The story
Founding and early years
In April 1925, Albert Fezer and Gottlieb Stoll founded the company Fezer & Stoll to manufacture woodworking machinery. The name "Festo" is derived from the founders' surnames. After Fezer left the company, Gottlieb Stoll assumed sole responsibility for its management.
In 1926, the company filed a patent application for a universal woodworking machine. This was followed by the development and manufacture of additional stationary and portable woodworking machines.
Pneumatics and international expansion
In 1950, Dr. Kurt Stoll, the eldest son of Gottlieb Stoll, became acquainted with pneumatic technology during a visit to the International Trade Fair in Chicago. Recognizing its potential for industrial applications, he initiated the company's entry into pneumatics.
Festo introduced its first pneumatic products in 1955 and established the business unit Festo Pneumatic.
The company established its first international subsidiary in Italy in 1956. Under the leadership of Dr. Wilfried Stoll, Festo continued its international expansion through the establishment of subsidiaries in numerous countries. In 1967, Festo Australia became the company's first subsidiary outside Europe.
In Germany, Festo expanded its operations with the establishment of a dedicated pneumatics facility in Esslingen-Berkheim in 1962, bringing together administration and production. The site remains the company's global headquarters. An additional production facility was acquired in Rohrbach, Saarland, in 1968.
During the 1970s, Festo expanded its activities beyond pneumatics into fields including technical education, electronics, sensor technology, and control engineering. Development of electronic control technology began in 1976, and in 1979 the company introduced its first programmable logic controller (PLC), the FPC 606.
In 1989, Festo introduced the valve terminal, which combined pneumatic valves and their electrical control functions within a single unit. Developed for use in automated production systems, it simplified the installation and integration of pneumatic automation systems.
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Festo Didactic
During the 1960s, Festo began developing training services to support the application of pneumatic technology. In 1965, the company published its first training manual, Introduction to Pneumatics, and established the Educational Relations business unit.
The educational activities were subsequently expanded and, in 1976, the division was renamed Festo Didactic. In 1980, Festo Didactic was established as an independent company.
Separation of Festo and Festool
In 2000, Festo and Festool were separated through a corporate division. Following the separation, both companies continued to operate as independent corporate groups.
From Wikipedia’s article on Festo, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4