This year, family-owned German manufacturer Kasto celebrates 180 years in business and it continues to push the boundaries of innovation and remain a key market player in the markets it serves
Headquartered in Achern, southwest Germany, the company is a leading innovator of metal sawing machines, semi- and fully automatic storage systems, and automated handling equipment for metal bar stock, sheets and cut-pieces
It all began for Kasto in 1844, when the carpenter Karl Stolzer established his own workshop that, as time passed, developed more and more into a manufacturing facility for various machines, laying the cornerstone for the company’s further success
With a patented hacksaw, Kasto took the vital step in 1947 towards becoming a modern machine tool manufacturer for machining metal.
In the early 1970s, the company introduced the first fully automated bar stock storage system.Kasto now operates six subsidiaries for sales and service, including one in the UK, and others in France, Switzerland, the USA, Singapore and China. It is also has 40 sales and service partners worldwide
As the managing director (MD), great-great-grandson, Armin Stolzer has been at the helm of the company for over 30 years. Under his management, Kasto has become the global leader with more than 140,000 sawing machines sold and over 2,400 storage systems installed.
Stolzer explains that 2023 was a challenging year and the company now employs more than 700 people globally, but revenue still reached 149m Euros (£125m).
He notes that Kasto is seeing a trend towards increased project sizes, leading to volatility in sales figures.Germany, the European Union and North America are the strongest markets for Kasto, where there is stable development, while the Southeast Asia market presents future growth opportunities
Stolzer expects turnover to be stable over the next few years with the current order backlog. It notes that in Europe, family-owned businesses often invest counter-cyclical while US business is expected to increase after the November election.
He also notes the German manufacturer is also seeing a shift from customers towards more fully-automated products. Key dependencies for the future are worldwide political stability, skilled labour shortage and competitive frame conditions in Germany.
Stolzer adds that Kasto will continue to manufacture new innovations for an automated future that meets the demands of the marketplace.
Always innovating
Kasto’s sawing portfolio comprises a broad range of hacksaws, bandsaws and circular saws – from small handheld machines to high performance automatic bandsaw machines for the industrial machining of large blocks and panels. In addition, Kasto develops and implements various bar stock and sheet metal storage systems.
The products range from storage towers featuring a compact stand-alone design to fully automated high-bay storage systems with thousands of storage cassettes. One of the company’s specialties is sawing centres.
All processes are carried out automatically, from storage of raw materials to picking the cut-pieces, also utilising the help of industrial robots. As a result, users receive the complete equipment for material storage, production and distribution from a single source, including the appurtenant software.
Customers include companies from the steel trade, tool and mould making, window construction, the automotive and aerospace industries, the energy sector, as well as trade and repair businesses and workshops.
Among the new offerings to customers are the UNITOWER cnc – a compact tower storage system specially designed for the automated loading of CNC machine tools. UNITOWER cnc – a buffer storage for automatic loading of CNC machines for large dimensions. Users can supply their CNC production fully automatically and with minimal space requirements.
The UNITOWER cnc continuously supplies CNC machines with ready-prepared workpieces on pallets. Pallets are prepared with fixtures and workpieces in parallel at separate workstations. The new UNITOWER cnc provides a significant productivity benefit for users looking to automatically feed their CNC machining centres. It continuously supplies the machines with fully loaded pallets, allowing employees to prepare fixtures and workpieces simultaneously at separate workstations.
