Kasto (www.kasto.com), the German manufacturer of computer-controlled multi-level systems for automatically storing (and retrieving) material in stock-holding operations and factories, has introduced a new service, whereby it will produce parts of its Unicompact system at the customer’s premises.

The only pre-requisites are sufficient space, a crane and a 400V three-phase electricity supply (on-site production is available in the UK and Ireland through Kasto’s subsidiary in Milton Keynes).

This option is economically viable for medium- to large-capacity storage systems.

Carried out in the user’s warehouse area, it involves Kasto engineers assembling and robotically welding the box-shaped cassettes in which bar, tube or other long stock will be contained.

Transporting flat sheet metal avoids having to move large amounts of ‘fresh air’ by lorry, as is the case if the items are pre-assembled; it reduces the cost of delivery and the environmental impact, because fewer vehicle journeys are made.

One of the first companies to use the new concept was Heidelberg-based steel stockholder VEB, which ordered a Unicompact storage system with some 2,700 cassettes; all of them were welded on site.

VBE assistant manager Felix Kern said: “We saved significant freight costs, reduced the environmental impact of the project by around 23 tonnes of CO₂ and were able to start using the new storage system within a short time-frame.”