KASTO, expert provider of sawing and storage equipment, opens subsidiary in Singapore

KASTO is strengthening its position in Asia. The German company, which specialises in the development and manufacturing of metal sawing and storage equipment, opened a subsidiary in Singapore on 26 October. From here it plans to expand its presence in the Southeast Asian market. The guest of honour at the opening ceremony was Baden-Wuerttemberg’s Minister of Finance and Economics, Dr. Nils Schmid, who also cut the “red ribbon”.

In the course of its more than 170-year history, KASTO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG has grown to become a leading manufacturer of systems for sawing and storing of bar stock. The German company now has some 700 employees throughout the world. In addition to its main plant in Achern-Gamshurst it has a branch in Schalkau, Thuringia, plus subsidiaries in England, France and the USA. Singapore is the latest addition. “We’ve been active in Southeast Asia since 1991 and have had many loyal customers here for years, from Singapore to Malaysia and Thailand,” explains Armin Stolzer, managing partner of the family-owned company which is now being run by the fifth generation. “In addition, the region has become increasingly important as a growth market. For us, it made good sense to establish a subsidiary here in order to strengthen our position.”

“Our location has an excellent infrastructure and we’re very close to all the other countries in Southeast Asia,” Area Sales Director David Van Loo emphasises. “Here we have excellent access to the market.” Another reason for establishing the subsidiary was to provide better service: “The operators of our sawing and storage systems expect quick, comprehensive and personal service from the manufacturer. We’re now going to expand this network.” KASTO wants to offer its customers in the region faster and more personal service. “We support users in every phase of a project: from planning and development of a plant through construction and commissioning all the way up to maintenance and servicing. It will be a big advantage for us to be able to get to our customers more quickly.”

The new subsidiary is located in the German Centre Singapore, an office and business centre for German companies. The opening ceremony, which took place on 26 October, featured an honorary guest from the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where KASTO has its headquarters: Dr. Nils Schmid, Minister of Finance and Economics, had the special task of cutting the red ribbon to officially open the subsidiary.

According to general manager Stolzer, KASTO achieves about 50 percent of its revenues abroad. The company is pursuing an extensive internationalisation strategy in order to achieve further worldwide growth. “The potential is especially big in Asia,” he explains. “We want to take better advantage of it with our new subsidiary.”