History of Festo

From the beginnings into the future

The spirit of invention is deeply rooted in our corporate culture. Since our foundation, we have been setting benchmarks by developing innovative solutions that meet the requirements of our customers. Our goal remains unchanged: to make collaboration between people and machines even easier and better.

The foundation

In April 1925, Albert Fezer and Gottlieb Stoll found the company "Fezer & Stoll", specialising in manufacturing machinery for woodworking. The very next year, they file their first patent for a versatile universal carpentry machine (UCM). The brand name Festo, which was first used to sell products for UCMs, is based on 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 rationalisation in the business in order to optimise work processes both in his own company and for his customers.

The company's first head office in Ulmer Straße in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany is built in 1939, with all parts of the business now united under one roof. The production and office space that is created is modern and equipped with the most advanced production machinery and technologies.

Berta and Gottlieb Stoll




"Festo is the work of many hands."

Gottlieb Stoll with his wife Berta

Pneumatics and internationalisation

In 1950, Kurt Stoll, the eldest son of Gottlieb and Berta Stoll, learns about pneumatics at a trade fair in Chicago and realises its potential for automation. He brings pneumatics to Germany and continues to develop the technology 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 goes international with the first Festo national company opening in Italy in 1956, followed by others 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 moves ahead with the company's international positioning and strengthens the brand by creating new Festo national companies.

With Festo Didactic, the company develops training programmes for trainees, employees, and customers in the 1960s. This makes the new technology available to our customers. The first textbook is published in 1965 and the Festo Didactic division born.

In 1962, the Festo Pneumatics division establishes its own site in Berkheim. Administration and production are now centralised in one location. Shortly afterwards, Festo opens a production site in Rohrbach in 1968.

Kurt completes his degree in engineering at the Technical University of Stuttgart in 1959, where he sets a new benchmark with his 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 career in business. He obtains a degree in business administration from the University of World Trade in Vienna 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 managing the company for decades and then joined the Supervisory Board of Festo. They have received numerous awards for their achievements and dedication to the economy, including the 2023 Business Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg.

Complexity and opportunities

In the 1970s, brothers Kurt and Wilfried Stoll reorganise the company to make it more market oriented. In addition to modernising the organisational structure, the technical infrastructure is also updated. With the introduction of electronic data processing (EDP), several areas, departments and Festo national companies are networked, leading to optimised processes, faster production and shorter delivery times.

The first EDP system is installed in Berkheim as early as 1968. In addition, the Logistic Center in Berkheim is transformed into a modern distribution centre with an automated high-bay warehouse and a data centre.

In addition, Festo expands its product portfolio to meet the growing and complex needs of our customers. New business units are created, such as Festo Electronic, Festo Sensoric and Festo Cybernetic.

Learning organisation

The company breaks new ground: Festo becomes an incorporated company in 1997, with Wilfried Stoll as Chairman of the Management Board and Kurt Stoll as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. In 2000, Festo and Festool are split into two companies.

The company is reorganised in the 1990s: Festo now sees itself as a learning organisation. A new corporate design is introduced. The first homepage goes online. Customers now also have the opportunity to purchase Festo products in the online shop. New sites for production, logistics and technical development are being built around the world. Festo launches the first valve terminal on the market in 1989 and has been developing different versions for various applications ever since.

Didactic also introduces new projects, and the Festo Learning Centre Saar is opened in Rohrbach in cooperation with the federal state of Saarland, Germany. Didactic now also sells complete learning factories to the technical education sector.

Festo has been learning from nature since the early 1990s, culminating in the creation of the Bionic Learning Network in 2006. This links Festo up with universities, institutes, and development companies. In 2010, Festo is awarded the German Future Prize for the Bionic Handling Assistant.

The future starts here

Festo focuses on innovation and progress in order to proactively meet the challenges of the future. The company therefore continuously expands its core competencies by integrating new areas, such as electric automation, process automation and SupraMotion. The aim of this strategic diversification is to create new opportunities and

enhance the integration of technologies to simplify the work of our customers. In addition to introducing new business areas, Festo also incorporates modern technologies into its products. These include piezo technology, artificial intelligence, Smart Factory and IoT technologies.

In the context of global change, Festo sees the bioeconomy as a forward-looking concept that promotes a harmonious relationship between people and nature.

In 2015, the head office is expanded with the 16-storey AutomationCenter, the first high-rise building of Festo. The newly opened Festo Experience Centres offer our customers the chance to be inspired by innovative technologies.