Repalletizing 96 beer crates at once: Störtebeker Brewery combines efficiency and ergonomics
Störtebeker has reduced the time required for a pallet change by 80 percent, cut the cost of new pallets by 70 percent, lowered the scrap rate from over 20 percent to around 14 percent, and completely eliminated the physical strain on employees with a PARATUS® system.
Störtebeker Braumanufaktur GmbH in Stralsund is synonymous with artisanal brewing and a growing variety of products in the premium segment. In addition to producing beer and beer-based mixed drinks, the company operates a highly automated warehouse that relies on efficient material flows. As demands for quality, process reliability, and ergonomics increased, one work step came into particular focus: pallet changes.
Manual processes as an ergonomic challenge
Thousands of pallets are moved daily in the brewery’s warehouse—both in the receiving and shipping areas. Empty containers often arrive at Störtebeker on damaged or substandard pallets, which must be repacked onto new, high-rack-compatible pallets before further processing. The reverse process takes place in the shipping area.
For a long time, this process was carried out manually, requiring significant manpower and regularly causing physical strain on employees. “Defective pallets could only be replaced with considerable effort. This was both time-consuming and exhausting for the employees,” reports a Störtebeker manager.
In addition to ergonomic considerations, economic factors also posed a growing challenge. Rising prices for Euro pallets and the high quality requirements for use in high-bay warehouses led to a significant increase in procurement costs.
Optimizing pallet changeovers
Against this backdrop, Störtebeker sought a solution that would both reduce the physical strain on employees and shorten process times. The company chose equipment from SW-Paratus GmbH, whose pallet changers employ an innovative principle that is fundamentally different from conventional tilting or rotating systems.
While traditional pallet turners tilt or completely flip the goods, the PARATUS® system uses a horizontal sliding mechanism: The loaded starting pallet is placed into the unit, the destination pallet is pushed in from the front using an industrial truck, and the forward motion is used to slide the starting pallet backward out from under the goods. The goods remain in their original position and are not lifted, tilted, or rotated.
This method offers several advantages:
- The process is accelerated because the changeover is completed with a single sliding motion.
- The goods are handled gently, as they are neither tilted nor crushed.
- Handling is ergonomic, as no manual intervention is required.
- The device is robust and reliable, as it operates purely mechanically.
“The requirements at Störtebeker were clear,” explains Ralf Schauties, Managing Director of SW-Paratus GmbH. “The beverage crates were not to be tilted or rotated—so conventional pallet turners were out of the question. Our system, on the other hand, operates purely horizontally, ensuring that the crates remain stable and secure on the pallet. The heavy weight of the beverage crates initially caused some skepticism, but that dissipated within seconds during a live demonstration of our system.”
Custom-made for triple changeovers
The managers at Störtebeker would have preferred to keep the demonstration unit right away. However, due to the high throughput requirements, they opted for a custom-built solution: the PARATUS® Change MULTI-3, which allows three pallets to be changed simultaneously. To bridge the gap until the custom solution was delivered, SW-Paratus GmbH actually let Störtebeker keep the demonstration unit.
The triple pallet changer arrived a few weeks later and has since proven itself so well in Störtebeker’s operations that SW-Paratus GmbH has added it to its product lineup as an official model.
The implementation took place in close coordination between Störtebeker and the project team at SW-Paratus GmbH. “The systems were installed exactly according to our specifications, and even a last-minute fine-tuning of the system went smoothly. We were particularly pleased that our employees immediately understood how to operate the system and were able to confidently perform pallet changes after just a few practice runs,” reports a Störtebeker representative.
Noticeable reduction in workload and increased efficiency
The switch to pallet changing using PARATUS® systems brought measurable improvements at Störtebeker. With the new triple changer, three pallet changes now take only about one minute; previously, it took nearly five minutes. At the same time, pallet scrap rates dropped from over 20 percent to around 14 percent, allowing the costs associated with procuring new pallets to be reduced to about 30 percent of the original level.
Thanks to the system, high-rack-compatible pallets can now be reused multiple times on-site, which significantly lowers the demand for new pallets and reduces the associated costs. Furthermore, the interruption to the ideal process flow—which automatically occurs during a pallet change—has been minimized through the simultaneous triple exchange. The ergonomic benefits are also evident in day-to-day operations: The workload on staff is reduced, and pallet changes now take place entirely without manual intervention.
Lars Wellerdiek, co-managing director of SW-Paratus GmbH, emphasizes that ergonomics and efficiency are not mutually exclusive: “When employees’ physical workload is reduced, the material flow also runs faster and more smoothly—such real-world examples confirm this.”
Long-term benefits and further optimization
Based on these positive experiences, Störtebeker is currently exploring further optimization options, such as integrating a directly connected pallet magazine for stacking the exchanged pallets. This would further accelerate the material flow and reduce operational effort. As long as the price of new pallets exceeds the deposit value plus the cost of pallet exchange, the use of PARATUS® systems represents the most economically efficient solution for Störtebeker.
For SW-Paratus GmbH, this case serves as a prime example of how ergonomics in warehouse operations not only improves working conditions but also directly contributes to a company’s efficiency and competitiveness. Ralf Schauties sums it up: “The Störtebeker case makes it clear to many industries that ergonomically optimized processes can sustainably increase the warehouse’s overall performance.”
