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German company picks Mason for production facility

Festo, a German-based manufacturing company, is moving its production, assembly and distribution facility from Long Island, New York to Mason. The new 175,000 sq. ft. building will open in 2015 along the growing  I-71 technology corridor on a 45-acre site. Earlier this year  WVXU reported Mason has created  nearly $110 million in new investment and created 1,400 new jobs since 2011.

 Mason was chosen because of location

Festo says its new facility will double the company's capacity and get parts shipped quicker to customers throughout the United States. President and CEO of Festo US Richard Huss says, "We are able to get about 70% of our customer base and what will be our customer base going forward whereas from Long Island, we don't even get to 40% as far as in a 1-day UPS shipment."

Huss says customers want less expensive freight and a quicker turn-around.  Procter and Gamble is a  customer.

Festo will be hiring

The new Regional Service Center, to open in 2015, will employ 250 people.  One hundred and twenty-five to 150 will be hired locally.  Festo will maintain its corporate headquarters and associated front office jobs on Long Island, NY.

Facts about Festo

  • Family-owned Germany company founded in 1925
  • Headquartered in Esslingen, Germany and Long Island
  • Serving the Automotive, Biotechnology, Electronics, Solar, Food & Beverage, Printing and Wastewater industries
  • Makes pneumatic and electro-mechanical drives, servo-pneumatic positioning systems, motors and controllers, grippers, handling systems, vacuum technology, valves, valve terminals, sensors, vision systems, compressed air preparation, pneumatic and electrical connection technology, control technology and software

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.