From Shanghai to Shenzhen: why century-old automation giant Festo is joining WOD for a third consecutive edition
- Latest: Festo has confirmed exhibiting at WOD Shenzhen 2026 — its third consecutive WOD edition.
- The track: Shanghai 2025 debut (Booth W1-D03) → Shanghai 2026 upgrade (Booth E1-D01, Greater China president on site) → Shenzhen 2026.
- What they show: the Festo AX predictive-maintenance portfolio (AX-MIP / AX-MIE / AX-VI / AX-ENI) plus the FluidSim & Configon digital toolchain.
- Audience quality: Shanghai 2026 drew 26,900+ professional visitors at 8.86 visitors/㎡ (industry average ≈1.2); 52%+ from manufacturing, 70% with budget authority.
- Measured outcome: 3,302 valid procurement requirements, close to RMB 3.0bn intended procurement, exhibitor NPS 84.61, 9,280 MQLs and 11,790 SQLs.
- Next stop: Dec 3–6, 2026, Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an) — 160,000㎡, 1,000+ exhibitors, 120,000+ visitors.
On December 3–6, 2026, the 2026 WOD Manufacturing Digitalization Expo (Shenzhen) opens at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an). Today we are delighted to announce: Festo has confirmed its participation. From a surprising debut in Shanghai 2025, to an upgraded booth in Shanghai 2026, to a third run together in Shenzhen — thank you, Festo, for keeping WOD on your calendar.
01 First, meet this “old friend”
Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Esslingen, Germany, Festo is a century-old global automation company. Its pneumatic and electric-drive solutions have earned the trust of more than 300,000 customers worldwide. In China, Festo’s business traces back to 1985 — nearly four decades of local presence, delivering end-to-end “pneumatics-plus-electric, hardware-plus-software” solutions to new energy (from batteries to complete vehicles), electronics and light assembly, semiconductors, solar, and food and packaging.
In 2024, the Festo Group recorded revenue of €3.45 billion. Across Greater China it operates 200+ sales offices and authorized distributors, with branches in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan. In January 2016, Festo’s South China distribution center went live in Luogang, Guangzhou, cutting delivery times in Guangdong from four days to within 48 hours. Together with its Jinan logistics service center it forms a north-south pair covering a 48-hour delivery circle across nine provinces and municipalities — the Greater Bay Area has never been a “new market” for Festo; it is its core hinterland.
* Festo public figures sourced from Festo’s official website
A company like this does not pay twice for a show that delivers no value — let alone three times in a row.
02 2025 Shanghai: a debut full of surprises
From June 17 to 19, 2025, the first edition of the WOD Manufacturing Digitalization Expo landed at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. As the world’s first professional exhibition dedicated to the full range of manufacturing digitalization scenarios, it welcomed 200 leading companies from more than 10 countries and regions, along with over 20,000 professional visitors and 30,000+ visits.
Festo appeared at Booth W1-D03 under the theme “Embracing digital transformation, connecting the future of industry,” building an immersive digital experience zone with its Festo AX artificial intelligence software and FluidDraw design software.
“The sheer turnout exceeded every exhibitor’s expectations, and it showed us the enormous scale of the Chinese market. It was truly delightful — so many customers came to talk to us, and they are especially bullish on our digital industry solutions.”
— Rui Wang, Vice President of Product Management, Greater China, Festo China
Festo also stated publicly at the time that it hoped to work with the WOD platform matrix to advance deep industrial application of Festo AX and press the “fast-forward button” on industrial digital upgrading. Right from its debut, Festo made its position clear.
03 2026 Shanghai: bigger booth, president on stage
From June 3 to 5, 2026, the 2026 WOD Manufacturing Digitalization Expo (Shanghai) was held in Hall E1 of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. It was Festo’s second participation, at Booth E1-D01.
This time Festo brought a far more complete digital portfolio: from AX-MIP predictive maintenance for pneumatic cylinders, AX-MIE for electric cylinders, to AX-VI vacuum predictive maintenance and AX-ENI energy management and leak monitoring. Its software toolchain expanded across the board as well — FluidSim dynamic simulation, the Configon online product configurator, production maintenance management and a digital learning portal — from “plug-and-play predictive maintenance” to “a digital toolchain covering the entire design–selection–configuration process.”
Zuolin Jiang, President of Greater China at Festo China, attended the opening ceremony and joined the ribbon-cutting, while Lianyi Zhu, Vice President of Sales Management, took the stage at the WOD Manufacturing Digitalization Conference with a keynote titled “No breaks in production, no blind spots in maintenance: ultimate OEE powered by AI prediction and digitalized maintenance,” addressing the industry’s persistent pain point of unplanned downtime.
| Metric | WOD Shanghai 2026 | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Professional visitors | 26,900+ | 30,000+ visits (2025 debut) |
| Net-area visitor density | 8.86 /㎡ | Industry average ≈1.2 /㎡ |
| Valid procurement requirements | 3,302 | ≈ RMB 3.0bn intended value |
| Exhibitor NPS | 84.61 | Global B2B average ≈13.3 |
| Return intention | 82.31% | — |
| Leads captured by exhibitors | 9,280 MQL / 11,790 SQL | — |
“We have taken part in WOD many times, and the platform’s influence keeps growing. This year we brought our full-spectrum automation portfolio to keep injecting new momentum into China’s industrial automation market.”
— Zuolin Jiang, President of Greater China, Festo China
Festo is not a company that exhibits casually. Nearly a century old, serving more than 300,000 customers worldwide, this industrial automation giant screens every show strictly on visitor quality and business density. And yet from Shanghai 2025 to Shanghai 2026 — from a single software experience zone to a full-range AI predictive-maintenance portfolio, and on to its Greater China president attending in person — Festo’s booth at WOD has grown larger and its representation more senior with every edition.
04 So what exactly does Festo see in WOD?
We break Festo’s choice down into four reasons — and treat those four reasons as WOD’s promise to every exhibitor.
First, the right people come
More than 52% of WOD visitors come from manufacturing enterprises, and 70% are key roles holding project-approval and budget authority — for automation vendors, that means most conversations on the booth are with people who can actually move a project forward.
Second, the business is measurable
The 2026 Shanghai edition collected 3,302 valid procurement requirements on site, worth close to RMB 3.0bn in intended procurement. Exhibitors took away 9,280 marketing qualified leads (MQL) and 11,790 high-value sales qualified leads (SQL) — with a clear baseline before the show and a reconciled number after it.
Third, it is more than “four days of exhibition”
The WOD Manufacturing Digitalization World mini-program has built a base of 53,000+ precise manufacturing users and published 8,000+ genuine procurement requirements, with 365-day supply-demand matching running year-round — once the show closes, the matchmaking continues.
Fourth, caliber and ecosystem
A six-in-one platform spanning government, industry, academia, research, application and capital, with government leaders, academicians, experts and industry leaders sharing the same stage; plus WOD’s “1+10” full-chain industry service system covering ten flagship services including its executive salon, matchmaking, benchmark awards, capital matchmaking and plant visits.
05 2026 Shenzhen: Festo is in place — take the stage alongside it
From December 3 to 6, 2026, the 2026 WOD Manufacturing Digitalization Expo (Shenzhen) will be held at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an), co-located with the DMP Greater Bay Area Industrial Expo. It is expected to gather 1,000+ exhibitors and 120,000+ professional visitors across 160,000㎡ of exhibition space, focused on consumer electronics, new energy vehicles, semiconductors and high-end equipment, while opening into new tracks such as humanoid robotics and AI computing infrastructure.
Festo, the “old friend” that has walked this road with us since Shanghai 2025, is confirmed and in place. This will be Festo’s third consecutive WOD edition — and consistency is the best advertisement there is. Is your company ready to share the stage with Festo?
06 FAQ
Why does Festo keep exhibiting at WOD?
Four reasons: the right audience (52%+ from manufacturing, 70% with budget authority); measurable business (3,302 valid procurement requirements, ≈RMB 3.0bn intended value, 9,280 MQL / 11,790 SQL); activity beyond the four show days (53,000+ mini-program users, 8,000+ procurement requirements, 365-day matchmaking); and caliber plus ecosystem (six-in-one platform and the “1+10” service system).
What does Festo exhibit at WOD?
At its 2025 Shanghai debut (Booth W1-D03) Festo built an immersive digital experience zone around Festo AX AI software and FluidDraw design software. At Shanghai 2026 (Booth E1-D01) it brought AX-MIP pneumatic-cylinder predictive maintenance, AX-MIE electric-cylinder predictive maintenance, AX-VI vacuum predictive maintenance, AX-ENI energy management and leak monitoring, plus FluidSim dynamic simulation, the Configon online product configurator, production maintenance management and a digital learning portal.
When and where is WOD Shenzhen 2026?
December 3–6, 2026 at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an), co-located with the DMP Greater Bay Area Industrial Expo. Expected scale: 1,000+ exhibitors, 120,000+ professional visitors, 160,000㎡ of exhibition space.
What is Festo?
Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Esslingen, Germany, Festo is a century-old global automation company serving 300,000+ customers with pneumatic and electric-drive solutions; its China business dates back to 1985 and group revenue reached €3.45bn in 2024. In Greater China it runs 200+ sales offices and authorized distributors; since January 2016 its South China distribution center in Luogang, Guangzhou has cut Guangdong delivery times to within 48 hours.
How do I apply for a booth at WOD Shenzhen 2026?
Submit your details through “Booth Application / Apply for Booth” on the WOD Shenzhen website; an exhibitor manager will contact you within one business day with the full booth map and pricing plan. Visitors can pre-register through the “Visit” section.
2026 WOD Manufacturing Digitalization Expo (Shenzhen) · December 3–6, 2026 · Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an)
2027 WOD Shanghai · Jun 1–3, 2027 | 2026 WOD Shenzhen · Dec 3–6, 2026