The foundation
In April 1925, Albert Fezer and Gottlieb Stoll found the company "Fezer & Stoll", which is dedicated to the manufacture of woodworking machines. In the very next year, they filed their first patent for a versatile universal carpentry machine (ZUM). The brand name Festo, which was first used for the sale of universal carpentry machine products, is derived from the surnames of the two founders and has stood for innovation ever since. After a few years, Albert Fezer leaves the company and Gottlieb Stoll takes over sole responsibility.
With the support of his wife Berta, he succeeds in developing and expanding the company. From the very beginning, he pursues the principles of rationalization in the company in order to optimize work processes both in his own company and for his customers.
The company's first headquarters in Ulmer Straße in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany is built in 1939, where all business areas are now united under one roof. Modern production and office space is created here, equipped with the most advanced production machinery and technologies.
"Festo is the work of many hands."
Gottlieb Stoll with his wife Berta
Pneumatics and internationalization
In 1950, Kurt Stoll, the eldest son of Gottlieb and Berta Stoll, learns about pneumatics at the trade fair in Chicago and recognizes its potential for automation. He brings pneumatics to Germany and develops it further in his father's company. In the mid-1950s, the Festo Pneumatics division is established and the company begins manufacturing pneumatic cylinders.
Festo grows and becomes international: the first national subsidiary is founded in Italy in 1956, followed by further foundations in Switzerland, France and Austria. While Kurt Stoll heads the Festo Pneumatics division, his brother Wilfried Stoll becomes the first Managing Director of Festo Austria. He drives forward the international positioning and the founding of new Festo companies worldwide to strengthen the brand.
With Festo Didactic, the company develops training courses for trainees, employees and customers in the 1960s. This makes the new technology available to our customers. In 1965, the first text book is published and the Festo Didactic division is founded.
In 1962, the first site specifically for the Festo Pneumatics division is established in Berkheim. Here, administration and production are centralized at one location. Shortly afterwards, in 1968, Festo opens a production site in Rohrbach.
Kurt completes his engineering studies at the Technical University of Stuttgart in 1959, where he sets new standards with his diploma thesis on pneumatic control technology. In 1992, he receives an honorary doctorate from the Vienna University of Technology.
While Kurt embarks on a technical career, Wilfried pursues a business career. He graduates with a degree in business administration from the Vienna Hochschule für Welthandel in 1962, and receives his doctorate in 1969 from the Vienna University of Economics and Business with a thesis on integrated corporate planning.
The brothers were active in the management and later on the Supervisory Board of Festo for decades. They have received numerous awards for their achievements and commitment to the economy, including the Baden-Württemberg Business Medal in 2023.