Festo invests to meet growing demand for electronics components
Date
27.02.20
Our reference
FTO021

Press Information
The semiconductor and electronics industries have set benchmarks for continuous innovation while keeping prices low. As digitalisation increases, electronic components are rapidly finding their way into other industries too. Sectors as diverse as the automotive industry, medical technology and distribution logistics are demanding more powerful electronics and sensors for applications ranging from self-driving vehicles to artificial heart valves. Traceability techniques pioneered in pharmaceuticals are now transferring to the food and packaging industries where smart, intelligent packaging equipped with electronic chips is being rapidly adopted.

For OEMs, this means developing ever faster and more productive machines and plants in timeframes of less than 18 months. This in turn is increasing demand for reliable, compact and cost-efficient automation components that are readily available. Indeed, compact automation technology from reliable partners is the key to success. 

Industrial automation specialist Festo has invested significantly in its core product range and related manufacturing and supply network to ensure that its electronic components are readily available worldwide, offer a long service life and are attractively priced.

"Large quantities, high speed, worldwide availability and attractive prices are the minimum requirements for automation technology in the semiconductor industry and electronics manufacturing, as well as many other sectors. Festo has therefore doubled its production capacity worldwide with a focus on Asia, which means it is fully prepared for the high demand for electric and pneumatic standard products," explains Arian Scholz, Head of Global Key Account and Industry Segment Management at Festo.

Wide choice, rapid delivery
The automation components mentioned are part of the Festo core product range, with its distinctive blue star livery. These "Stars in Automation" comprise more than 2,200 components for every phase of the pneumatic and electrical control chain: from compressed air preparation, valves and cylinders to accessories, such as matching tubing and fittings. 

Particularly attractive for the electronics industry are ADN compact cylinders, the DGST mini slide and the DFM guided drive, as well as matching proximity sensors, VUVG valves and the MS2 series of service units. All products enable a pneumatic control chain with a very compact design.

Many of the components marked with the star are ready to be shipped just 24 hours after the order is received, while configurable products are ready for delivery within five days. All products in the Festo core product range are available worldwide and with the same level of quality thanks to automated production at various decentralised locations in the core markets of Germany, China and the USA. There are also further production plants in India, Brazil, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Distribution is also decentralised thanks to highly automated logistics centres in Germany, China and the USA, so 70% of all customers can be reached within one day.

Better by design
The hallmark of the latest components in the core product range is the collaboration between the design engineers and production planners at Festo. They worked closely together during the development of these products to ensure that the components can be manufactured in the Festo plants with a high degree of automation. 

For the new DGST mini slide, for example, the yoke and slide are manufactured fully automatically as a single part. In addition, the developers successfully reduced the number of components by 60% compared with the previous model. This enables the DGST to be produced in large quantities with maximum efficiency. The same approach also allowed the cycle times for the DFM guided drive to be reduced by almost 50%. Festo plants can now produce a DFM every minute. Another example is the fully automated production line for the VUVG standard valve, which produces a fully assembled valve every 12 seconds.

 For more information about Festo core products, visit: www.festo.com/electronics

Ends

The press text and photo(s) can be downloaded from www.festo.co.uk/press/electronics

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Images and captions:

Festo has invested significantly in its core product range and related manufacturing and supply network to ensure that its electronic components are readily available worldwide.

 
The DGST mini slide is one of more than 2,200 electronic components in Festo’s core product range that cover every phase of the pneumatic and electrical control chain.

"Festo has doubled its production capacity worldwide, which means it is now prepared for the high demand for electric and pneumatic standard products." Arian Scholz, Head of Global Key Account and Industry Segment Management at Festo.

About Festo 
Festo is a leading international supplier of automation technology with a turnover in 2018 of around €3.2 billion. Festo employs about 21,200 people worldwide and is a proven innovator and problem solver in the field of pneumatic and electrical automation where it has established itself as the performance leader. Festo offers over 30,000 pneumatic and electric products for factory and process automation technology which can be tailored to specific customer needs in a variety of modular programs.

Festo Industrial Automation’s innovative strength is demonstrated through the introduction of around 100 new products being launched every year. The company invests over 8% of its turnover in R&D resulting in over 2,600 patents held worldwide. For more information about the company’s products and services, please visit: www.festo.co.uk

Festo and Industry 4.0 - Festo has engaged with the Industry 4.0 initiative from its inception: as a user, manufacturer and trainer.  Appointed by the German government as a member of the steering group the company has taken an active role in the definition of the core standards such as the RAMI model and the Administration Shell.  Festo Didactic has also developed the Industry 4.0 Cyber-Physical Factory training hardware installed in many leading universities and training centres, as well as Industry 4.0 training courses covering the strategic overview for change managers and practical workshops for employees. Industry 4.0 technologies such as OPC-UA communications are embedded in the latest generation products. For more information go to www.festo.co.uk/I40
 
Festo Training & Consulting delivers training for industry – by industry. Combining Festo’s industrial heritage with its future-focused manufacturing and engineering expertise to create courses that deliver greater productivity and competitive advantage to businesses. Offering a range of open courses, structured development programmes and tailor-made, customer-specific projects on technology, Industry 4.0 and People & productivity. More information on the training and consulting services can be found at: www.festo-didactic.co.uk

Festo’s Bionic Learning Network encapsulates the innovative nature of Festo, raising awareness and attracting talent to the company. Exploring the links between nature and technology opens up new areas of innovation and demonstrates complex ideas in a stimulating and enjoyable way. Festo works with an alliance of internal R&D, external educational establishments and specialist companies, to advance the development of bionic solutions for automation applications of the future. The objective is to benefit from bionics as a source of inspiration for new technologies and to realise these in industrial automation. For more information about Festo’s Bionic Learning Network, please visit: www.festo.com/bionics

For more information please visit www.festo.com

Telephone number for publication: 01252 775000

Journalist contact:
Alison Jones, Publitek
Tel: 01582 390980 
Email: alison.jones@publitek.com