FOCUS ON STORAGE
AUTOMATE TO ACCUMULATE
Mechtop has installed a UNITOWER tower storage system with 108 cassettes for storing stock of up to six metres in length .
Tower storage improves manufacturing efficiency for Swiss specialist , Mechtop .
“ Mechtop decided to modernise and automate its storage infrastructure for sheet metal , as well as long stock including bar , tube and profiles .”
Founded in 1995 as a machinery maintenance firm , Mechtop now has over 50 employees who design and build conveyor systems , tanks , pipework and custom steel structures ( such as railings and staircases ).
Mechtop has traditionally served a wide range of sectors including the paper , automotive , chemical , nuclear , environmental and pharmaceutical industries . Mechtop AG ’ s customers include medium-sized and large companies from the food , paper , pharmaceutical and chemical industries . Leading companies in environmental and nuclear technology also rely on Mechtop ’ s expertise .
Based in Wangen bei Olten in northern Switzerland , the multi-faceted company needs a high degree of flexibility in its day-to-day manufacturing operations . It has therefore upgraded its materials logistics by installing two tower storage systems from KASTO , as well as a KASTO bandsaw .
Conveyor solutions
Mechtop ’ s acquisition of a conveyor company in 2016 led to a concentration on this technology , with eight project managers currently creating conveyor solutions mainly for food and beverage industries .
Demands placed on Mechtop by these sectors are particularly stringent , with strict hygiene standards , fierce international competition and time and cost pressures to match .
Suppliers are expected to deliver highquality products reliably every time , otherwise confidence in a brand is quickly eroded . Consequently , the machines and systems used in equipment manufacturing must meet rigorous standards .
Dominic Felice , a director of Mechtop , commented , “ We mainly manufacture small and very small batches down to one-offs . This is often the case when spare parts are needed urgently , for instance . To meet these demands , we need systems that are versatile enough to deal with a range of processes , including our internal logistics . We try to make delivery of raw materials through to shipment of our products as seamless as possible .”
Mechtop is based in Wangen bei Olten in northern Switzerland .
60 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR October 2021