Process
All Storage Areas at a Glance With a Single Click
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anage and operate automatic and manual storage areas with a single system – at SchwarzwaldEisen, located in Lahr, Baden, this is reality. Two KASTO solutions make this possible: The warehouse management system, KASTOlogic, and the intelligent app, KASTOlogic mobile. These two solutions allow the steel distributor to simplify and accelerate its processes, minimise the error rate and track all batches seamlessly. "We love steel": With this motto, Schwarzwald-Eisenhandel GmbH & Co.KG – abbreviated as SchwarzwaldEisen – has evolved into the leading steel distributor in Baden, Germany. The roots of the fourth-generation family-operated company date back to 1870. Since 1966, the headquarters is located in Lahr; SchwarzwaldEisen has other facilities in Freiburg in Breisgau, Bad Säckingen and Karlsruhe. With subsidiaries in Baden-Württemberg, RhinelandPalatinate and Switzerland, the specialist is active at a cross-regional level and continues to expand with new locations. The group turns over approx. 120,000 tonnes of material per year.
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"We focus firmly on organic growth and a decentralised organisation," explains Dr Steffen Marco Auer, who manages the activities of SchwarzwaldEisen together with his brother Ingo Auer and Alexander Hatt as the Managing Directors. "Instead of operating one major facility, we have several regionally active sites that are close to the customer, enabling fast and flexible deliveries." Efficient communication between the individual regional locations and well-organised logistics are essential requirements for the operation of such a network. "That is why we try to structure all subsidiaries according to a similar principle to utilise proven processes, to use technologies across all sites, and to standardise interfaces while keeping them at a minimum," continues Auer.
Preferred Partner for Storage Technology This approach is also evident in the storage technology. SchwarzwaldEisen puts its trust in KASTO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG as the preferred partner in this area. For about eight years