Space saving and efficient metal bar storage

The space-saving UNITOWER tower storage system help the hydraulics expert meet its customers’ requirements: short delivery times combined with a wide-ranging, high-quality product portfolio. The client also deploys the KASTOvariospeed CNC-controlled circular sawing machine and the KASTOsort robot-assisted sorting system.

All manufacturing operations are performed in-house and are linked by short transport routes. “In addition to the quality and selection we offer, our customers particularly appreciate our short delivery times,” explains Paul Gutmann, plant manager at AHP Merkle. “With such a broad product portfolio, versatile, high-performance production and logistics are vital to us.” The company keeps some types of cylinder permanently in stock, finished and ready for shipping. If required, these can be with customers anywhere in the world in just a few days. AHP manufactures all its other solutions to order based on a modular construction system. This specialist manufacturer purchases the raw materials for its hydraulic cylinders as bar stock, usually in the form of 3-metre-long rods. A variety of steels and aluminium constitute the most frequently used materials.

“To ensure that we can react quickly to incoming orders, it is an advantage for us to keep as many sizes and materials as possible in stock,” explains Gutmann. “This is because the procurement time through to the delivery of certain materials can be as much as half a year.” As a result, when the new company headquarters was built, it was designed to incorporate a UNITOWER tower storage system from the sawing and storage technology specialist, KASTO. With 94 storage locations and a height of 18 metres, it represents a compact, space-saving solution for the storage of bar stock. The loads are supported by cassettes, each of which has a capacity of three tonnes. These are filled at an input station at the front of the tower either manually or using a gantry crane.

“The UNITOWER system not only makes optimum use of the available space, it is also extremely efficient,” explains Holger Dehmelt from the KASTO sales department. An operating gantry crane with loading traverse handles the load supports. “Compared to paternoster systems, this has the advantage that it is not necessary to move the entire stock, only the relevant cassette. This ensures fast access times and saves energy.” The responsible personnel at AHP Merkle were equally enthusiastic about the new storage system. Plant manager Gutmann is full of praise: “The UNITOWER system has totally convinced us with the performance it offers every working day. That is why, when we were faced with the need to expand our capacity last year, we decided to implement a second tower of the same construction.” Since then, AHP has had twice the number of storage locations and is consequently able to keep an even larger range of materials in stock.

“Compared to our previous sawing technology, we have been able to quadruple our throughput,” stresses plant manager Gutmann. “What used to be the bottleneck in our manufacturing operations now has the greatest capacity.” This modern storage and sawing technology is a decisive factor that will allow AHP to continue to satisfy its customers with short delivery times and an extensive product portfolio – even if order volumes continue to grow.