Bieber + Marburg’s previous sawing system is still used to cut largerdiameter parts that are too heavy for the KastoCenter
January, 2024- Distributor installs sawing center to help reliably supply its customers with bespoke steel and nonferrous profiles.
At the end of the 19th century, Heinrich Bieber gave up his initial profession as a cobbler and founded a small business that evolved into a successful company, which today employs 290 people. “We store 28,000 tonnes of steel here on 450,000 square feet” says Marcel Finkernagel, director of administration and organization at Bieber + Marburg, Giessen, Germany.
“However, we have been more than strictly a steel distributor for quite some time,” he emphasizes. “Our strength lies in processing, including sawing, drilling, laser cutting in the 3D area, blasting, bending and flame cutting.”
Since customer demands, particularly for sawing, have increased tremendously, the company sought to expand in this sector and determine what technology should be incorporated.
Family owned Bieber + Marburg owns more than 40 trucks and supplies a complete range of steel products. Its core customer base consists of mechanical engineering, plant construction, metal and steel construction, machining companies and locksmith shops. The inventory consists of steel bar, tubes, structural steel and wide-flange beams, flat products, quality and high-grade construction steel, bright steel, stainless steel, nonferrous metals, flame-cut parts, reinforcing steel and steel mesh.
The new sawing center at Bieber + Marburg has space for materials up to 7 meters long and 330 millimeters in diameter.
A KastoSort robot is connected to the Kasto variospeed circular saw, which is responsible for container management.
ALL-IN-ONE
A new sawing center from Kasto, Achern, Germany, has helped Bieber + Marburg minimize its setup times and respond more flexibly to customer needs. “When we saw the possibilities the system offers, it was clear that it was the optimum solution for our needs.” Finkernagel says.
The new KastoCenter varioplus 4 sawing center reaches 50 meters long, 7 meters wide and 9 meters tall. “We have about 1,500 shelves and space for materials up to 7 meters long and 330 millimeters in diameter,” notes Finkernagel. The long goods are stored and retrieved by a gantry crane that travels above the shelf block at up to 60 meters per minute.
A fully automatic production circular saw from the Kasto variospeed series and a KastoTec SC4 band saw with a connected pallet lift with space for eight Euro-sized pallets are connected to the warehouse. At the circular saw, a KastoSort robot is responsible for container management: Eight pallet spaces on a carousel change automatically; the robot grips and loads the pallets independently.
“This can be carried out even on the weekend, operator free, and the corresponding label is already in the bin, eliminating the need for employee intervention during this time,” Finkernagel explains.
INCREASED CAPACITY, REDUCED SETUP
Executives at Bieber + Marburg were familiar with Kasto products and expertise—it already operates four fully automatic bandsaws and one Unicompact honeycomb storage and retrieval system.
“The last expansion of the high-bay storage system was about six years ago,” explains Finkernagel. “And two years ago, it was clear that to become more flexible when it comes to cut products and minimize the setup times, we would need to invest once again.”
The company wanted to increase capacity on its machinery, process material at short notice, and offer customers the option of single- piece batches, Finkernagel details. A faster material change and less manual effort were required to achieve this.
“The KastoCenter varioplus 4 enabled us to reduce the setup time from 15 to 20 minutes to less than 2 minutes—fully automatically and with consistent cut quality,” he explains. However, the existing sawing operation, comprising four band saws, still has its rightful place at Bieber + Marburg, and it will remain an integral part of the operation. The employees there cut large-diameter parts that are too heavy for the new KastoCenter.
“Once a certain size is exceeded, the previous technology is still advantageous.” Finkernagel knows that “in such cases, the setup time saved is not a factor.” The upper limit for the new sawing center is 13 inches for round material. Anything exceeding this limit is processed on the older conventional band saws.
Marcel Finkernagel takes advantage of the new sawing center’s capabilites, including 1,500 shelves, a fully automatic production circular saw and one band saw.
ALL DEMANDS MET
The KastoCenter varioplus 4, first installed in 2020, has since been fully developed to process round bars, square bars, sheet and plate. “We involved the employees at a very early stage. They contributed to the construction and ideal setup of the sawing center,” Finkernagel says. “That generated great acceptance from the very beginning.”
Very little training was required since the operators were already familiar with the operating parameters of the KastoLogic software used on the band saws. As a result, the operators can work flexibly on any system. Although the sawing center operates for the most part fully automatically, minor interventions such as changing the saw blade and securing the load on the pallets are still necessary.
The investment in the KastoCenter vario-plus 4 has paid off for Bieber + Marburg. “There is no comparable product like it that offers similar advantages,” summarizes Finkernagel. “We wanted a quick material change, low setup times and easy access to the entire product range and that’s what we got. Kasto accommodated all our requests and fulfilled our high demands on our systems.”
Bieber + Marburg, http://bieber-marburg.de/
Kasto Inc., 724/325-5600, http://kasto.com/
