Situated in Jet Park, Boksburg, Johannesburg, CASLAD was established in 2009 initially as a buyer and seller of ladders, trolleys, scaffolding, castors and various other industrial products typically used across a range of industrial industries. Today the company is a large-scale manufacturer of these very same products making use of the latest technology available elevating it to become one of the leading ladder manufacturers in the Southern Hemisphere.
Founded by CEO Clayton Foster, CASLAD can best be described as a large-scale commercial and industrial equipment manufacturer and supplier. While the manufacture of ladders is primarily their core business, CASLAD also manufacture a wide range of related industrial-use products such as conveyors, lifting and handling equipment, various types of trolleys, racking and shelving equipment and access equipment. What very little CASLAD is not able to currently manufacture itself, it will import from suppliers abroad with whom they have longstanding relationships with. These include products like castors, store bins and wheels.
CASLAD are a large-scale commercial and industrial equipment manufacturer and supplier of ladders, steel trolleys, industrial trolleys and mobile ladders. Approximately 60% of CASLAD’s ladder material is processed from aluminium with the remaining roughly 40% manufactured in fibreglass
“Our core industry is manufacturing ladders, steel trolleys, industrial trolleys and mobile ladders.
We also do some importing as well. This would involve material handling equipment like pallet jacks, lifting stackers, and any kind of lifting equipment, and that complements our range on the warehousing type industry that we supply into,” says David Lyus, Director at CASLAD.
“At this stage we’re not really in the retail game, so selling to the bulk stores and that sort of thing is something we may look at in the future, but for now we are focused mainly on selling into industry. When we do get to that stage, it would be a lighter duty version of our current range.”
Aluminium ladder extrusions being cut-to-size
“Originally we started off by buying components, assembling and then selling, but as things progressed so we began to start developing and manufacturing ourselves and buying the right machines and CNCs to do so. Right now 95% of the ladders are manufactured in-house in our facilities, and then we have a range which is slightly more on the retail side, but it’s a little bit of a heavier version of what you might generally find in a shop that would be suited to home use. Generally we find that this type of customer is looking for something a bit more robust.”
On the ladder side, approximately 60% of material processed is aluminium with the remaining roughly 40% manufactured in fibreglass. While fibreglass may not seem like your standard material to manufacture a ladder from, the material itself possesses numerous strengths that lend to its suitability for such an application including durability and the weight it is able to hold – something that is of particular importance to a ladder. Another important advantage that pertains to fibreglass ladders is that they are non-conductive and it is easy to understand why this type of material is better suited to certain industrial environments. A ladder manufactured in fibreglass is also roughly 30% heavier than its aluminium counterpart of the same size, again, the fibreglass options lend themselves better to certain applications and environments. Here CASLAD is also able to offer variations of their ladders and customers are able to purchase ladders that have a combination of the two materials.
CASLAD have a range of CNC’s on their shop floor including this specially adapted YILMAZ AIM 7510 5-axis servo-controlled machining center that is designed to perform drilling, grooving, notching, taping and saw milling on all kinds of profiles
Over the years, CASLAD have brought more and more processing in-house, including bending on their SafanDarley E-Brake
“When you start setting up a factory and start your own manufacturing processes, it becomes a never-ending progression because you just end up procuring new machines and more staff. The premises that we’re on now was an initial purchase and we have just purchased the building next door as well for manufacturing on this site. We now have three buildings and this gives us about 5 000m2 of warehousing and manufacturing space to work with, as well as the office space where we run our operations from. We have also made use of the warehousing space as best as possible by installing various flooring levels internally that help us with managing stock levels. We utilise this space for general storage of the various product lines that we carry and sell too.”
“Another approach that we have taken in terms of marketing is that we don’t have too many reps on the road these days. We find that by doing online advertising that we are able to generate qualified leads and give those leads proper service from the first moment that we interact with them right through to the after sales service that we go on to provide. It’s a more direct approach and we find that we actually get more enquiries this way. Someone has contacted you because they are specifically interested in something – they are directly contacting you because they want your product. In a way, you are not having to cold call on them because they have already made their mind up.”
Part of CASLAD’s core business includes manufacturing steel trolleys and industrial trolleys. They carry out all their own pipe bending for these products
In the machine shop, CASLAD have a number of CNC’s including punching machines
“Someone is not just buying a ladder or whatever it might be from us but rather they are starting a relationship with CASLAD and all of the various products that we are able to supply. So, for instance, that customer will also receive a catalogue showing them our entire range and this then helps to foster a relationship with our brand.”
CASLAD has a range of CNC’s including bending machines, punching and milling machines, fiber laser cutters, guillotines and CNC cutting machines that they make use of during their various manufacturing processes. While ladder component extrusions such as the legs are sourced, all further processing is done in-house including assembly and finishing after the extrusions have been further processed and cut-to-size. CASLAD’s 5-axis cutting machines have been uniquely sourced and designed to fit their needs for their specialised cutting and milling processes. Additionally, CASLAD will also do their own MIG welding where the various components require it. They are currently in the process of exploring where robotics could be incorporated in this regard.
While Lyus says the process of bringing more and more processes in-house was initially an “expensive test”, being able to manufacture in this way has vastly improved their processing times as well as the quality of the end components. CASLAD will also keep a certain level of stockholding on site in order to offer industry-leading lead times on all their products. Various products such as the trolleys for instance afford clients the opportunity to have customised branding laser cut into the product as well as uniquely designed and customised products to suit their specific needs.
CASLAD offer customised branding when laser cutting products for clients
Wire cutting and bending are an integral part of the process when manufacturing steel and industrial trolleys
Lyus adds that while the bulk of their CNC’s have been supplied by local agents, he has also imported machines directly himself: “You start to learn what breaks and how to fix it, but sometimes on the older machines, the repair costs just become too costly and it’s easier to import a new machine yourself. You have to be careful what you purchase, but like with anything, experience teaches you a lot. We will look at anything that might help our processes and improve our efficiencies, because at the end of the day we want to keep our customers happy.”
New SengFeng SF3015HM 6kW fiber laser
CASLAD has recently purchased and installed a new SengFeng SF3015HM 6kW fiber laser that was supplied and installed by CML Machine Tools. The machine is both a sheet and tube fiber laser cutting machine designed for precision and efficiency. With a large sheet cutting area of 3 000mm x 2 000mm, it handles various materials including stainless steel, carbon steel and aluminium. It can cut tube up 6 000mm in length with a scope size of between 10mm and 220mm. The advanced fiber laser technology ensures faster cutting speeds and reduced operational costs compared to traditional methods. Its user-friendly CNC control system allows for easy operation and built-in safety features enhance workplace security.
In-house plating
In keeping with the theme of trying to bring in-house as many processes as possible, Lyus explains that CASLAD has recently commissioned their own hot-dip galvanising plant for coating their various products such as their trolleys. Previously this process had been outsourced and naturally led to far longer lead times in terms of products getting to the end customers. Lyus says for example that what had taken roughly a week to previously manufacture now can take just two days, from order to delivery to client.
Sheet metal cutting is essential to CASLAD’s in-house operations and for this they make use of a SafanDarley M-Shear
CASLAD manufacture large numbers of industrial trolleys for use in a number of industries
Hot-dip galvanising (HDG) is a process used to coat fabricated steel by immersing it in molten zinc. It involves three key steps: surface preparation, galvanising, and inspection. Lyus explains that it was also imperative to find the right person to manage this aspect of the operation as the work is not seen as glamourous and therefore a skills shortage exists in this area of the manufacturing process.
What remains however, is that a quality finish to a product is as important as the functionality of that product. It can also mean the difference between a long-term relationship with a customer, or a very short one.
The process begins with surface preparation and cleaning the steel, which is hung or racked for easy movement. It undergoes three cleaning stages: degreasing to remove dirt and oils, pickling to eliminate mill scale and iron oxide, and fluxing to apply a protective layer that prevents further oxide formation. Proper preparation is essential, as zinc must bond with clean steel.
CASLAD use a West Kennett mesh welder to perform welding on parts of their trolley components
Industrial trolleys need to be built tough and built to last due to the harsh environments they must operate in
Galvanising: the prepared steel is then dipped into a bath of molten zinc at around 450°C. The immersion allows the zinc to react with the iron in the steel, forming metallurgically bonded zinc-iron intermetallic layers and a pure zinc layer on the surface.
Finally, after rinsing and drying whatever components that have been through the previous steps, the coating is inspected visually and with magnetic thickness gauges to ensure compliance with specifications.
The benefits of HDG include robust cathodic protection, abrasion resistance, and full coverage of the steel, including hollow structures. The zinc coating develops a protective patina that enhances durability, ensuring a long, maintenance-free service life for galvanised steel. Many of CASLAD’s products are continually operating in harsh and unforgiving environments and their longevity is further ensured by undergoing this process.
CASLAD has recently commissioned their own hot-dip galvanising plant for coating their various products such as their trolleys
CASLAD has recently purchased and installed a new SengFeng SF3015HM 6kW fiber laser that was supplied and installed by CML Machine Tools
Because the galvanising process is very water-intensive, CASLAD have installed their own borehole to meet their water needs. PH levels are similarly important in this regard and for this, CASLAD have also installed their own effluent treatment plant.
Over and above the warehousing facilities at the Johannesburg head office, CASLAD also has warehousing and distribution facilities operating in Bloemfontein, Durban and Cape Town. These facilities also offer sales.
For further details contact CASLAD on 011 397 7883 or email sales@caslad.co.za or visit https://www.caslad.co.za
