Festo Celebrates its Centenary – 100 Years in Motion!
Creating added value for customers through innovation has been the driving force behind the family-owned company from the very beginning and remains the key to Festo's success today. With its constant determination to make people's work easier and thus increase efficiency, Festo has shaped an entire era of industrial production. Today, the company is a global player and a front runner in automation technology, as well as a world leader in technical education and training. Festo's anniversary is being celebrated with employees, customers, and partners worldwide throughout the year.
From the very beginning, Festo has focused on innovation, responsibility, and the future. And it is the people who still make all the difference. “Festo is the work of many hands” – this saying of the company's founder Gottlieb Stoll 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. Albert Fezer left the company shortly afterwards, and Gottlieb Stoll continued to run the company on his own.
The second generation of owners laid the foundation for the company as it is now. Dr. h. c. Kurt Stoll brought the idea of pneumatics from the USA 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 the 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 GmbH.
Education as a key theme for customers and employees
Lifelong learning is firmly rooted in the corporate culture at Festo. This is because successful companies need people who understand, develop, and can 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.
The inventive spirit of Dr. Wilfried Stoll and Dr. h. c. Kurt Stoll, their holistic thinking and approach, and their positive customer-oriented perspective have had a lasting impact on the company. Today, Festo is one of the leading automation companies worldwide and, with Festo Didactic, the world market leader in technical education and training.
Festo says “Thank you”
Thomas Böck, Member of the Management Board, Festo: “In 2025, we want to say thank you to our customers, partners, and employees and celebrate this unforgettable anniversary with them.” 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, school days for the young talents of tomorrow, customer events, and press events. For representatives of the press and visitors who are enthusiastic about technology, the world's leading industrial fair, the Hannover Messe, will have a special highlight in store. “The project is still top secret. What we can say is that it showcases our wide range of skills, our broad expertise, our passion for innovation, and our aspiration to make the impossible possible,” says Thomas Böck.
The anniversary as a definitive boost for the future
The Hannover Messe will be a strong start, and that momentum will continue throughout the year. There will be, for example, worldwide “Innovation Days”, where Festo will use a new format to share future trends, technologies, and innovations with customers and partners. “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, and to play a key role in driving industrial transformation as a solution provider,” says Thomas Böck. 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 will be making a considerable contribution to moving these developments forward.
2025 – responsibility as a continuous guiding principle
The anniversary will also be the kick-off for an ongoing company-wide initiative to strengthen 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,” says Thomas Böck. As part of the program, all 20,000 employees worldwide can spend one day working on a charitable initiative.
Thomas Böck: “This anniversary is not only a cause for celebration, but also a reminder of what is possible with solidarity, trust, passion, quality, and innovation. Together, we look ahead with confidence to a promising future.”
Festo is a global player and an independent family-owned company with headquarters in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. Festo has set standards in industrial automation technology and technical education ever since its establishment, thereby making a contribution to sustainable development of the environment, the economy and society. The company supplies pneumatic and electrical automation technology to 300,000 customers of factory and process automation in over 35 industries. Digitalization, AI and the LifeTech sector with medical technology and laboratory automation are becoming increasingly important. The products and services are available in 176 countries. With about 20,600 employees in over 250 branch offices in around 60 countries worldwide, Festo achieved a turnover of around €3.65 billion in 2023. Each year around 7% of this turnover is invested in research and development. In this learning company, 1.5 % of turnover is invested in basic and further training. Festo Didactic SE is a leading provider of technical education and training and offers its customers worldwide comprehensive digital and physical learning solutions in the industrial environment.
