Festo Opens First Global Capability Centre in Bengaluru, Deepens India R&D Focus

With the opening of its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Bengaluru, which marks 40 years of operations in the nation, German automation giant Festo has reinforced its India strategy. In addition to Festo’s current workforce of over 1,000 people in India, the 71,000 square foot building is anticipated to grow to accommodate over 600 experts. 

As a global center for advanced engineering, software development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analytics, product security, and process optimization, the GCC has already onboarded more than 100 engineers. Festo India’s managing director, Ravi Sastry, stated that the company intends to acquire and upskill new personnel on campus. 

Following negotiations between India and the EU and India’s agreement with the European Free Trade Association, trade mood has improved, which coincides with the expansion. Festo views India as a long-term strategic partner that will play a key role in its worldwide R&D and innovation initiatives, going beyond sales. 

In line with Industry 4.0 trends, Festo, a prominent participant in the automotive, electronics, food processing, and pharmaceutical industries, is also changing its focus from hardware-driven pneumatics to software-led automation. According to the company, the GCC’s expansion will be guided by value generation rather than headcount alone. 

Source – Business Today