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 – one mission, 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 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.
Complexity and opportunities
In the 1970s, the brothers Kurt and Wilfried Stoll restructure the company in a market-oriented way. In addition to modernizing the organizational structure, the technical infrastructure also undergoes further development. With the introduction of electronic data processing (EDP), various areas, departments and Festo companies are networked, leading to optimized processes, faster production and shorter delivery times.
The first IT system is installed in Berkheim as early as 1968. In addition, the Logistic Center in Berkheim is transformed into a modern distribution center with an automated high-bay warehouse and a data center.
Festo expands its product portfolio to meet the growing and complex requirements of our customers. New business units are created within the company, such as Festo Electronic, Festo Sensoric and Festo Cybernetic.
Learning organization
The company breaks new ground: in 1997 Festo becomes a incorporated company, 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 realigned in the 1990s: Festo sees itself as a learning organization. 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 locations for production, logistics and technical development are built around the world. Festo launches the first valve terminal on the market in 1989 and has been developing models for various applications ever since.
Didactic also implements new projects, and the Festo Learning Center Saar is opened in Rohrbach in cooperation with the Saarland government. Didactic now also sells entire learning factories in the technical education sector.
Festo has been learning from nature since the early 1990s: in 2006, the Bionic Learning Network is founded, linking Festo with universities, institutes and development companies. In 2010, Festo's Bionic Handling Assistant is awarded the German Future Prize.
Into the future
Festo focuses on innovation and progress in order to proactively meet the challenges of the future. To this end, the company is continuously expanding its core competencies and integrating new areas such as electrical automation, process automation and SupraMotion. This strategic diversification pursues the goal of creating new opportunities and
integrating technologies more effectively, to simplify the work of our customers. In addition to introducing new business areas, Festo also incorporates modern technologies into its own products. These include piezo technology, artificial intelligence, the 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 headquarters is expanded with the 16-storey AutomationCenter, Festo's first high-rise building. The newly opened Festo Experience Centers offer our customers the opportunity to be inspired by innovative technologies.