A longstanding user of materials storage solutions from German firm Kasto Maschinenbau, KWM Weisshaar in Mosbach, Germany, a sheet metal processing, fabrication and logistics company, to upgrade the electrical equipment, electronics and software of a 17-year-old Kasto UNIGRIP buffer storage system. A similar service is available in the UK and Irish markets from Kasto’s subsidiary in Kibworth Harcourt, Leicestershire.
Currently, about 5,000 tons per year of steel, stainless steel and aluminium are processed by KWM Weisshaar. The company not only manufactures mechanical components such as roof segments for railcar bodies, but also complete air conditioning units and battery boxes. It has an annual turnover of about EUR 50M and employs around 450 people, approximately ten percent of whom are apprentices.
Another factor played a significant role in the decision-making. The supplier needed to be able to implement the refurbishment project quickly, with minimal impact on production, as the sheet metal processing firm was reorganising its material flow while the business was fully operational.