantages. The aluminum construction is lightweight yet robust, which ensures easy mounting and high stability. The flat jib fits easily under low ceilings and between existing ventilation and media shafts, which increases the flexibility and adaptability of the system.

“Every day, we package twelve to fifteen thermoforming units, each weighing between 15 and 25 kilograms,” explains Helmut Seeger, an employee in the mounting department at Erkodent.