The year was 1975. Newly created Festo Canada joined an industrial eco-system feeling the stirrings of accelerating technological change, a transformation that would become known as Industry 3.0. PLCs, articulated robots, computer numerical control systems were beginning to proliferate. The first US patent for Ethernet was filed that year. That was also the year Festo launched the world’s first standard pneumatic cylinder series.

Festo Canada is announcing the launch of an authorized distributor agreement with one of Western Canada’s largest privately owned electrical distributors, Gescan, a Sonepar company. Gescan has 29 branch locations spanning British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and will sell and support the complete Festo product portfolio.

Festo announced today the pending retirement of its North American Business Region CEO Carlos Miranda on April 1 and the appointment of the business region’s new CEO Dr. Wilm Uhlenbecker.

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 is recognized as a premier automation supplier and innovator. Festo has operated in North America for more than 50 years.