Vacuum technology facilitates vaccine transport

"For blisters, ampoules, syringes or injection vials, we offer suction pads with small diameters," describes Dr. Maik Fiedler, head of the Vacuum Automation and Handling business units at J. Schmalz GmbH. "For example, our grippers can grip small glass vials containing vaccine extremely gently and without contamination." At the end of the production line, it's more about handling the well-insulated refrigerated boxes containing the vaccines. These are transported to the vaccination centers packed in sturdy cardboard boxes. In order to handle these heavy containers ergonomically, Schmalz supplied various vacuum tube lifters of the JumboFlex series to a well-known vaccine manufacturer. "In the logistics center, one employee often moves a great many of these packages manually and at high cycle rates," Fiedler describes. "Over the course of the day, he thus carries loads of several 100 kilograms." This puts an enormous strain on his health, especially on his back. With the vacuum tube lifter, on the other hand, he can easily pick up and move these heavy boxes of vaccine doses with one hand.

"Our vacuum gripping solutions are often in continuous use in the pandemic at all," says Fiedler. Typical applications, he says, include handling food in distribution centers, gripping medical products or packages of protective clothing for hospital staff. "Our products ensure that supply chains function reliably in industries that are often described as system-relevant," emphasizes the handling expert. In India, the USA or even in Germany, Schmalz sites have therefore also been classified as particularly important for the community.

Due to Corona, Schmalz is currently receiving more inquiries from logistics service providers, robotics and the general automation industry. In order to also reach its customers through the increasingly used digital channels, the vacuum expert has revised its website with integrated store. More than 60,000 individual pages contain not only in-depth vacuum know-how and all Schmalz products, but also modern digital services for the product life cycle: CAD models and configurators, helpful software modules and apps for parameterization and operation in both vacuum automation and manual handling.