Reliable in every cut

Rohr Mertl has been working with Kasto sawing and storage solutions for around 55 years. The specialist for steel pipes not only appreciates the high quality of the products, but also the excellent service for maintenance and repair. Even the first saw, built in 1970, still works as it did on the first day.

Tubes wherever you look – with diameters of three to 660 millimeters and wall thicknesses of 0.5 to 100 millimeters made of steel and stainless steel. Rohr Mertl cuts, commissions and stores 8,000 tons of steel pipes in a total of 5,000 qualities and dimensions on 30,000 square meters of hall space.

Karl Mertl Handelsges.m.b.H. specializes in steel pipes of all kinds and has been continuously expanding its product range and service since its foundation in 1949. The company now employs 90 people.

Based in Schwechat, south-east of Vienna, Rohr Mertl supplies various customers throughout Europe, including industrial groups and workshops. In 1968, the wholesaler took over the 90,000 square meter site of the former brewery of the City of Vienna. “One of our warehouses is located in the historic vaulted cellar, and one of our Kasto band saws also works there,” explains Managing Director Marie Gruscher-Mertl. The family business is already being run by the fourth generation, with both daughters active in management and son-in-law Jürgen Spannraft as Managing Director since 2019.

Rohr Mertl has a total of ten automatic band saws and two hacksaws from Kasto in use – the oldest is from 1970. “We’ve been using the EBS 400 U hacksaw for more than 50 years and it’s still going strong,” says Marie Gruscher happily. The saw is located in the company’s own workshop and is used whenever employees are carrying out maintenance work on the buildings or shelving. “Of course, something did break during this long period, but Kasto quickly got the machine up and running again,” explains Marie Gruscher.

It is precisely this customer service that Rohr Mertl values in its partnership with Kasto. “Very high product quality, punctual delivery and, above all, reliability when it comes to service,” says Christian Wunderlich, describing the collaboration. He is the camp manager and knows that he can count on Kasto. “A new machine is bought quickly, but when spare parts become necessary, the wheat is separated from the chaff. We have had excellent experience with Kasto in this regard.”

Steady growth

Since 1970, Rohr Mertl has repeatedly expanded its machine park with new automatic sawing machines from Kasto. In 1994, for example, the two fully hydraulic high-performance bandsawing machines in heavy-duty design, type KastoHBA AU, came into the company. The horizontally parallel moving band saw blade is suitable for cutting profiles, pipes and solid material in all qualities. Even difficult-to-machine materials such as Hastelloy can still be sawn reliably and quickly today. “The system has now been running like clockwork for 30 years,” emphasizes Christan Wunderlich.

As the old SNLS 3000 S drive-over storage system with 1,012 cassettes was bursting at the seams, Rohr Mertl built a new hall in 2012. Since then, the Unicompact 2.0 honeycomb storage system with 2,633 honeycombs in combination with fully automatic band saws has ensured greater capacity and efficient processes. “The decision to opt for Kasto was not a difficult one,” says Marie Gruscher-Mertl, looking back. “We were already familiar with the quality of the products and the great service. Kasto’s proposed solution was also the best fit for our requirements. The connection to our packaging machine was also possible without any problems.”

Secure processes

Storage systems of the Unicompact type bear the name for good reason: because the storage and retrieval machine (SRM) only requires a small amount of space. This allows Rohr Mertl to use a lot of space for storage purposes. “The new hall was an important milestone for us,” emphasizes Marie Gruscher-Mertl. “We have not only significantly increased our storage space, but also our security.” The goods now come to the person and no longer the other way around. “Less manual handling and movement in the warehouse means reduced accident risks. This is very important to us,” emphasizes the Managing Director.
Rohr Mertl uses different band saws from Kasto at the Unicompact stations to process the long goods, usually in the standard length of seven meters: Kastotwin LE 4, Kastossb A 2 and Kastotec A 4.

The Kastotec is particularly impressive for large series production and particularly hard materials. Innovative technologies such as the intelligent control system achieve maximum throughput. This includes, for example, the automatic assignment and permanent storage of the cutting technology. This can be matched to the corresponding material qualities and the respective bi-metal or carbide saw blade used.
The Kastotwin is an all-rounder. The machine can be used flexibly with different saw blade types and is suitable for a wide range of applications thanks to its proven technology.

The KastoSSB cuts bars precisely and quickly – especially in series production. Thanks to the vertically running saw blade, the machine is extremely compact and packs a lot of power into a small space. The special feature: The KastoSSB A 2 has a stable feed roller conveyor with fixed but adjustable sides. This makes the saw perfect for bundle and mass cutting.

Thanks to the Unicompact, Rohr Mertl has been storing and picking goods fully automatically since 2012. In conjunction with the automatic saws, the system processes orders unmanned. A packing machine at the end of the line prepares the orders for dispatch. “We use a proprietary ERP system that is tailored precisely to our needs,” explains Christian Wunderlich. Together with Kasto, Rohr Mertl’s IT department connected the high-bay warehouse to the ERP. “This allows us to make the best possible use of automation,” adds Marie Gruscher-Mertl.

Cooperation based on trust

The managing directors of Rohr Mertl have valued Kasto as a reliable partner since 1970. “The sales representative at the time completely convinced us of his solution,” recalls Alfred Gruscher, Director and authorized signatory at Rohr Mertl. “We have never regretted the decision, because the collaboration has been very pleasant over the years – both in person and on the phone.”

When new investments are pending, Rohr Mertl gladly accepts Kasto’s offer to look at reference customers’ systems and talk to the users directly on site about their experiences. “Three of our employees are absolute experts when it comes to our high-bay warehouse and our saws. They have gained a lot of experience over the years,” says Marie Gruscher. This is also very helpful when problems arise. “You can talk to Kasto’s service technicians at eye level,” explains Christian Wunderlich. This means that any problem can be solved quickly.

Web:
www.kasto.com