PRODUCTS & EQUIPMENT
An additional laser cutting machine is connected to the Unitower. Loading and unloading are performed by an automatic system with various grippers that can handle whole sheets as well as cut parts and remnants.
Owing to the company’s booming online business and growing number of orders, even this system eventually reached its limits. In 2016, the company asked Kasto how to increase the store’s performance.
The supplier’s first thought was to add a second stacker crane to the existing Uniline system, but this reconfiguration would have interfered with the store’s operations. So Kasto devised an alternative solution involving the installation of a separate Unitower B store next to the existing in-line system to provide additional capacity.
The latest storage system, which was installed in a few weeks without interrupting the stockholder’s operations, consists of a double tower and stacker crane. Rising to a height of 8.5 metres and with a compact
12 IMT June 2018
footprint, it has space for almost 80 pallets, each of which can hold sheets measuring up to 3,000 x 1,500 mm. Only the pallet that has been called up needs to be moved, ensuring fast access times, while the efficient lifting gear offers significant energy savings. For maximum flexibility, the Unitower is connected to the Uniline store at the top by a bridge with a longitudinal, rail-mounted carriage. In this way, pallets move automatically from one area of the storage facility to another without losing valuable space below. An additional laser cutting machine is connected to the Unitower, loading and unloading being performed automatically. Using various grippers, it is possible to handle whole sheets as well as cut parts and remnants, increasing productivity and flexibility. An advantage of the Kasto solution,
according to Mr Verschuuren, is that unlike many other storage systems, it allows metalworking machinery of any make to be integrated easily. De Cromvoirtse is therefore able to source production equipment from more than one supplier so can use machines that are most suitable for the given requirements.
Both the new and existing stores are controlled by Kasto’s warehouse management software, KASTOlogic, which has been programmed to treat the two areas as a single, connected system to facilitate operation and increase stock transparency. It is connected with the stockholder’s ERP system, ensuring consistent data flow and smooth order processing. As with the machine tools on-site, both the Uniline and the Unitower can be monitored remotely. If necessary, Kasto
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engineers can access the facility online from Germany and rectify any problems, although Mr van den Hurk advised that this has rarely been needed.
He concluded, “KASTO gave us optimum support during our latest project, as it has done since the outset. “We have achieved another big increase in productivity, while also making work easier for our employees, and our customers continue to benefit from short delivery times.”
On behalf of: KASTO Ltd, Unit 5, Garamonde Drive, Wymbush, Milton Keynes, MK8 8DF. t: +44 (0)1908 571590 f: +44 (0)1908 566106 e:
sales@uk.kasto.com www.kasto.com Contact: Ernst Wagner, Managing Director.
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