A global five stars system of production and logistics
The logistics and assembly plant in Mason close to Cincinnati/Ohio is the “North American brick” in Festo’s global production and logistics network. Now a majority of customers have available a Festo plant in a distance of a one-day-truck-drive. Let’s have a closer look to the Festo Value Production – “a five stars system of production and logistics”.
In manufacturing and assembly, employees work according to the Festo Value Production system (FVP). This defines international standards for operating processes within value creation chains and is based on closely involving employees in defining standards and continuously improving processes and technical solutions. Great emphasis is placed on consistent communication as well as the visualisation of objectives and results. It is thus possible to produce globally over 30,000 products with countless variants and deliver tailor-made solutions to customers all over the world within a matter of days.
Consistent production system
A product range that incorporates a large number of variants is the key to fulfilling individual customer requests quickly and successfully. At Festo, these variants are produced on the basis of the modular system, whereby specific customised product variants are produced using a relatively small number of basic components.
Two-step production concept
This requires a two-step production concept. In the first step, employees in the Global Production Centers produce the basic product components efficiently and in high quantities. This production step is tailored to worldwide demand and does not tend to be linked to specific locations. The eleven Global Production Centers are located in Brazil, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India and Switzerland.
In the second production step, the customised orders are transferred online to the control systems of the manufacturing departments. These departments assemble and test the finished products in accordance with the specific customer requirements in the ordered quantity just in time.
Trend towards customer solutions
In addition, customers can also request tailored solutions for their applications. Their specific and individual needs are taken care of by a growing number of consultant and service engineers at 61 national companies around the world. Customised systems are designed, created and assembled locally according to Festo’s motto “in the region for the region”.
Regional Service Center in Mason/Ohio
When assembly is completed, the finished product is transported to the Regional Service Center (RSC) for shipment. All components in a system are grouped by barcode, packaged for shipping, and then shipped out to schedule. These RSCs are combined assembly and logistics centers, which cover market regions such as the EU, NAFTA, Mercosur, ASEAN and the major markets in China and India.
A Regional Service Center has many features that are usually only found in companies selling by catalogues, such as a top-mover area, automated order picking stations as well as a high-performance sorting system with a daily throughput of several thousand items. The Regional Service Center in Mason/Ohio is the most modern logistics center outside of Germany. At present, RSC Mason covers the supply for all cities in the USA and Canada. In 2017 the scope of deliveries will be extended to Mexico.
Same Festo quality as everywhere in the world
“Our customers in North America expect top quality ‘made by Festo’, with guaranteed supplies and next-day delivery at prices in keeping with local market conditions. At the same time, energy efficiency, environmental protection and occupational safety are becoming increasingly important. The Regional Service Center in Mason/Ohio will secure our regional supplies to the North American market for the years ahead,” concludes Dr. Dirk Erik Loebermann, Chief Operation Officer and Member of the Festo Management Board.
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.
