Fully automated storage technology shortens access times
Since 1995, the company has also operated a site in Langenzenn, Franconia. As a full-service provider, Heine + Beisswenger has an extensive range of storage systems and modern machinery for various processing steps such as sawing. Right from the start, the heart of the branch has been an automatic Unitop long goods cassette storage system from Kasto. At 68 meters long and 13 meters high, it offers space for 1,300 cassettes, each of which can hold up to four tons of material up to seven meters long. A characteristic feature of the Unitop system is the storage and retrieval unit, which is located on top of the storage block. It automatically removes the cassettes with the required material and transfers them to an undercarriage, which in turn delivers them to one of two storage and retrieval stations, each with four storage locations. This allows the operator to store and retrieve several cassettes in parallel.

After almost 25 years in service, however, the warehouse was showing signs of age: The regulation and control technology was no longer up to date, as were the drives and measuring systems of the storage and retrieval machine. Breakdowns became more frequent and the procurement of spare parts increasingly difficult. The warehouse was also reaching its limits in terms of performance due to the increasing number of orders. "Mechanically, however, it was still in perfect working order," recalls Torsten Meincke, Operations Manager in Langenzenn. "It is also ideally integrated into our processes and familiar to our employees. We therefore decided not to replace the system completely, but to modernize it with a retrofit."

Modernization as an economical alternative
For this project, the steel trader turned to the manufacturer of the warehouse, Kasto Maschinenbau. "In many cases, modernization is much more economical than a new acquisition," explains Gerd Jakob, Project Manager Retrofit at Kasto. "After all, large parts of our storage systems, such as the steel structure, are virtually indestructible and can continue to be used with a clear conscience." However, Kasto systematically replaces all components that no longer meet current requirements.

At Heine + Beisswenger, this included the control cabinets. The experts replaced the existing S5 control system with a modern S7-400 PLC. Kasto also updated the drive controllers and the measuring systems on the storage and retrieval machine. The technicians installed an efficient three-phase drive for the lifting gear. New energy chains were also installed for the stacker crane and the undercarriage to make the power supply safer.

New undercarriage saves time during retrieval
Another focus of the modernization was the replacement of the undercarriage. This was replaced by a new model with two roller conveyors instead of the previous single roller conveyor, which enables so-called double cycles, i.e. the simultaneous handling of two cassettes. "This saves us up to 35 seconds per storage and retrieval process," says Operations Manager Meincke, who is impressed. In addition, the new trolley's longitudinal speed of 120 meters per minute is twice as high as before - which further increases the warehouse's performance. KASTO replaced the wired emergency operation of the storage and retrieval unit with a modern radio remote control. "This makes maintenance work or troubleshooting much easier because the technician no longer has to be directly at the SRM to control it," explains Meincke. The control panels for the two storage and retrieval stations have also been replaced. The warehouse is now controlled and managed via the KASTOlogic warehouse management software. A graphical user interface ensures simple and intuitive operation.