Looking ahead to 2016, while there are various negatives currently in global finance and oil, there is also good news for UK manufacturers that export due to the pound having weakened against the Euro and other currencies. It means that goods are less expensive for overseas customers and are therefore easier to sell abroad.
According to a recent report, only around one-fifth of UK manufacturing businesses export, a figure that Mr Wagner thinks should be higher. For this reason, he believes it is a good time for British manufacturers to keep investing in modernising their machine tool stock and in-house logistics procedures.
He says, “2015 was the year of the KASTOwin, our series-built, modular bandsaw range launched in May 2014 that has dramatically lowered the price point for high quality sawing equipment. Our German parent company has enjoyed considerable success selling these machines around the world and this has been mirrored in the UK, including unexpected sales made directly from our Milton Keynes showroom during open house events.
“The largest capacity KASTOwin bandsaws that we have sold so far are for cutting 560 mm stock, but at the turn of the year we had serious enquiries for the next larger model in the range, an A8.6, capable of cutting 860 mm bar. The largest model is a 1,060 mm capacity A10.6 and interest in these larger machines is definitely growing.
"At the end of September last year, a new model called KASTOwin Tube A 5.0 was launched, on which the blade cuts from the bottom upwards - the reverse of the action on other bandsaws. A demonstration model arrived in our Milton Keynes showroom towards the end of January 2016. It reduces wear on the band and avoids damage to its teeth that often occurs when a blade travels downwards into swarf that has accumulated inside the bottom of the tube."
Until now, this problem made it virtually impossible to use a tungsten carbide tipped (TCT) blade for sawing tube efficiently, as the teeth were invariably damaged. A bimetal blade was the only option. This is a thing of the past with the KASTOwin tube, on which TCT blades may be used to raise productivity without fear of premature wear.
In addition, a new KASTOrespond feature continuously records the force on the tool, without the need for additional sensor systems that are often fault-prone. An intelligent algorithm continually varies the feed rate so that the force on the blade is maintained, giving an optimised value and constant chip load. This is especially important when cutting tube, as the blade is presented with widely varying conditions throughout the cut, especially at material breakthrough.
While KASTOwin was the star product of the year, sales of other types of saw also contributed to the strong sales performance. Top-end KASTOtec models remain popular for higher volume cutting, particularly of tough alloys. The company’s workshop range of smaller band, circular and hack saws also contributed well to the overall financial performance.
In September, Kasto will exhibit its range of high-rise, computer-controlled warehousing and automated materials handling systems for storing long stock such as bar and tube, sheet metal and other flat materials, pallets, stillages and much else at the IMHX exhibition at the Birmingham NEC (stand 10H37).
It is this side of the business that Wagner is convinced has the best potential for growth within Kasto UK. For British manufacturers to remain competitive, prompt delivery of material to saws and other production equipment is key. Automation makes this a reality and at the same time offers the benefit of virtually eliminating damage to the material being handled. Likewise in stockholding operations, efficiency of picking and consolidation of orders ready for delivery are paramount considerations.
