Festo celebrates 100 years in motion

Festo is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025. A family-owned global business with more than $3.7 billion in revenue and 20,000 employees, Festo has operated in North America for more than 50 years.

“One of the wonderful things about Festo is that as a family-owned company we take a generational view of growth,” said retiring North American Business Region CEO Carlos Miranda (Figure 1). “For example, when I began my career at Festo in 2001, the company had just begun its transformation beyond pneumatic automation. Today, no other company matches Festo as a single source supplier of pneumatic and motion control and I/O automation. We sustained this strategic investment and vision for more than two decades.”

Dr. Wilm Uhlenbecker will become the new North American business region CEO on April 1 (Figure 2). “Looking forward, Festo recognizes the overwhelming need to lower carbon emissions and to become more sustainable,” said Uhlenbecker. “The Festo Blue World initiative enables the transformation of our industrial production to become more efficient and climate friendly. Festo pushes the boundaries of basic research by investing approximately 7% of annual revenue in R&D.

“In this connected world, Festo is creating an infrastructure of cybersecurity to give customers’ manufacturing operations vital safeguards. And, in the important area of training the next generation of technicians, Festo Didactic is actively partnering with community colleges to make sure the skills taught are the ones most needed.”

Festo’s anniversary is being celebrated with employees, customers and partners worldwide throughout the year.

Beginning in 1925

“Festo is the work of many hands” was the saying of the company’s founder Gottlieb Stoll, and it is still the guiding principle for management and staff worldwide. In 1925, he and Albert Fezer founded the company Fezer & Stoll for woodworking machines in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. Fezer left the company shortly afterward, and Stoll continued to run the company on his own.

The second generation of owners laid the foundation for the company as it is today. Dr. h. c. Kurt Stoll brought the idea of pneumatics from the United States to Germany in 1950 and, as a pioneer in his father’s company, developed it further. This marked the start of pneumatics at Festo and paved the way for its use in factory automation.

Internationalization played a vital role in the ongoing development of Festo. Dr. Wilfried Stoll concentrated on developing international markets and establishing national companies.

In 2000, the owners separated the power tools division from the rest of the company and established it as an independent company under the name Festool.

Lifelong learning is rooted in the corporate culture at Festo because successful companies need people who can understand, develop and apply technologies. Training and developing competencies are thus fundamental success factors for a flourishing workforce. That is why Festo Didactic was established as a worldwide, independent division as early as 1965.

Festo says, ‘Thank you’

Thomas Böck, member of the management board, Festo, said, “In 2025, we want to say thank you to our customers, partners and employees and celebrate this unforgettable anniversary with them (Figure 3).”

Anniversary activities will take place throughout the year, both in Germany and in the more than 60 Festo companies worldwide, with thank-you parties for employees, students and customers.

For representatives of the press and visitors to the Hannover Messe expo in April, Festo will have a special presentation. “The project is still top secret,” said Böck. “What we can say is that it highlights our wide range of skills, our broad expertise, our passion for innovation and our aspiration to make the impossible possible.”

Hannover Messe will be a strong start to the anniversary year and that momentum will continue throughout 2025. “There will be, for example, worldwide Innovation Days, where Festo uses a new format to share future trends, technologies and innovations with customers and partners,” said Böck. “In our anniversary year, we are very much looking to the future since we see it as our responsibility to use our innovations in automation and technical education to help solve the most pressing challenges facing industry and society.”

In the future, topics such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, biologization and the circular economy will give automation a new boost and, in addition, inspire future generations. Festo plans to make a considerable contribution to move these developments forward.

The anniversary strengthens Festo’s guiding principle of social responsibility for sustainable development. “Our Corporate Citizenship Program underscores our belief that companies should not only pursue economic goals, but also play a significant part in society,” said Böck. As part of the program, all 20,000 employees worldwide may spend one day working on a charitable initiative.

Böck added, “This anniversary is not just a cause for celebration, it reminds us of what is possible with solidarity, trust, passion, quality, and innovation. Together, we look ahead with confidence to a promising future.”