Working at Festo: Our People Say Our Family-Like Values Make It Special

Big milestones are happening at Festo! Next year in 2025, Festo will be celebrating its 100th anniversary, and both Festo Canada and Festo USA will be celebrating their 50th anniversaries. This year mark’s Festo Mexico’s 50th anniversary as well.

Still a family-owned company, we’ve grown larger than ever. We currently offer our largest portfolio of automation products and solutions to date. In fiscal year 2023, we also generated 3.65 billion euros in sales and employed roughly 20,600 employees at 250 locations worldwide.

Such longevity with such vitality is rare in our industry. Yet the source of our strength isn’t solely based on what we design and manufacture. While our employees do take pride in our role as a technological innovator, this longevity is also a reflection of our values and how we apply them in the workplace.

At Festo, You’re Family

We know that nurturing family-like values engenders respect that flows both ways, improves career satisfaction and boosts employee retention. That’s why our corporate values consist of the following:

• We are ambitious.
• We are determined.
• We are visionary.
• We are dependable.
• We value each other.

Just ask the #FestoFamily — which is what we call our incredible team at Festo North America. When asked to describe in their own words how these values influence their work and career, our employees use terms like respectful, inclusive, flexible, collaborative, open-minded, dependable and supportive, among others.

“Festo has always respected employee interests. In times of hardship or softer market times, the company is always thinking of the impact on the employees, and this guides the decisions they make.” — Nathan Ravi, Distribution Sales Manager for the Eastern U.S. Almost 13 years with Festo.

While no work environment is perfect, our values have attracted and retained many people who like and appreciate each other. The following sentiment is typical for Festo employees.

“Over the years, the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with are first class, and that has made the journey fulfilling and enjoyable.” — Michael Reyes, Sales Representative in Western Canada. Now in his 13th year at Festo.

The Importance of Teamwork

This mutual respect explains why collaboration and teamwork — be it between departments, disciplines or even regions — is so successfully employed throughout the company. These values encompass everything from product development and refinement, to production and distribution, to sales and customer support.

“It is fascinating to meet colleagues in all the different countries who are all feeling like being part of the big Festo family. We respect each other and accept different opinions. This creates a positive work environment with outstanding team performance.” — Robert Haas, Global Key Account Manager, Mississauga, ON. At Festo for 22 years, first in Germany and now in Canada.

“Festo fosters a positive and inclusive work culture where diversity is respected and teamwork is encouraged. The supportive environment makes it easier to collaborate and share ideas, contributing to both personal satisfaction and professional success.” — Mariana Guidugli, Distribution CIC Agent and ICM Specialist, Mississauga, ON. At Festo for three years.

Such reliance on teamwork rubs off on how we relate to our customers. With large customers that often require multiple Festo teams working together, Haas says: “Our values, including being mutually respectful and dependable, are the foundation of how we work in teams with each other.” Our employees also feel fully connected and valued, regardless of their physical distance from the corporate hub in Germany. Many products are developed with input about customer needs and often with the expertise of teams consisting of German-based experts and their overseas peers.

Work-Life Balance, Diversity and Inclusion

While modern corporate life is often portrayed as relentlessly demanding, Festo stands out for supporting employees, promoting a healthy work-life balance and championing diversity and inclusion.

“As an immigrant working at Festo USA, I have always felt welcomed and accepted… Festo has given me the opportunity to create Employee Resource Groups and lead the Latinnovation group in Festo Mason. This has helped me to feel welcome and share tips that help other Latino employees to feel the same and highlight their work and abilities.” — Carolina Esteban, Supplier Quality Engineer, Festo USA.

Learning Opportunities

At Festo, we want our people to be the most they can be. Besides regular training, on-the-job learning and mentoring, there are many voluntary learning opportunities for self-improvement that help employees work toward promotions or explore different avenues within the company, some at different locations.

“Being a family-held, private company can be felt from top to bottom of the organization, and you get the feeling that people around you truly care. As is true with all things in life, change is constant, and this also offers opportunities to grow within the company and potentially touch various areas of the business throughout your career.” — Nathan Ravi, Distribution Sales Manager for the Eastern U.S. Almost 13 years with Festo.

“I began my career at Festo as an automation consultant, but with multiple training courses over the years, I’ve been able to take on increasingly greater tasks. Today I am in charge of coordinating the different activities of my national sales team.” — Ivan Escareno, Sales Manager, Festo Mexico. At Festo for 31 years.

Why Work at Festo?

Festo pride really shines when you ask our employees whether they would recommend our company to an outsider. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“After working in several different companies and work environments during my career as an industrial engineer, Festo has been one of the best. If you are looking for a change, consider Festo on your top list. It’s worth it.” — Carolina Esteban, Supplier Quality Engineer, Festo USA.

“Festo promotes an interactive environment that makes it easy for employees to remain engaged and connected. It provides opportunities to learn and grow (I began as an intern in HR before moving into accounting) yet is also respectful of your need for work-life balance.” — Nicole Martinelli, Accounting Supervisor, Festo USA. At Festo for 16 years.

“A colleague who was new to Festo once asked me how I felt about being with the company for nearly two decades at the time. I replied, let me put it that way: I may not know for sure which country I will be living in five or 10 years from now, but I’m confident I will still be working with Festo.” — Robert Haas, Global Key Account Manager, Mississauga, ON. At Festo for 22 years, first in Germany and now in Canada.

“Festo, for me, is a place to grow. For those in tech, the top-notch, face-to-face and online training from mentors, product managers, application and industry specialists constantly teaches you something new, not to mention the variety of tasks, applications and responsibilities that can help you move forward in your career.” — Michael Reyes, Sales Representative in Western Canada. Now in his 13th year at Festo.

Learn more about Festo, the family-owned company. You can also apply to our open positions on our careers page: Jobs Festo.