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Custom lifting equipment: certainty from design to CE certification

Lifting an unusual load with standard lifting equipment is an unacceptable risk. When the shape, weight, or fragility of your load requires a unique approach, custom lifting equipment provides the solution.

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From engineering to certification

Mennens doesn’t deliver just a standard piece of steel, but a fully engineered and CE-certified solution that makes your process safer and more efficient. As your partner, we manage the entire process: from the initial concept and custom engineering to a complete technical construction file, digitally secured in Mennens Certif.
 
Each solution is designed and built in accordance with the Machinery Directive and NEN-EN 13155, supported by, among other things, FEM analyses and fully tailored to your specific load and process. You also receive audit-proof documentation, including a complete TCD that is available 24/7.
 
In addition to custom solutions, Mennens also offers a range of standard lifting beams and spreaders that are ready for immediate use—always with the same focus on safety, quality, and reliability.

What is custom lifting equipment and why is the engineering process crucial?

Custom lifting equipment consists of specifically designed lifting tools—such as lifting beams or spreaders—that provide a solution for loads that cannot be handled with standard equipment.

The success lies not in the steel itself, but in the process behind it. A proper engineering process ensures that the custom solution is:

  • Safe: The structure is strong enough, with the correct safety factors.

  • Efficient: The solution is practical to use and speeds up your operation.

  • Compliant: The lifting equipment meets all legal requirements, including mandatory CE marking and documentation.

Without this process, custom lifting equipment is not a solution, but a potential hazard and a legal risk.

Our solutions: from lifting beams to fully custom lifting systems

Lifting beams, spreaders, and lifting yokes

The most common types of custom lifting equipment. The key difference lies in how the forces are distributed: a lifting beam is subjected to bending, while a spreader distributes the forces and is loaded in compression. A lifting yoke often has a unique shape for highly specific loads, such as a C-hook for coils. We advise on and design the construction that best suits your load and crane.

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Vacuum lifters and magnetic systems

For the fast, controlled, and damage-free handling of plates (glass, metal) or other flat objects, vacuum or magnetic lifters are the ideal solution. We integrate these systems into a frame that is perfectly tailored to your product and process.

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Custom grippers, clamps, and hooks

Sometimes the shape of the load is so unique that a specific clamp or gripper needs to be designed. Our engineers develop mechanical or hydraulic solutions that securely and safely grip your product. 

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The path to certified custom lifting equipment: our 5-step engineering process

1. Assessment & advice

We start with an in-depth analysis of your lifting challenge. What is the load, what does the environment look like, and what are the process requirements?

2. Design & engineering

Our engineers translate the requirements into a 3D design. Using FEM software (Finite Element Method), we analyze and optimize the structure for strength and stiffness.

3. Production

After your approval of the design, the lifting equipment is manufactured in our workshop by qualified welders using fully traceable materials.

4. Testing and certification

The completed structure is tested (usually at 150% of the working load), treated for protection, and fitted with a nameplate and CE marking. We compile the legally required technical construction file for you.

Oplevering en borging

You receive not only the physical lifting equipment, but also the complete digital file in your personal Mennens Certif environment.

Your design, our expertise: have your construction validated by Mennens

Do you already have a concept or a detailed design? Our engineers are happy to review it and carry out a full validation. We verify the calculations, assess the design against the Machinery Directive and NEN-EN 13155, and advise on any necessary adjustments. This gives you 100% certainty that your design is safe and compliant before a single weld is made.

Looking for lifting equipment that truly fits?

Stop taking risks and choose a guaranteed, certified solution. Our engineers are happy to work with you to develop custom lifting equipment that is safe, efficient, and fully compliant.

Contact our specialists

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, a TCF is a mandatory file containing all design and safety information of the lifting equipment. It forms the basis for CE marking. Reference: Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, Annex VII.

A new lifting beam must comply with the essential requirements of the Machinery Directive, with the NEN-EN 13155 standard used as the basis for meeting these requirements.

Yes, we can validate your design by fully recalculating it and assessing it against the applicable standards. After any necessary adjustments, we can manufacture it and provide it with CE marking.

Both the initial CE certificate and all subsequent inspection certificates are available 24/7 in your personal Mennens Certif portal. 

Contact us for advice without any obligations!
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Mennens Group

More than 135 years of expertise and experience have lead Mennens to be marketleader in the Benelux. We have a complete range of activities: supply, install and assemble, inspect and certify, repair and maintain, inform and train.