Based at the Innovation District Strijp-T in Eindhoven, Mennens Cleanroom Cranes designs and delivers specialised lifting solutions for cleanrooms and controlled production environments, where precision, process control and contamination management are essential. A multidisciplinary engineering team develops customer-specific solutions for industries including semiconductors, high-tech manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and aerospace.
Operations Director Dave van Zandvliet has been involved from the very beginning. He looks back on more than 25 years of engineering experience in cleanroom lifting and ahead to new applications.
It started with a specific request from the semiconductor industry. At that time, Mennens Cleanroom Cranes did not yet exist as a separate entity. “We were already supplying balancers that allowed loads to be positioned very accurately,” says Dave van Zandvliet. “But the required capacity of 3,200 kg went beyond what was available for cleanroom applications at the time.”
Rather than making concessions, the team chose to approach the challenge from an engineering perspective. Together with suppliers, they examined which hoist would be suitable, how the control system should be configured and, above all, how a complete overhead crane could be integrated into a clean, controlled environment. Contamination control was a key consideration from day one.
This engineering approach led to the first cleanroom crane, later known as the NXT crane.
“We examined every detail, from controls and mechanics to material selection and surface finishing, with the goal of maximum control within a cleanroom environment.”
The market responded quickly to the first cleanroom solutions. Within a short period, multiple orders followed. In 2008, this growth led to the establishment of Mennens Cleanroom Cranes as a specialised part of Mennens.
That same year, the NXE crane was introduced, developed to achieve higher positioning accuracy in cleanroom environments.
“With the NXE, we took accuracy to the next level,” says Dave van Zandvliet. “Hoisting movements in the Z-direction are accurate to one millimetre, with positioning in the X-Y direction to two millimetres. That level of precision is essential for sensitive processes within the semiconductor supply chain.”
In the years that followed, the company continued to invest with focus in engineering and product development. The introduction of the EXE crane, with a lifting capacity of up to 40,000 kg, marked the next step. Capacity alone is not the deciding factor. Controlled lifting within complex production processes is key, where downtime, contamination or positioning errors have a direct impact on process stability and product quality.
In addition to overhead cranes, Mennens Cleanroom Cranes also delivers fixed lifting points, monorail systems, lighter crane solutions and customer-specific configurations. The starting point is not the product itself, but the application.
“Every solution starts with the application, not the product.”
Since 2024, Mennens Cleanroom Cranes has been operating as an independent company. The management team consists of Dave van Zandvliet (operations), Marcel Rabenort (general management) and Danny van Deuzen (commercial).
The company has a strong foundation in the cleanroom market, particularly within the semiconductor industry. At the same time, demand is growing for lifting solutions in controlled environments: production environments where cleanliness, precision and reliability are increasingly critical to process continuity and quality.
To further strengthen this engineering approach, Mennens Cleanroom Cranes is opening its own R&D centre this month. New lifting concepts and configurations are tested and validated here before being applied in customer projects.
With 25 years of experience, the focus remains unchanged: not to deliver as many cranes as possible, but to deliver the right lifting solution that supports the process. That is where our engineering strength lies.
A cleanroom crane is never installed without planning. Behind every successful installation lies a work plan that brings together technology, scheduling, and collaboration. This silent force repeatedly proves decisive for controlled execution without surprises
At first sight, a cleanroom crane appears as one complete system. In reality, it is made up of several components that work together to move loads with precision and control.
When building a cleanroom, every detail matters. Air quality, the choice of materials, the positioning of equipment: everything must align. At first sight, a crane may seem like just another component, but in practice it is a crucial link in the overall process. At Mennens Cleanroom Cranes we understand this better than anyone. No lifting solution is ever standard. Each crane is designed and installed with close attention to the unique requirements of the customer.
Recently, we were interviewed by Regio Business, a magazine that focuses on the manufacturing industry in the province of Brabant in the Netherlands. The interview is available in Dutch in their digital version of the magazine.
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