Festo AG & Co. KG

Festo is a global developer and supplier of automation solutions for applications in almost all industrial sectors. The family-owned company, which boasts sales in excess of 1.5 billion euros, has more than 12,000 employees in 56 national headquarters and over 200 branches, serving 300,000 customers in 176 countries. It offers standard electromechanical and pneumatic components, engineering and consulting services, customized manufacturing, assemblies and system solutions.

Festo now also wants to extend the application of its products in the life science sector. This represents new territory for the company. The Biotech/Pharmaceuticals division, which was established in 2004, now defines, develops, produces and supplies components and system solutions used at decentralized control level for automating workflows in the production of active agents or in the (galenical) production of drugs. Festo’s newest division in the life science sector, MedLab, supports the development of active agents, quality control and analytics by designing new systems for controlling, handling and positioning in the field of laboratory automation. The company also leverages synergies from its automation solutions for installation in medical equipment and systems. This ultimately enables Festo to offer an extended product and service portfolio with a clear focus on the automation of fluid control, sample preparation and liquid handling systems and of instrumental analytics, diagnostics and therapeutic applications. Here, as in all its other sectors, Festo relies on close collaboration with leading mechanical engineering companies. Joint development projects using state-of-the-art technologies on both sides guarantee innovative and market-ready products. Customers, whether they be industrial or private end users, can therefore be confident they will receive highly efficient and dependable machines, equipment and systems.