Automated storage technology for steel and sheet metal distribution
Greater material diversity, shorter distances and faster processes: Kerschgens has reorganised its storage and production operations. Together with KASTO, the metal specialist connects four automated storage systems to create a continuous material flow – from storage and cutting through to dispatch. Modern storage technology, intelligent software and integrated automation ensure that long goods and sheet metal are available exactly where they are needed. The result: higher material availability, fewer manual work steps and greater flexibility for future requirements.
Kerschgens Werkstoffe & Mehr
Kerschgens has been active in steel and metal distribution for 150 years. Now in its sixth generation, the family-run company employs around 220 people at two locations and supplies sectors including construction, mechanical engineering and the metalworking industry. Its product range includes steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals, as well as a wide range of processing services – from sawing and drilling to flame cutting and bending. At its Stolberg site near Aachen, Kerschgens combines traditional steel distribution with modern sheet metal processing and assembly production.
In the video: Intelligently connected storage processes
Three external storage facilities, long transport routes and increasing demands on material availability: Kerschgens wanted to centralise its storage processes and create closer links between distribution and production. Together with KASTO, the company developed an end-to-end automation solution that combines proven storage technology with new capacities. The existing UNICOMPACT and UNIBLOC A systems are complemented by the UNITOP long goods storage system and the UNILINE sheet metal storage system. The directly connected KASTOwin A 3.6 automatic band saw and the KASTOlogic Warehouse Management System connect storage, cutting, order picking and dispatch. As a result, Kerschgens benefits from shorter material supply routes, optimised processes and higher material availability.
Four storage systems, one material flow: KASTO controls the entire process
At its Stolberg site, materials specialist Kerschgens combines a broad range of metals with comprehensive processing and service capabilities. Four storage systems, a material flow solution and integrated control technology from KASTO connect storage, order picking and production in one coordinated overall process. On this basis, Kerschgens has improved material availability, expanded its product range and at the same time reduced transport distances and response times.
Kerschgens stores more than 24,000 items across 36,000 square metres of hall space and can handle around 300 tonnes of material per day. Its services extend far beyond traditional stockholding and distribution. “For our customers, the key factors are above all quality, availability and delivery time,” says Managing Director Heinz Herbort.
Kerschgens Werkstoffe & Mehr GmbH has been trading in steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals since the company was founded exactly 150 years ago. Now managed by the sixth generation of the family, the company employs around 220 people at two locations and supplies customers in structural steel and metal construction, mechanical engineering, the construction industry and other areas of the metalworking sector. Its product range includes beams, tubes, sheet metal and bar stock. Around 36,000 square metres of hall space are now available at the Stolberg site near Aachen. In addition to sales, the company offers processing and service capabilities ranging from sawing and drilling to flame cutting and milling. Since September 2022, the former Carlier Blechbearbeitungs GmbH has been part of Kerschgens. Under the Carlier brand, the company brings together its sheet metal expertise and assembly production capabilities.
Kerschgens consolidates its storage processes
To optimise its processes and make better use of synergies, Kerschgens wanted to close three nearby external storage facilities and consolidate them in a new central hall. The company therefore looked for a solution that could handle both the storage of sheet metal and long goods for distribution, as well as sheet metal production involving forming, welding and surface finishing. The new 12,000-square-metre Hall 2 accommodates the sheet metal storage system and creates additional space for tubes and bars.
Until recently, our storage and material flow processes meant that we first had to bring everything to our main site before it could be picked and dispatched from there. With the new central warehouse, we have now consolidated everything in one location. This reduces both time losses and costs.”
In the older Hall 1, the focus is on traditional steel distribution, including structural steel, profiles and beams. Since 2009, Kerschgens has operated KASTO’s UNICOMPACT 3.0 honeycomb storage system there, with 2,896 cassette locations. One ten-position circulating station, two four-position circulating stations and one longitudinal station connect storage, order picking and material provision. Thanks to a direct rail connection, a special truck can pull the delivered wagons carrying the long goods directly into the hall. In 2023, KASTO carried out a retrofit of the system’s electrical equipment and motors. This modernisation safeguards the long-term performance, process reliability and spare parts availability of the existing storage system. At the same time, the benefits of the UNICOMPACT are retained: high storage density, automated material flow based on the “Material to Operator” principle and fast cassette changes for short material provision times.
Since 2016, KASTO’s UNIBLOC A stacking cradle system with 803 storage locations has complemented the honeycomb storage system in Hall 1. Four longitudinal stations and an automatic crane with load stabilisation support high-density storage. The established system landscape and almost 20 years of collaboration, during which Kerschgens has continued to develop its storage technology together with KASTO, introduced complex automation solutions and modernised existing systems, provided the materials specialist with a solid basis for planning the new building. “Throughout this period, the company has always impressed us with its expertise in finding individual solutions to meet our requirements,” explains Heinz Herbort.
Two systems for the new hall
For long goods made of stainless steel and aluminium, Kerschgens opted for the UNITOP overhead storage system, which went into operation in September 2025. It stores tubes, angles, flat, round and square material in 677 storage locations. A material buffer chain (MPK) accommodates pre-picked material for dispatch and onward transport. A longitudinal station connects the KASTOwin A 3.6 automatic bandsaw directly to the UNITOP and supplies the required long goods for cutting. This integrates the saw into the automated material flow. The coordinated interaction of control technology, short non-productive times and precise material feed speeds up order processing.
The second core element of the new building is KASTO’s UNILINE in-line storage system for sheet metal. Since January 2026, Kerschgens has been storing steel, galvanised steel, stainless steel, aluminium and perforated sheet here in formats ranging from small to large, with weights of up to 900 kilograms and thicknesses from 0.5 to 20 millimetres. The system has 1,734 cassette locations, five longitudinal transfer cars, including one with an integrated lifting device, as well as an infeed and outfeed station. The steel structure and aisle can be extended if capacity requirements increase.
The new building, with its UNITOP and UNILINE storage systems and integrated material flow solution, reduces search and material provision distances and improves material availability. “This has accelerated our processes in the hall,” says Dominik Garbrecht. Employees also only rarely need to move sharp-edged sheet metal manually and can instead focus on controlling the system and handling special cases. Thanks to the centralisation, Kerschgens has expanded its product range and can continue to extend it flexibly in the future if required. The company has also optimised its processes for storage, order picking, packaging and preparation for loading. Stock packages are kept close at hand and transferred into the storage system by crane. If demand increases, the sheet metal storage system can be expanded by more than 1,000 additional locations.
With the new hall, Kerschgens is continuing the gradual development of its storage technology. The company is keeping proven, modernised systems in operation while creating additional capacity for long goods and sheet metal. Around the UNILINE, a KASTO material flow solution links storage, laser cutting and order picking into one continuous process. This enables the metal distributor to expand its product range and keep materials for both distribution and production centrally available.
Data connects storage and processing
KASTOlogic, KASTO’s smart Warehouse Management System (WMS), manages stock across all four storage systems and controls the material flows. It communicates with two ERP systems: Kerschgens’ SHCware and Octoflex, which became part of the company following the acquisition of Carlier. The WMS processes article master data, batches, orders and packaging specifications. An XML interface connects it to the Oseon production planning system and transfers cutting plan data, remnant sheet information and NC programs. KASTOlogic controls the corresponding KASTOpick sheet manipulator, generates shipping labels and provides information for route planning. One important WMS function for Kerschgens is pack optimisation: a specially developed algorithm calculates the packing units in an optimum pyramid shape while taking physical limits and customer-specific requirements into account.
Thanks to material flow solutions and manipulators, the UNICOMPACT, UNIBLOC, UNITOP and UNILINE storage systems combine to form a powerful overall solution. This closely links stock, customer orders, processing machines and dispatch: material moves from storage to processing and then on to dispatch.
The investments bring together two time horizons: the retrofit keeps proven storage technology operating efficiently, while new systems create additional capacity for long goods and sheet metal. This allows Kerschgens to develop its storage structure step by step and secure long-term material availability for its customers. Heinz Herbort expects the business environment to remain fast-moving and does not anticipate the coming years becoming any quieter. “To ensure that we are still a reliable partner for our customers in ten years’ time, we need to continue innovating. KASTO solutions for storage automation and sawing technology can help us deliver on that promise.”
