A supporting structure for supporting a plurality of pre-crimped cartridges for use in pharmaceutical, medical or cosmetic applications, said pre-crimped cartridges having an upper end and a bottom end opposite to the upper end, a cylindrical body of a first outer diameter with a filling opening at the upper end, and a shoulder portion at the bottom end, which is followed by a widened bottom rim with a secondary opening for drug administering, wherein the secondary opening is sealed by a seal and an outer closure is crimped over the widened bottom rim to secure the seal at the cartridge, a predetermined axial length being defined between the upper end and the bottom end, wherein an outer diameter of the pre-crimped cartridges at their shoulder portions is larger than the outer diameter at their sealed bottom ends but smaller than the first outer diameter, said supporting structure comprising: a planar supporting plate, and a plurality of tubular receptacles formed at the planar supporting plate in a regular arrangement and formed by circumferential side-walls extending downward from a bottom side of the planar supporting plate for accommodating the pre-crimped cartridges, wherein retaining protrusions are formed at the bottom ends of the receptacles protruding inward, and characterized in that the retaining protrusions are mated with the shoulder portions of the pre-crimped cartridges in such a manner that the shoulder portions of the pre-crimped cartridges are supported on the retaining protrusions of the receptacles, that the sealed bottom ends of the pre-crimped cartridges extend through openings formed by the retaining protrusions at the bottom ends of the receptacles and that the upper ends of the pre-crimped cartridges protrude from the upper ends of the receptacles at an upper side of the planar supporting plate, when the pre-crimped cartridges are accommodated upside-down in the receptacles, wherein for stiffening the supporting plate a) stiffening ribs provided on the bottom side of the supporting plate interconnect outer ones of the receptacles and/or stiffening ribs provided on the bottom side and near the center of the supporting plate interconnect central ones of the receptacles; or b) the supporting plate is formed of a plastic material, the circumferential side-walls of the receptacles and the retaining protrusions are formed unitary with the supporting plate and the retaining protrusions are configured to sustain axial forces exerted onto the pre-crimped cartridges of up to 1,000 N, preferably of up to 750 N and more preferably of up to 500 N. a planar supporting plate, and a plurality of tubular receptacles formed at the planar supporting plate in a regular arrangement and formed by circumferential side-walls extending downward from a bottom side of the planar supporting plate for accommodating the pre-crimped cartridges, wherein retaining protrusions are formed at the bottom ends of the receptacles protruding inward, and characterized in that the retaining protrusions are mated with the shoulder portions of the pre-crimped cartridges in such a manner that the shoulder portions of the pre-crimped cartridges are supported on the retaining protrusions of the receptacles, that the sealed bottom ends of the pre-crimped cartridges extend through openings formed by the retaining protrusions at the bottom ends of the receptacles and that the upper ends of the pre-crimped cartridges protrude from the upper ends of the receptacles at an upper side of the planar supporting plate, when the pre-crimped cartridges are accommodated upside-down in the receptacles, wherein for stiffening the supporting plate a) stiffening ribs provided on the bottom side of the supporting plate interconnect outer ones of the receptacles and/or stiffening ribs provided on the bottom side and near the center of the supporting plate interconnect central ones of the receptacles; or b) the supporting plate is formed of a plastic material, the circumferential side-walls of the receptacles and the retaining protrusions are formed unitary with the supporting plate and the retaining protrusions are configured to sustain axial forces exerted onto the pre-crimped cartridges of up to 1,000 N, preferably of up to 750 N and more preferably of up to 500 N. a) stiffening ribs provided on the bottom side of the supporting plate interconnect outer ones of the receptacles and/or stiffening ribs provided on the bottom side and near the center of the supporting plate interconnect central ones of the receptacles; or b) the supporting plate is formed of a plastic material, the circumferential side-walls of the receptacles and the retaining protrusions are formed unitary with the supporting plate and the retaining protrusions are configured to sustain axial forces exerted onto the pre-crimped cartridges of up to 1,000 N, preferably of up to 750 N and more preferably of up to 500 N.