The world’s largest industrial trade fair in Hanover is the perfect setting to announce a strategic technology partnership between two global players in the automation industry. Festo is a manufacturer of pneumatic and electrical automation technology and will be relying on the open PLCnext Technology control platform from Phoenix Contact in future.
The first devices with integrated PLCnext Technology are set to be launched on the market by the end of 2024. Both companies expect this to provide a significant boost to innovation in industrial automation.
“With PLCnext Technology, we are using the technologically leading platform in automation technology. We are convinced that the openness of PLCnext Technology will provide our customers with many advantages,” emphasizes Gerhard Borho, Chief Information Technology and Digitalization Officer at Festo. Ulrich Leidecker, COO and President of the Business Area Industry Management and Automation at Phoenix Contact, adds: “The openness of PLCnext Technology opens up the possibility for numerous suppliers to offer flexible, safe and modern automation technology. The technology partnership with Festo represents a milestone for the automation industry. Because the more partners there are in an open automation ecosystem, the more valuable it becomes for each individual participant.”
Frank Stührenberg, CEO of Phoenix Contact, emphasizes: “In a rapidly changing world, it is becoming increasingly important to enter into partnerships and work together within the framework of open technology platforms. A paradigm shift is clearly noticeable. Together with Festo, we will continue to work on generating new solutions for our customers. Because sustainable innovation can only be achieved through close cooperation.”
Festo SE & Co. KG has been a family-owned company since 1925 and is headquartered in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. The company employs around 20,500 people in 60 countries and supplies pneumatic and electrical automation technology to 300,000 factory and process automation customers in over 35 industries.
Festo SE & Co. KG
Phoenix Contact
PLCnext Community
