Visiting an International Company

Festo Inc.
Km. 18, West Service Road South Super Highway
1700 Parañaque City Metro Manila, Philippines

By means of an electronic-mail we made an appointment with Mr. Dennis Chavez,

the regional area representative of Festo in Batangas. The meeting was set last February 11,
2010 at 9:00 am. The purpose of the visit is to observe the equipment and the operations as
well as to discuss the qualification needed to get a job at the industry company and to be able
to write and simulate simple control systems from the learning I have equip.

Qualifications

Through the discussion we had with Mr. Chavez, we learned that for one to achieve
the job at the international company like Festo, a person must have the background between
formal education and long-life learning education system in coherent and comprehensive
framework and also it must have the knowledge of construction and operation of
Programmable Logic Controller, and Electro-pneumatic control. In here, a person must have
the ability to read, design and construct a simple control systems and simple electro-
pneumatic controls. The more you have the learning and experiences, the better chances are
of getting at the company.

Beginning Position

A new employee with no knowledge about simple PLC program and Electro –
pneumatic control would probably have the off-chance application wherein they will try to
find a position that is suitable for you. If you are fresh graduates, a degree will be a basis for
a career with the Festo graduate trainee programmed is the ideal option they will be given.
Wherein each trainee is structured individually, participation in projects, getting to know the
product range, attending further training and information events, building up a personal
network, possibility of working abroad, attractive salary, and unlimited contract right from
the start. Every beginning is a difficult according to Mr. Chavez that’s why Festo is offering
the graduate training programmes. For people with professional experienced has a further,
important component on the route upward. It had plenty of opportunities to prove the
flexibility and team spirit.

Observation of Equipment and Operations

The Festo is designed to assist in emergencies or when repair or replacement parts are
required, they provide general support as well as energy-saving and preventing measures.
They are equipped with planning and layout tool such as Pro Pneu wherein it plays the task
of configuring the optimal pneumatic drive system; it assists the selection and configuration
of an entire pneumatic control chain in relation to an expert system. The FluidDRAW
wherein it is a circuit diagram on PC without CAD, it is the software for pneumatic circuit
diagrams without the need of additional CAD system acting as futuristic engineering tool.
They also used Electronic Catalogue wherein it helps you to locate products by simply
clicking the integrated links that are supported by a database for easy research. The 2D/3D
CAD models wherein it is designed for product selection data for your documentation, part
lists and operating instructions.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Our visit to the Festo was very interesting and worthwhile. Mr. Dennis Chavez
encouraged us to continue our education and enhanced our knowledge and learning through
training and seminars related to by degree and to have a “Hands-on training” because that
knowledge will be our key to have a good job. He asked us to be sure to apply for ready
employment at the company suitable for us when we have completed our studies.
We would recommended that anyone interested in the PLC and Electro-pneumatic
control to have the training seminar offered by Festo to enhanced their capabilities in the said
field and their learning skills. The visit we made led us to feel secure in the belief that there is
a very bright future for us in the field of Programmable Logic Controller and Electro –
pneumatic control field – If we get a good training and a good education.