TPT November 2020

T E CHNOLOG Y

Kasto modernises Heine + Beisswenger storage system STEEL trading company Heine + Beisswenger has been using a Kasto Unitop overhead storage system since 1995, enabling the company to offer its customers an extensive product range and fast deliveries. However, almost 25 years of constant operation have had an impact on performance and availability – so Kasto updated the system with a comprehensive retrofit. Heine + Beisswenger is one of the largest family-run steel and metal wholesale companies in Germany. Throughout its years in business, the company, based in Wuerttemberg, Germany has developed into an internationally active group of companies with 14 sites and almost 600 employees. The product range encompasses carbon and engineering steels, unalloyed steels, stainless steel, rolled steel and non-ferrous metals – a total of more than 25,000 articles in various grades, profiles and dimensions. With an inventory of around 55,000 tonnes of material and a sophisticated logistics system, Heine + Beisswenger ensures that orders reach the customer within the shortest possible timeframe. The company also has a site in Langenzenn, Franconia since 1995. As a full-service provider, Heine + Beisswenger has an extensive range of stock and modern machinery for various processing steps such as sawing. From the outset, the heart of the subsidiary has been a Kasto UNITOP automatic bar stock and cassette storage system. After almost 25 years in continuous service, however, the storage system was showing signs of old age: The control and automation technology was no longer up-to-date, nor were the drives and measuring systems of the storage and retrieval machine operating correctly. Breakdowns were becoming more frequent and procuring spare parts for the 25-year-old was also increasingly difficult. Performance-wise, the storage facility had reached its limits due to the increasing number of orders at Heine + Beisswenger. “Mechanically, however, it was still performing normally,” recalled Torsten Meincke, plant manager at Langenzenn. “The system is also ideally integrated into our processes, and our employees are familiar with it – so we decided not to replace the system completely, but to modernise it with a full retrofit.” For this project, the steel trader turned to the manufacturer of the storage system, Kasto Maschinenbau GmbH & Co KG. “In many cases, modernisation is much more economical than a new purchase,” explained Gerd Jakob, Retrofit Project manager at Kasto. “After all, large parts of our storage systems, such as the steel construction, are almost indestructible and we can continue to use these components with a clear conscience.” Nevertheless, Kasto consistently replaces any components that no longer meet current requirements – and at Heine + Beisswenger, the switch cabinets were no exception. The experts replaced the existing S5 control system with a modern S7 400 PLC. Kasto Maschinenbau GmbH & Co KG www.kasto.com

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