The Challenge:
A major liquor distributor faced a bottleneck at their inbound dock. The facility handles internationally sourced shipments of vintage wines. These arrive in floor-loaded shipping containers to maximize volume. While efficient for transport, this created a logical nightmare at the receiving dock.
Fragile, high-value vintage wine required manual handling. This ruled out standard forklifts or clamp trucks. The manual unloading process was labor-intensive. Two workers typically pushed and pulled heavy sections of flexible roller conveyors into the container. They had to constantly reposition the equipment as they progressed deeper.
The physical toll was evident. Workers faced repetitive lifting, twisting, and overhead reaching to grasp ceiling-height cases weighing up to 40 lbs. With 1,920 containers annually and an average of 1,148 cases per container, the risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) was high. Financially, the "burdened" labor rate of $25/hour across two daily shifts meant inefficiencies eroded margins. The Health & Safety committee flagged the operation for immediate ergonomic intervention.
The Solution:
The distributor evaluated fully automated robotic unloading systems. They found them cost-prohibitive and risky for handling fragile glass bottles with irregular stacking patterns. They needed a solution combining human intelligence for care and sorting with mechanical advantage for strength.
The answer was the Gorbel Destuff-it™ Portable Ergonomic Conveyor System.
The Destuff-it™ brings the worker to the work. Unlike passive conveyors, it is a self-propelled, drive-in unit with an integrated hydraulic operator platform. A single operator remains in the "power zone" (between shoulders and knees) regardless of the cargo tier height.
The Execution:
Implementation changed the workflow immediately. Instead of two workers struggling with conveyor sections, a single operator pilots the Destuff-it™ unit directly into the shipping container.
The operator uses intuitive controls to drive the unit to the face of the cargo wall. A hydraulic platform lifts them to the exact height of the top tier of wine cases. Instead of lifting cases overhead or bending to the floor, the operator slides the wine cases laterally onto the pivoting belt conveyor. This conveyor articulates up and down to meet the box wall exactly where needed. As the wall is de-layered, the operator lowers the platform and drives the unit forward to maintain a safe working distance.
This process eliminated the "lift and twist" motion entirely. Vintage wines transfer gently to the dockside conveyor system for sorting and upstream warehousing.
The Result:
Transitioning from manual labor to the Destuff-it™ system yielded immediate success. The distributor achieved over 100% productivity gain. This effectively doubled their throughput while halving the labor requirement.
The standard requirement dropped from 2 people to 1 person per container. Average unload time fell from 4 total man-hours to just 1.77 man-hours. The unload rate increased from 575 cases/hour to 650 cases/hour. Detailed analysis confirmed an annual savings of $121,000.
The ergonomic intervention also succeeded. Worker fatigue and injury reports dropped. Staff expressed a preference for the machine over the manual method and cited reduced physical strain.
Technical FAQs
1. How does the Destuff-it™ integrate with existing dock infrastructure? A: The Destuff-it™ acts as a "front-end" solution. It features a universal coupler that connects physically and electrically to existing flexible roller conveyors or telescopic belt conveyors. This feeds product directly onto the current dock take-away line.
2. What are the power requirements for the unit? A: The unit runs on an integrated DC battery system. It travels freely between dock doors without being tethered by a power cord during positioning. For stationary operation while unloading, it plugs into standard 110V or 480V 3-phase power drops depending on the specific model configuration.
3. Can the platform handle heavy operators and tools safely? A: Yes. The operator platform typically has a capacity of 550 lbs (250 kg). It accommodates an operator and necessary gear. It includes safety features like front-sensing edges to stop motion if it detects an obstruction and guard rails to prevent falls while working at height.