Executive Summary

Goal

This project addresses the challenge of integrating product- and application-specific knowledge into Festo LX in a personalized, modular, and workflow-oriented manner. The objective is to position Festo LX not merely as a digital training portal, but as a central, smart touchpoint within Festo’s broader digital ecosystem. This transformation is intended to generate business value through accelerated onboarding, improved dealer enablement, and enhanced customer satisfaction. 

Methodology

The project was conducted through a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both secondary and primary research. A benchmarking analysis of 20 industry players was carried out to examine digital training offerings, learning technologies, and dealership models. In parallel, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with internal stakeholders (including representatives from Festo Didactic and Automation) and external parties (such as Fronius, Lenzing, and STIHL). These interviews were used to uncover existing pain points, content gaps, and expectations for future development. 

Results

The findings revealed that, while Festo LX delivers strong technical education, essential content related to real-world product application remains underrepresented. Additionally, current user journeys are not yet tailored to distinct user groups. Key industry trends—such as learning in the flow of work, collaborative learning, and AI-driven personalization—are increasingly shaping expectations for digital training platforms. Internal challenges such as organizational silos and unclear platform ownership were also identified as barriers to further development.

In response, the Smart Companion concept was developed. It consists of two interconnected layers:

• The Integration Layer consolidates Festo LX, FOX, and Smartenance into a consistent, role-specific knowledge infrastructure, enabling automated content distribution and real-time synchronization with Festo Automation systems.

• The Enhancement Layer introduces AI-personalized learning paths, contextual Smart Tags, immersive learning modules, and a dedicated Dealer Mode with certification and gamified training elements.

By embedding content into existing workflows and tailoring it to user roles, the Smart Companion aims to enhance usability, drive adoption, and reinforce Festo’s positioning as a leader in digital industrial education.

 

Cooperation Partner

Festo SE & Co. KG
Linzer Straße 227
1140 Vienna
Austria
 

Contact Person

• Jacob Decker - Jacob.decker@festo.com

• Ute Gebhard - Ute.gebhard@festo.com

Student Team

• Ludwig Nirmaier

• Gabriel Schiebel

• Julia Oewaller

• Yelyzaveta Ivaniv

• Maksim Grechka

• Philia Kleemann

Project Manager

• Caroline Fabian, MSc., MSc.

• Sandra Jeske, MSc.