Stainless Steel Drum and Barrel Handling

Drum handling covers lifting, tilting, rotating, transporting, positioning, and emptying drums, barrels, or kegs. These items are common in many industries—food & drink, chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, manufacturing, warehousing, etc.—and can be heavy, bulky, or awkward. Without proper equipment, there are risks: injuries (from manual lifting), spillage or waste, damage to the drum or its contents, inefficiency, and hygiene or contamination issues (especially where wash-downs or clean-rooms are required).

Using purpose-designed drum handling equipment increases safety, improves productivity, ensures process reliability, and helps companies comply with health, safety, and hygiene regulations.

Drum handling is a critical part of many industrial processes, and doing it well has multiple benefits: safety, hygiene, efficiency, and better process control. Packline offers a mature, broad portfolio of drum handling equipment—from simple fixed vertical lifts to rotating and tipping clamps, all the way to designs built for clean rooms and high-care industries.

Packline (UK-based) offers a wide range of drum handling equipment tailored to different needs. Below are key product types and features:

Product / Attachment Types

1. Stainless Steel Drum & Barrel Handling (“Compac” range)
   • Designed for clean, high-hygiene environments such as food, pharmaceutical, medical, FMCG.
   • Manual, gearbox assisted or fully motorised operation.
   • Handles lifting, tilting, rotating, transporting, etc. Drums of various materials (plastic, steel, fibre).
2. Drum Handling Clamp Attachments
   • These are attachments that fit to lifting / stacking machines (e.g. stainless steel or mild steel painted stacker trucks) or to Packline’s ‘Compac’ lifters.
   • Constructions include stainless steel or mild steel painted, depending on environment.
   • Rotation options: manual, geared, motorised. Tilting (including forward-tipping) attachments are available for emptying.
3. Fixed Vertical Lift (No Rotation) Attachments
   • For applications where drums just need lifting and lowering without rotation. Less complexity if rotation not needed.
4. Forward-Tipping & Rotator Attachments
   • For controlled pouring / emptying. Can rotate through fixed stops or full 360°, depending on design.
5. Specialised Constructions & Finish Options
   • Stainless Steel 316 with polished (1.6 Ra) finish for demanding hygiene / wash-down environments.
   • Optional features such as torque limiting, weight scales, position stops, adjustable speed, powered locomotion (on some models), non-marking, anti-static wheels etc.

To select the right drum-handling solution, it’s important to assess your operations carefully. Here are some criteria and advice, using Packline’s information as reference.

Beyond selecting the right equipment, successful implementation depends on how you use it.

• Audit your drum workflows: Map out every handling need—where drums are stored, moved, emptied, filled, where they need rotating, etc. This helps identify the precise handling features required (e.g. tipping, clamp vs rim grip, rotation angles).
• Plan for hygiene maintenance: If your operation demands cleanliness, ensure your equipment allows proper cleaning—smooth surfaces, easy to reach parts, stainless steel, minimal crevices.
• Training & procedural controls: Even with powered equipment, staff should be trained in safe use, how to clamp/unclamp correctly, not exceed ratings, how to use stops / fixed-positions properly. Risk assessment is essential. Packline offers on-site training.
• Maintenance & inspection: Torque limiter mechanisms, clamps, pads, seals, brakes, motors (if used), batteries (if applicable) all need periodic checks. Replace worn pads, ensure wheels are in good condition. Packline offers annual servicing, back to base or on-site.
• Match capacity to peak: Even if most drums are half-loaded, design for the heaviest loads. This protects against overloading and ensures longevity.
• Use bespoke solutions when needed: If drum dimensions or process flow is non-standard (oversized drums, odd shapes, large diameter, special clearances, etc.), a bespoke attachment or lifter can pay dividends in safety and efficiency. Packline offers this.
• Control rotation & tipping: For processes that require precise angles or regular emptying, features like fixed stops or indexed positions are valuable. They reduce operator error and speed operations.

Effortless Drum Handling Starts Here
Hygienic, safe, and custom-built stainless steel drum lifters—engineered for precision, built to perform in demanding environments.

• Hygienic Stainless-Steel Design – Perfect for use in clean-room, pharmaceutical, and food-grade environments with full wash-down capability.
• Safe and Ergonomic Operation – Minimise manual handling risks with user-friendly equipment that enhances workplace safety and reduces injury.
• Handles All Drum Types – Designed to lift, tilt, rotate, and transport a wide range of drums and barrels, including 200-litre steel, plastic, and fibre drums.
• Custom-Built to Your Requirements – Bespoke drum lifters and attachments built to suit your specific load sizes, materials, and handling processes.
• Manual and Powered Models Available – Choose from a range of manual, electric, and battery-powered lifters to match your operational needs.
• Proven in Demanding Industries – Trusted by clients across the food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and manufacturing sectors for safe and reliable drum handling.
• Compact and Space-Saving Solutions – Ideal for tight production areas without compromising on lifting capacity or functionality.
• Durable and Corrosion-Resistant – Built with high-grade stainless steel for long-lasting performance in demanding industrial environments.
• UK Engineered and Manufactured – Designed and built in the UK to exacting quality standards with expert after-sales support.
• Wide Range of Attachments – Includes drum clamps, grippers, rotators, and tipping units to handle complex lifting tasks with ease.

Need a Safer, Smarter Way to Handle Drums?
Speak to Packline today about our stainless-steel drum lifting and handling solutions, tailored to your exact process and industry needs. Whether you’re lifting, rotating, or tipping, we have the right solution for your operation.

Ideally suited for clean room environments, the Stainless Steel Compac range of Drum and Barrel Handling Equipment from Packline, is popular both here and worldwide, proving to be a winner with customers operating in the following industries:-

• Food and Drinks
• Dairy
• Pharmaceutical
• Medical
• Chemical

The purpose-designed compact framework, positioning of handlebars and addition of an optional joystick control and remote control device provide improved manoeuvrability and ease of use for the operator. The incredibly small footprint makes the Compac Lifting Machine highly manoeuvrable and a natural choice for today’s narrow production lines and demanding lifting requirements.

Taking account of the latest UK health and safety standards and EU directives, additional safety features have been incorporated to further protect operating personnel and satisfy the increasing demands of insurance companies.

Safety Features include:-

• Safety two-button function prevents the operator from inadvertently dropping the load.
• Emergency Stop Button.
• Overload limit – prevents exceeding SWL and accidental damage.
• Electro-mechanical brake holds load at required height in case of power failure.
• Rear swivel castors with safety foot guard and brake.

Designed to lift, transport and position loads, the Compac has been the name associated with top quality, reliable, stainless steel lifters for many years; and the latest model, the Mk5.1 has been developed following extensive market research into the lifting and handling needs of today’s modern production environment.

The Compac is flexible in design, ergonomic, operator friendly, easy to use, and, with its range of features and functionality it meets the needs of today’s lifting requirements.

Primarily manufactured from stainless steel, the Mk5.1 Compac is ideal for industries where hygiene and resistance to chemicals is of paramount importance including Food and Dairy, Medical, Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics.

With a small footprint and easy operation, the Compac can be used in the confined work spaces and narrow production lines found in many of today’s modern manufacturing environments.

Available in two standard models with maximum lifting capacities of 150kg, and 300kg, along with a variety of frame configurations and a comprehensive range of interchangeable attachments, the Compac is an ideal choice for most lifting applications. A full design and manufacture bespoke service is also available.

Engineered and tested to our own exacting quality standards, the Compac has been designed to provide a low maintenance, reliable and robust machine that has been built to last.

The Compac Lifting Machine is designed and manufactured in the UK. Considering operator safety at all times, the Compac has been designed to meet the latest international Health & Safety directives, CE and UKCA approved with supporting risk assessment, technical files and documentation.