When planning a replacement warehouse for its Kansas City service centre, US steel distributor Steel and Pipe Supply (SPS) prioritised safety, high throughput, minimal error rates and a compact footprint. The company selected a UNICOMPACT 5.0 automated storage and retrieval system from Kasto, the German OEM that makes its storage systems and sawing machines available in the UK and Ireland through its Leicestershire subsidiary.
SPS co-president John Conley says: “We supply the Midwest with a wide range of materials. Our customers rely on us not only for product quality, but also for the service we provide. This warehouse upgrade has made a real difference to our efficiency and productivity, while also boosting staff morale.”
Founded in 1933, SPS has grown into one of the largest privately held steel service centres in the US, supplying structural steel, plate, sheet and coil, alongside value-added processing services. Previous installations of Kasto automated storage systems at its Tulsa, Oklahoma and Longview, Texas facilities had already demonstrated significant gains in productivity, accuracy and safety.
Like many steel stockholders, SPS needed to maximise storage capacity while reducing manual handling and improving stock control. The high-density honeycomb design of the Kasto UNICOMPACT makes optimum use of available space, automating loading and unloading to reduce labour requirements while accelerating picking and material flow. Thousands of individual storage locations accommodate long products up to 7.3 m in length, while fast cassette changes enable rapid order consolidation.
Material movement is managed in real time by the KASTOlogic warehouse management system, which automatically records inventory data, improving stock accuracy and eliminating manual data entry.
Despite strict building height restrictions at the airport-adjacent site, the new facility now stores around 16,000 tonnes of material. Conley also praised Kasto’s US service team, highlighting its fast response times and technical expertise in helping minimise downtime and maintain operational efficiency.More information www.kasto.com
