As Festo marks its 100th anniversary in 2025, the German automation pioneer stands as a testament to the power of continuous innovation. Founded in 1925 by Gottlieb Stoll and Albert Fezer, Festo began as a manufacturer of woodworking tools in Esslingen am Neckar. Over the course of a century, the company has transformed itself into a global leader in industrial automation and technical education, with a renewed focus on digitalization and intelligent systems, particularly in the realm of machine vision.
From its early breakthroughs in pneumatics in the 1950s to the creation of Festo Didactic in 1965, the company has consistently pushed the boundaries of industrial efficiency and education. Today, Festo employs over 20,000 people in more than 60 countries and generates upwards of 3.6 billion euros annually, investing around seven percent of its revenue into research and development. Yet, its gaze is firmly fixed on the future, one shaped increasingly by artificial intelligence and the ability of machines to see.
Machine vision is no longer a supporting tool within Festo’s ecosystem. It is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of the company’s future strategy. One of the clearest examples is a new progressive web application powered by Google Vision. This tool allows users to identify pneumatic and electromechanical components simply by photographing them with a smartphone. Within two seconds, the app retrieves all relevant product data, streamlining maintenance, reducing order errors, and enhancing operational uptime. For service technicians and engineers alike, the integration of machine vision into such a practical everyday tool represents a profound shift in how machines and humans interact.
Beyond mobile apps, Festo is embedding vision systems deeply into its product lifecycle management. The company is leveraging computed tomography-guided artificial intelligence for advanced defect detection, enabling fully automated non-destructive quality inspections with exceptional accuracy. Combined with digital twin technology, these systems offer real-time insights across the lifespan of a product, from virtual design and simulation to predictive maintenance in the field.
Beyond mobile apps, Festo is embedding vision systems deeply into its product lifecycle management. The company is leveraging computed tomography-guided artificial intelligence for advanced defect detection, enabling fully automated non-destructive quality inspections with exceptional accuracy. Combined with digital twin technology, these systems offer real-time insights across the lifespan of a product, from virtual design and simulation to predictive maintenance in the field.
Education remains central to Festo’s mission, and the company is integrating machine vision into its training platforms as well. In its Industry 4.0 classrooms, artificial intelligence-powered robots now collaborate with camera systems to teach gesture recognition, object tracking, and safe human robot interaction. These are the skills that will define the factories of tomorrow. Young engineers and technicians are learning how to design, manage, and optimize vision-based systems from the beginning of their careers.
As it embarks on its second century, Festo is focusing on five strategic pillars: digitalization, climate responsibility, biologization, the circular economy, and cybersecurity. Machine vision connects several of these areas, enabling intelligent, efficient, and sustainable automation. The company aims to be carbon neutral across all operations by 2026, with smart systems that can monitor and adapt processes autonomously.
Festo’s 100th anniversary is not just a celebration of a storied past. It is a signal of the company’s determination to shape the future. With machine vision and artificial intelligence at the heart of its innovation strategy, Festo is not merely looking ahead. It is giving automation the power to see, to learn, and to lead.
Find more at 100 years of FESTO
