In 1844 carpenter Karl Stolzer, from whom the company name is derived, started a facility in Achern to manufacture water wheels, paper and machinery for mills. It was some years later before sawing machinery entered the fray; invention of the Kasto hacksaw in 1947 marked a significant step forward, while circular saws were first introduced in the 1960s.
At the beginning of the 1970s, Kasto launched its first automatic bar storage and retrieval system featuring two integrated circular saws supplied automatically by a gantry crane. This innovation was the precursor of the storage and sawing centres that Kasto started manufacturing in the early 1980s, and the company is still the sole provider of such systems today.
With the assistance of numerous subsidiaries around the globe, Kasto has sold more than 140,000 bandsaws, circular saws and hacksaws, as well as 2,200 storage systems for long stock such as bar and tube, and for sheet metal.
For more than 30 years, Armin Stolzer has headed the family business as the fifth-generation managing director. Other senior management positions are held by his wife, Ruth Stolzer, and four family members of the sixth generation. Kasto develops its own software systems, provides solutions for networking, automation and robotic handling, and focusses on forward-looking technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
One of the oldest family owned and run companies in Europe, Kasto is using its anniversary year, which officially began on 7 May, as an opportunity to offer an in-depth look into its history.
To mark the occasion, the company is launching a contest to find the oldest Kasto saw still in use. Machines built in or before 1980 may be entered, and customers are invited to e-mail details, including a photo of the saw and nameplate, to 175@kasto.com. Every entry will be rewarded, with the winner announced later in the year.
