Manufacturing & Packaging

In most manufacturing plants, lifting and moving materials is a continuous process at every stage, from receiving raw materials and feeding production lines to packaging and warehousing. Loads such as raw material bags, carton boxes, packaging film rolls, paper rolls, or mechanical components often have a large mass, bulky dimensions, or require precise positioning, making manual handling difficult and potentially risky.

Not only does it affect productivity, but manual lifting operations also increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, product damage, and production interruptions. In the context of businesses increasingly focusing on automation, occupational safety, and optimising operational costs, the application of industrial manipulators and vacuum lifters has become an effective solution to enhance efficiency and improve working conditions.

This article will introduce suitable lifting solutions for each common type of material in the factory, while analysing how to choose VIETMANI's industrial manipulators and vacuum lifters to optimise productivity, ensure safety, and meet the requirements of many different industries.

Not all objects use the same lifting equipment

In actual production, no single lifting device can effectively cater to all types of goods. Each lifted object has its own characteristics regarding mass, shape, size, surface, centre of gravity, and handling requirements.

For instance, a raw material bag containing powder or granules needs to be lifted quickly and continuously without tearing the bag. Meanwhile, a carton box needs to be held firmly but without being dented. For packaging film rolls or paper rolls, in addition to lifting, the equipment must be able to rotate, tilt, and position accurately to install onto the machine shaft. Mechanical parts or components with complex shapes require custom-designed End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) to ensure stability during handling.

Therefore, businesses today often choose lifting solutions based on the characteristics of the lifted object rather than just the load capacity. The two most commonly used groups of equipment are vacuum tube lifters for objects with surfaces suitable for vacuum suction cups, and industrial manipulators for heavy loads, objects with complex shapes, or requirements for rotating, tilting, and precise positioning. VIETMANI develops both of these solution lines with various load configurations, working radii, and specialised fixtures to meet diverse applications in the food, packaging, logistics, automotive, electronics, and mechanical engineering industries. The HA Series can handle loads from 80–1000 kg with Auto Balancer – Zero Gravity technology, while the Vacuum Lifter is optimised for fast lifting operations using vacuum suction cups.

Suitable lifting equipment for each type of material

Type of Load	Characteristics	Suitable Equipment
Raw material bags (powder, granules, chemicals...)	Soft, requires continuous lifting	Vacuum Tube Lifter
Carton boxes	Easily dented, requires fast handling	Vacuum Tube Lifter
Sacks, PP bags	Weight 20–50 kg, high frequency	Vacuum Tube Lifter
PE film rolls, BOPP film rolls	Heavy, requires rotating and positioning	Industrial Manipulator + specialised gripper
Paper rolls	Heavy load, requires tilting or rotating	Industrial Manipulator
Automotive, mechanical components	Complex shapes	Industrial Manipulator + customised EOAT
Metal sheets, glass sheets	Flat surfaces	Vacuum Lifter or Manipulator equipped with vacuum suction cups
Drums, containers	Requires clamping and rotating	Industrial Manipulator

The classification table above is for guidance only. In practice, choosing equipment also depends on many other factors such as load capacity, handling frequency, installation space, lifting height, requirements for rotating or tilting the load, and the automation level of the production line. Therefore, directly surveying the production process is always a necessary step to determine the optimal lifting solution for each factory.

Raw material bag lifting solutions

In many food, plastic, chemical, or animal feed factories, the process of lifting raw material bags often takes place continuously with loads ranging from 20–100 kg. Manual lifting not only reduces productivity but also poses a risk of injury to workers.

For this application, vacuum lifters (Vacuum Tube Lifters) are a suitable solution, thanks to their ability to use suction to gently hold and lift bags. Operators can easily lift, move, and place bags into hoppers or conveyors with high precision, while significantly reducing manual labour. VIETMANI's JBTL Series is specifically designed for high-frequency lifting applications, with a working radius of up to 3,000 mm, and can integrate various suction cups suitable for different bag types.

Key benefits:

• Reduce manual labour and the risk of injury.
• Increase the feeding speed for the production line.
• Minimise bag tearing and material loss.
• Enhance productivity and improve working conditions.

Carton box lifting solutions

In the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, electronics, and logistics industries, carton lifting operations occur continuously during packaging, palletizing, and shipping. If done manually, operators are prone to fatigue, while carton boxes are at risk of being dented or dropped when handled at high frequencies.

Depending on the characteristics of the goods and the production process, businesses can choose vacuum lifters (Vacuum Tube Lifters) or industrial manipulators. Vacuum Tube Lifters are suitable for cartons with light to medium loads that require fast and continuous handling. Meanwhile, Industrial Manipulators are an effective solution for cartons with large loads, bulky dimensions, or precise positioning requirements in automated production lines. With the ability to design clamping fixtures according to each application, VIETMANI's Industrial Manipulators ensure stable and safe lifting while minimising the operator's manual labour.

Key benefits:

• Increase loading, unloading, and packaging speed.
• Reduce manual labour for operators.
• Minimise denting and damage to carton boxes.
• Enhance productivity and safety in the logistics area.

Packaging film roll lifting solutions

PE, BOPP, PVC, or shrink film rolls usually have large loads, large diameters, and require precise installation onto the packaging machine shaft. Manual lifting not only consumes a lot of manpower but also poses a risk of dropping the film roll, causing material damage or compromising safety during operation.

Depending on the load capacity and production process, businesses can use cable balancers (HAS Series) or industrial manipulators (HA Series) combined with specialised fixtures to lift, rotate, and position the film roll safely. Both equipment lines are designed according to the load balancing principle, helping operators handle loads gently and accurately, significantly reducing manual labour. The HAS Series is suitable for light to medium load applications, while the HA Series caters to large-load film rolls or more complex handling requirements.

Key benefits:

• Lift and position film rolls quickly and accurately.
• Minimise collisions, scratches, and material damage.
• Reduce manual labour and improve safety for operators.
• Suitable for various packaging machines and production lines.

Paper roll lifting solutions

Paper rolls are common materials in the packaging, printing, tissue paper, and labelling industries. With characteristics of large loads, large diameters, and requirements for precise installation onto machine shafts, manual lifting not only consumes a lot of manpower but also poses a risk of unsafe conditions and damage to the paper roll.

For this application, industrial manipulators are a suitable solution thanks to their ability to combine with specialised gripping fixtures to lift, rotate, and position paper rolls accurately. For paper rolls with small to medium loads and simple handling, businesses can also choose cable balancers (HAS Series) to optimise investment costs. Both equipment lines are designed according to the load balancing principle, helping operators handle them gently, safely, and significantly reduce manual labour.

Key benefits:

• Lift, rotate, and install paper rolls onto machine shafts quickly and accurately.
• Minimise collisions, dents, or damage to the paper roll.
• Reduce manual labour and improve safety for operators.
• Suitable for various printing machines, cutting machines, and packaging production lines.

Component and machine part lifting solutions

In the automotive, motorcycle, mechanical engineering, and electronics industries, operators often have to lift components such as car doors, seats, dashboards, engines, machine casings, or mechanical parts with complex shapes. These products not only have large loads but also require precise positioning during assembly to ensure quality and safety.

For these applications, industrial manipulators are the optimal solution thanks to their ability to integrate specialised fixtures for each type of component. The equipment supports lifting, rotating, tilting, and positioning parts precisely, allowing operators to handle even large loads with ease.

Key benefits:

• Lift and position components precisely during the assembly process.
• Reduce manual labour and the risk of injury for operators.
• Minimise collisions, scratches, and protect product quality.
• Increase productivity and ensure consistency across the production line.

Vietmani provides lifting solutions for specific applications

Every factory has its own production characteristics, product types, and operational processes. Therefore, no single piece of lifting equipment is suitable for all applications. Instead of providing standard products, VIETMANI consults and designs lifting solutions according to the actual requirements of each business, from site surveys to fixture design, installation, and operational handover.

VIETMANI's solution portfolio meets a diverse range of lifting needs in the factory:

• Lifting raw material bags using Vacuum Tube Lifters for the food, chemical, and plastics industries.
• Lifting carton boxes using Vacuum Tube Lifters or Industrial Manipulators in packaging and logistics lines.
• Lifting film rolls and paper rolls using cable balancers or industrial manipulators combined with specialised fixtures.
• Lifting components and machine parts in the automotive, motorcycle, mechanical, and electronics industries.
• Lifting drums, metal sheets, glass, wood, stone, pallets, and many other specific loads and shapes.

The distinguishing feature of VIETMANI lies not only in the equipment but also in the ability to customise solutions. Each system is selected based on the type of manipulator, load capacity, reach, installation method, and fixture suitable for the characteristics of the lifted object as well as the customer's production process. Thanks to this, businesses can optimise productivity, reduce manual labour, enhance safety, and protect product quality throughout the operation.

If your business is looking for material lifting solutions in the factory, VIETMANI's team of engineers will directly survey the application, analyse technical requirements, and propose the most suitable equipment configuration, helping to optimise investment efficiency right from the start.