Innovation pays off
In September 2019, DMG MORI recognised Festo as its automation partner by presenting it with the DMG MORI Innovation Partner Award 2019 at the EMO, the leading international trade fair for machine tools. The world’s leading manufacturer of machine tools distinguished its most innovative partners and suppliers for outstanding achievements in joint development projects with this biennial award.
DMG MORI and Festo can look back on more than 20 years of partnership. Festo was nominated as a Preferred Partner by DMG MORI in 2017. The DMG MORI Innovation Award 2019 has now been presented to Festo. The award underscores the trusting relationship, as well as the close and successful development partnership between the two companies.
“Above all, at DMG MORI we appreciate the tremendous effort contributed by the automation experts at Festo to our mutual development projects. Digitalisation as well as automation are the key elements for future-oriented manufacturing. Together, we’re accelerating the transformation,” explains Christian Thönes, Chairman of the Management Board at DMG MORI AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT.
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Oliver Jung, Chairman of the Management Board at Festo AG, adds: “The collaboration between DMG MORI and Festo goes back more than 20 years. As technology leaders within their sectors, DMG MORI and Festo take advantage of each other’s expertise in order to provide their customers with significant added value. Amongst other things, we’ve developed attractive customer-specific products together with DMG MORI, and we’ve made considerable progress in the areas of efficiency and productivity thanks to innovative process optimisations.”
Joint development
The development of a valve plate for controlling pneumatic units in LASERTEC SLM machines is a classic example of the cooperation amongst the engineers of both companies. The specialists got together to look into modifying available valve technology and, after successful testing, implemented the modifications as a new standard for LASERTEC SLM machines. “We used both factory and process automation components during the course of this project, and we made the associated software modules for machine control available as well,” says Dietfried Lustig, Global Key Account Manager at Festo.
When it comes to introducing new systems for innovative business processes, the two companies also pull together successfully; for example, both use the ITONICS innovation platform. ITONICS enables suppliers and machine developers to exchange information directly about new development proposals, or to adopt ideas from machine designers; this can lead to significant process improvements and thus savings as well.
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.
