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Ops Showcase - FESTO

2024Events

Operations Showcase at FESTO

 

On September 18, 2024 FESTO welcomed EACC members and prospects to their facility in Mason, OH. FESTO is a big name in our region - and around the world - and this Operations Showcase helped illustrate why.

A Google search, and FESTO's own website (above right), will tell the story of a globally-active family-owned German business that manufactures process control and factory automation solutions. Our operations showcase showed us A LOT MORE!

A few of the stats we learned:

  • The Mason, OH facility has over 30 nations represented among their staff
  • They have 30,000 individual products in their catalog (meaning almost infinite combinations)
  • 70% of their products are made to order
  • FESTO also partners with their customers to produce custom and innovative solutions (one of which we saw)

As we toured the facility, we quickly learned that FESTO's operations are as ordered, organized and precise as a military operation: Everything is clean, well-lit, organized - in grids, horizontal AND vertical spaces are being utilized, KPIs with charts, graphs, tables are clearly visible on whiteboards in each area, automation is everywhere and their production floor hierarchy and daily processes are structured and adhered to. What we saw was best practice IN PRACTICE, and it was impressive.

In addition to their "traditional" production operations, FESTO also houses FESTO Didactic, a learning center that develops high-quality, intuitive learning systems for technical education: from fundamentals to complete training in the areas of Mechatronics, Factory & Process Automation, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Fluid Power, Industrial Maintenance, Shop Math and Metrology. Training can be done at the FESTO facility for individuals or they will come to your facility for larger groups. Karolyn Ellingson, Head of Industrial Workforce Development at FESTO Didactic is the person to contact at 513-607-9340 or via email.

FESTO in Mason is also home to a Greater Cincinnati Foreign Trade Zone (GCFTZ), the most notable benefits of which were stated as:
 

  • Paying for receivables WEEKLY versus per receipt, which saves the company $600 per
  • Not having to pay duties on transiting goods

Taking into account the number of goods being received on a daily/weekly basis by the facility as well as the number of goods simply transiting through on their way to Mexico or Canada, the positive cash-flow impact of housing an FTZ is substantial. For more information on how FTZs work and how to become one, contact Samantha Wagner, Head of Trade Compliance at 513-486-1110 or via email.

And of course, the FESTO team capped it all off with international foods from Mexico, India and Brazil, beer from Germany and a charcuterie board that the Italians and French envied as the EACC group mixed and mingled and connected.
 
 

Ops Showcase - FESTO

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