Generating additional value for customers via innovation has been the fundamental motivation for the family-owned business since its inception and continues to be crucial to Festo’s success today. Through its unwavering commitment to simplifying work for individuals and enhancing efficiency, Festo has influenced a whole era of industrial manufacturing. Currently, the company is a worldwide contender and a leader in automation technology, also excelling as a global authority in technical education and training. Festo is commemorating its anniversary with employees, customers, and partners globally all year long.
Since its inception, Festo has emphasized innovation, accountability, and the future. And it is the individuals who continue to create the impact. “Festo is the result of numerous contributions” – this motto by the company’s founder Gottlieb Stoll continues to serve as the guiding principle for management and employees globally. In 1925, he and Albert Fezer established the firm Fezer & Stoll for woodworking machinery in Esslingen am Neckar. Albert Fezer departed from the company shortly after, and Gottlieb Stoll managed the company independently.
The second generation of proprietors established the basis for the company as it exists today. Dr. honoris causa Kurt Stoll introduced the concept of pneumatics from the USA to Germany in 1950 and, as a trailblazer in his father’s business, enhanced it further. This signified the beginning of pneumatics at Festo and opened the door for its application in factory automation.
Globalization has been essential to the continuous progress of Festo. Dr. Wilfried Stoll focused on expanding the global markets and founding domestic firms.
In 2000, the proprietors divided the power tools division from the remaining parts of the organization and founded it as a separate entity known as 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.”