Festo

Productivity – Festo’s core competency

Innovation for the best possible productivity, a global presence and close, long-term partnerships with its customers are the hallmarks of Festo. In the 1950s, Festo became the first company in Europe to use compressed air as a drive medium in automation. The company now offers over 30,000 products and system solutions for pneumatic and electrical automation technology which, thanks to a large variety of modular systems, can be tailored to specific customer applications in many different factory and process automation industry segments.

These include pneumatic and electric drives, valves, servo controllers, motion control, valve terminals, installation-saving connection technology, handling and assembly technology, air preparation equipment, fittings, vacuum technology, position and quality inspection, sensors and control technology. The core product range comprises components from every phase of the pneumatic and electrical control chain, with which around 80% of all applications can be accomplished effortlessly and quickly. Festo also offers a wide range of modular systems solutions and standard handling systems.

Important industry segments are the automotive sector, the food and packing industries, electronics and assembly, biotech, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, medical engineering and laboratory automation, the chemical industry and water treatment.

Added value through digitalisation

Smart products, connectivity, the mining  and interpretation of data, including via the cloud, and dashboards for visualisation, already offer added value for customers. Products like the energy efficiency module E2M, IO-Link-capable components, the CPX-IOT gateway or interfaces like OPC-UA contribute to this process. Another basic requirement for successful and consistent digitalisation is mechanical, electrical and intelligent connectivity through software solutions, enabling all customers to find their bearings quickly and intuitively.

Festo is promoting this with an open automation architecture and a large product portfolio made up of axes, motors and controllers. Standardised software tools are also being developed: configurators for smart engineering, the Festo Automation Suite for easy commissioning and the digital maintenance manager Smartenance for reliable operation. Digitalised pneumatics such as the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM makes pneumatics more flexible than ever before. The reason: apps define the function, the hardware remains the same.

In addition, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence are shaping the agile product development of the future. With the takeover of Resolto Informatik GmbH in 2018, the competence in the field of AI has been further expanded.

Qualification for Industry 4.0

As a leading provider in the field of technical training and further education Festo Didactic is a trendsetter. This involves the digitalisation of learning methods as well as the provision of forward-looking learning content for self-organising production and industry 4.0. Central topics such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and mobile robotics are increasingly finding their way into learning environments and training courses.

Festo Didactic offers a comprehensive range of learning solutions for the trend topics of digitalisation and energy turnaround. The learning content is specifically tailored to these topics in learning paths and conveys the skills that will be in demand among the specialists of tomorrow. Technological knowledge is imparted both in team-oriented training sessions on physical learning systems and, increasingly, independently of time and place through digital online learning options. Festo LX (Festo Learning Experience) is the new online portal for learners and trainers, which stands for customised, motivating learning in vocational training.