In the course of digitalisation and as the world’s leading supplier of automation technology and technical education, Festo is gearing its products and services towards smart production. In doing so, the company also relies on artificial intelligence and machine learning. For over 60 years, the independent family business founded in 1925 and based in Esslingen a.N. has been an innovative force in automation and has become the world market leader in technical education and training with a unique range of products and services. 300,000 customers in factory and process automation worldwide rely on the company's pneumatic and electric drive solutions. Festo Didactic also offers state-of-the-art qualification solutions for around 56,000 industrial companies and educational institutions around the world. In the financial year 2021, the Festo Group achieved a turnover of 3.36 billion euros and is present at 250 locations worldwide with around 20,700 employees. 7 % of the turnover is spent on research and development each year.