en.Wedoany.com Reported - US steel distributor Steel and Pipe Supply (SPS) has installed a Kasto UNICOMPACT 5.0 cellular automated storage and retrieval system at its Kansas City service center, significantly enhancing throughput, reducing error rates, and improving safety within a compact footprint.
SPS Co-President John Conley stated that the company supplies various steel materials to the Midwest, with customers highly reliant on product quality and service. This warehouse upgrade has not only improved efficiency and productivity but also boosted employee morale. Founded by Sam Goldstein in 1933 as Kansas Hide and Wool, the company entered the metal scrap and steel industry in 1954, later fully transitioning into a steel enterprise under Sam's son Jack and adopting its current name. Today, SPS is one of the largest privately owned steel service centers in the US, operating at multiple locations in the Midwest, offering products including structural steel, flat bars, plates, and coils, along with value-added services such as sawing, drilling, beveling, and flame, laser, and plasma cutting.
SPS had previously deployed Kasto automated warehouse systems at its sites in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Longview, Texas, both of which saw significant performance improvements. Conley noted that these systems enable faster, more precise, and safer operations, with erroneous deliveries now rare. Like other steel stockists, SPS faces challenges such as limited storage space, operator injury risks from manual handling of heavy loads, and the need for precise inventory management. The Kasto UNICOMPACT 5.0 is designed for maximum storage density, fully utilizing available space, with automated loading and unloading significantly reducing manual labor and accelerating picking and material flow. Its goods-to-person design ensures fast and ergonomic order processing, achieving high throughput. The system can handle materials up to 24 feet long and 16 inches high, with thousands of individual cellular storage positions providing far greater capacity than traditional rack systems, while rapid cassette changes simplify operations.
Material movement is monitored in real time by the KASTOlogic warehouse management system, which automatically records inventory data without manual entry, reducing errors and the risk of misplaced stock, leading to greater transparency, accuracy, and labor cost savings. For SPS, this investment aligns with the company's long-term strategy to enhance operational efficiency through automation and digitization. The Kansas City center, located near the airport, faced strict height restrictions during warehouse construction, yet the installation of the Kasto UNICOMPACT still allows storage of approximately 16,000 tons of material.
Despite some logistical challenges in the project, Conley praised the professional support from the Kasto US team, noting that service engineers are responsive and highly capable. This reliability minimizes downtime and helps the company remain flexible and agile.
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