Mechanical, tools and industrial product distributor RS Components (RS) is addressing the gap in its pneumatics offering and enhancing its service to engineers by partnering with pneumatics and electrical automation technology solutions provider Festo.

Products from Festo will be integrated into the pneumatics products range supplied by RS, the trading brand of global distributor for engineers Electrocomponents, to offer industrial customers a greater choice of brands.

“This partnership is great news for our industrial customers. With unrivalled access to industrial customers and market-leading service and support, RS is a perfect match for us as a distribution partner,” comments Festo Europe region senior VP Gian Paolo Arosio.

RS is now a key part of Festo’s distribution strategy, with the two companies having agreed to align in key markets across the globe. “The Festo range complements the RS Pro pneumatics offering and is an essential brand on the automation and control (A&C) line card,” says RS, noting that the agreement with Festo is another step to better serve the needs of its customers when sourcing products for specific applications.

According to RS, the launch strengthens its offering in all markets, particularly in those where the Festo brand is strong. In Germany, for example, Festo has a significant market share. RS will initially offer about 1 000 stocked products and plans to offer an extended range soon afterwards.

Initially launched across Europe and South Africa, RS expects to extend its distributorship, in accordance with its agreement with Festo at a later stage. This expansion will be supported by several sales and marketing activities on a global and local level.
RS operates in 26 countries, while serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, and supplies every sector of industry in the procurement of its products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low-volume production, and research and development (R&D).

With over 500 000 products across 2 500 brands, the company says it is committed to ensuring that its 1.5-million customers have fast access to a broad as well as expansive range of products and technologies from a single source.

Established in 1925, Festo, says RS, is the market leader in pneumatics and electrical automation in many countries across the world.

Electrocomponents head of category A&C Kevin Shield adds that the Festo range is powerful and well-proven thanks to significant efforts in R&D.

The privately owned company had a turnover of €2.64-billion in 2015, with 8% of its turnover invested in R&D activities.

Vocational education and training accounts for 1.5% of the manufacturer’s sales volume. This educational drive is not limited to employees, with Festo also offering industrial education and training programmes to make automation technology readily comprehensible to customers, students and trainees.

Festo provides pneumatic and electrical automation technology for 300 000 customers in factory and process automation in over 200 branches of industry.

Its products and services are available in 176 countries throughout the world, with some 18 700 employees in 61 national companies worldwide.