KASTO Unicompact Storage System

Shipping turnover times cut in half…
Throughput time reduced by over 50%…
Time to load orders - slashed by more than half…

At the heart of Laurel Steel's commitment to Just-In-Time delivery is the remarkable KASTO Unicompact Storage System. At 85 feet tall and containing 2,300 storage cassettes, it's the largest of its kind in the world. For Laurel customers, the system ensures faster shipping time, and more efficient order processing.

The KASTO system, housed on the Laurel Steel site in a specially-designed 95-ft high building, features two gantry cranes and an automated inventory control system. The tower has a load capacity of 7.3 metric tons.

Workers load bundled product into a steel cassette from one of the system's several commissioning stations. The cassettes get picked up by one of two gantry cranes, located on either side of the tower.

The cranes move quickly - with speeds of 328 ft/minute in longitudinal travel and up to 200 ft/minute when pulling/pushing the cassettes. In order to maximize loading and unloading times, each gantry is equipped with two simultaneously working cassette pulling devices.

The system also employs a random storage location principle that increases overall speed even further. The system's unique compact "footprint" and vertical design also minimizes floor space needed for storage, and provides considerable increases in product availability and overall productivity.

The automated KASTO system does all the work. Pick times are reduced to just 40 seconds from five to ten minutes in the old system.