Tube stockholder remains loyal to Kasto

Sawing equipment manufactured by German company Kasto has been used by Austrian tube stockholder Karl Mertl Handelsges in Schwechat since 1970, when it installed an EBS 400 U hacksaw that is still in use today for maintenance and repair. The theme of investment in Kasto solutions continues to this day.

Mertl is currently managed by the third and fourth generations of the Gruscher family, with both daughters active in management, as well as son-in-law Jürgen Spannraft, who has been CEO since 2019.

In a 30,000 m² warehouse, the 90-employee stockholder stores 8000 tonnes of steel tube, which is mainly 7 m long, from 3 to 660 mm in diameter and of wall thickness from 0.5 to 100 mm. Kasto bandsaws and a modern hacksaw cut the stock to length for delivery to customers throughout Europe.

When an old manual storage system with 1012 cassettes was bursting at the seams, Mertl built a new warehouse and installed a Kasto Unicompact automated honeycomb storage system equipped with 2633 cassettes and served by an overhead gantry crane. Additionally, extra automatic bandsaws provided increased cutting capacity and efficiency. The system is connected to Mertl’s ERP system so that orders may be processed without human intervention.

“It was not a difficult decision to opt for Kasto for this round of investment,” recalls Marie Gruscher. “By then, we were already familiar with the quality of the products and service. Kasto’s recommended solution was also the best fit for our requirements and we were able to connect it seamlessly to our packaging machine.”

She adds that the new facility not only provides increased storage but also better operational safety, as goods come to the person and not the other way around. Reduced manual handling and movement in the warehouse leads to a significantly lower risk of accidents.

The company currently operates 10 Kasto bandsaws. The KASTOtec horizontal model, with its intelligent control system that stores cutting parameters, is suitable for large-series production and cutting hard materials. Users can deploy a bi-metal or carbide saw band. KASTOtwin is a similar but more general-purpose bandsaw, while KASTOssb is a compact, vertical bandsaw that cuts precisely and quickly in series production.