KASTO Maschinenbau: Sawing, storage and more

It all began in 1844 when the carpenter Karl Stolzer established his own workshop that, as time passed, developed more and more into a manufacturing facility for various machines. With the construction of saw fences and later timber mills for wood processing, Stolzer laid the cornerstone for the company’s further success. With a patented hacksaw, KASTO took the vital step in 1947 towards becoming a modern machine tool manufacturer for machining metal. In the early 1970s, the Baden-based company introduced the first fully automated bar stock storage system.

Family-operated in the fifth and sixth generation

As the Managing Director, great-great-grandson, Armin Stolzer has been at the helm of the company for over 30 years. Under his management, KASTO has become the global leader with more than 140,000 sawing machines sold and over 2,400 storage systems installed. His wife, Ruth Stolzer, and all four members of the sixth family generation also have central positions in the company’s executive management. They are responsible not only for the day-to-day business but for making strategic decisions as well.

KASTO’s sawing technology portfolio comprises a broad range of hacksaws, bandsaws and circular saws: from small handheld machines to high-performance automatic bandsaw machines for the industrial machining of large blocks and panels. In addition, KASTO develops and implements various bar stock and sheet metal storage systems. The products range from storage towers featuring a compact stand-alone design to fully automated high-bay storage systems with thousands of storage cassettes. One of the company’s specialities is sawing centres. All processes are carried out automatically, from storage of raw materials to picking the cut-pieces, also utilising the help of industrial robots. As a result, users receive the complete equipment for material storage, production and distribution from a single source, including the appurtenant software. Customers include companies from the steel trade, tool and mould making, window construction, the automotive and aerospace industries, the energy sector, as well as trade and repair businesses and workshops.

Innovative products and motivated employees

A crucial factor in KASTO’s continuous success is the highly innovative sawing and storage solutions. More than 170 patents and numerous awards, such as the Red Dot Design Award, the AMB Award, the Handling Award and the award for Product of the Year 2024 from Industrial Production as well as recognition from the "100 Places for Industry 4.0" award, exhibit the outstanding achievements in product development. KASTO is also known for its high-quality workmanship, making sawing and storage exceptionally durable and long-lasting. The company stands for quality "Made in Germany" and maintains long-lasting and trustful relationships with customers and business partners.

The leader in technology adopts new trends such as digitization and networking, automation and robotics, additive manufacturing or augmented reality at an early stage, thus creating products that provide users with tangible added value for practical application. For instance, with the UNITOWER cnc, KASTO recently introduced a compact tower storage system specially designed for the automated loading of CNC machine tools. The new KASTOpick bar removes and manipulates bar material from storage cassettes 24/7, unmanned and fully automatically with an innovative gripping strategy for 3-dimensional and non-orientated objects The Warehouse Management System KASTOlogic, initially developed for the management and control of automatic cassette storage systems, also features more and more new functions: It is now possible to integrate manually operated storage areas, e.g. for extremely bulky or heavy storage goods and mobile devices, into the system. The aim is to provide intelligent solutions, making the entire material flow of metalworking companies more efficient and transparent while increasing performance.

However, KASTO’s most significant potential is the competent and highly motivated employees, many of whom were trained in-house. At ten percent, the apprenticeship rate is well above the national average. Employees appreciate the attractive working conditions, trusting environment, the wide range of further training opportunities, and the flat hierarchies of the family business. As a result, many of them remain with the company long-term: 30, 40, or even more years of service are not uncommon at KASTO. For the Stolzer family, a high level of social responsibility is a matter of principle, that is why, for instance, junior employees, especially women in technical professions, are given special support.

At home in Achern, globally successful

For many years, KASTO has focused on internationalization; the turnover abroad is continuously increasing. In addition to a subsidiary plant in Schalkau, Thuringia, the company now operates subsidiaries in France, Switzerland, Great Britain, the USA, China and Singapore. To provide optimum support to users worldwide, KASTO has also installed a comprehensive sales and service organisation and works with long-standing and experienced representatives in other countries around the globe. Thus, the company has paved the way to secure its position as a global leader for metal sawing machines and solutions for storage and handling of bar stock and sheet metal in the future.