RS and Festo are fueling the evolution of process automation

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Jun 18, 2025, 11:12 ET

RS offers an extensive selection of Festo process automation products engineered to improve efficiency, safety, productivity, profitability, and product quality in industrial fluid process control applications.

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- RS, a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, offers Festo's extensive portfolio of process automation products for industrial fluid process control applications, spanning core components, like process and piloting valves, to smart solutions, like remote I/O systems.

Fluid process control is vital to virtually every industrial market segment, including food and beverage, water and wastewater, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and chemical. Automating the movement of fluids, including liquids, gases, and even granulated solids, eliminates the requirement for manual operation and the associated risk of human error. It also improves process efficiency, safety, productivity, profitability, and product quality.

Process automation systems have delivered these advantages for decades and, when equipped with Industry 4.0 solutions popularized in factory automation applications, can unlock smart capabilities, like IIoT-enabled remote monitoring and control, that further amplify these core benefits. Smart process automation systems prove especially beneficial in environments with challenges spanning space constraints to hazardous conditions.

Festo process automation products provide precise performance, rugged reliability, and seamless control at every level of the automation pyramid — from top-level operations down to field-level devices — to provide all of the benefits associated with automated fluid process control. Festo's comprehensive process automation catalog includes all of the operator-, control-, and field-level solutions and accessories required for industrial fluid process control. Solutions range from individual components, like solenoid pilot valves, process valves, sensors, limit switches, positioners, and actuators, to fully assembled and tested automated valves and smart remote I/O systems, controllers, and displays. Festo also offers three powerful online configurator tools that enable customers to build automated ball valves, actuated butterfly valves, and quarter-turn actuator assemblies.

Popular selections from the RS portfolio of Festo process automation products for industrial fluid process control applications include:

VZBE ball valve assemblies. Like all process valves, these economical, pre-engineered, quarter-turn ball valve assemblies are a huge time saver, simplifying logistics and procurement and ensuring a working solution every time. VZBE ball valve assemblies feature rugged stainless steel valves with Teflon seats and NPT threads, which are widely employed in the automotive, chemical, oil and gas, and semiconductor industries, and are available as both double acting and spring return solutions. They're automated using a high-quality pneumatic actuator designed and produced by Festo.
VSNC solenoid valves. These standard NAMUR pilot valves are especially engineered for process automation applications and designed to deliver outstanding value. VSNC solenoid valves come with a wide range of valve and coil options and a rotatable seal that enables 3/2-way to 5/2-way conversions with a simple twist. Other features include single or double solenoid coils, spool or poppet designs, and rated voltages ranging from 12VDC up to 230VAC. They are also suitable for use in hazardous areas, including Class 1, Division 1 environments, when used with the appropriate coils and equipped with a rebreather function to ensure that the actuator stays clean and dry.
The CPX-AP-I remote I/O system. Whether physically attached on-terminal or connected via cable, this system incorporates all components, such as PLCs, valves, motors, drives, and I/O, within a single smart terminal under a single IP address. This significantly reduces hardware and installation costs while lowering system complexity. And since many PLCs come with a limited number of IP addresses, the CPX-AP-I remote I/O solution means that more capabilities are possible per PLC.

Festo is a trusted global manufacturer of process control and factory automation solutions dedicated to making tomorrow's working world simpler, more productive, and more sustainable. The combination of its innovative, high-quality, and cost-effective electric automation and process automation products, its century of R&D accomplishments, and its massive global network enables customers around the world — and in virtually every industry — to build better products, streamline production, improve safety, and cut costs through innovation.

RS offers an extensive selection of Festo products, including the operator-, control-, and field-level solutions and accessories you need to create complete process automation and factory automation systems. RS also offers expert, industry- and application-specific support for Festo products throughout the engineering, installation, and maintenance phases.

For more information about Festo and its extensive portfolio of innovative, high-quality process automation solutions, please visit the links embedded here and check out "Process automation valves," an RS Expert Advice interview with Matthew Glicksman, Head of Product Market Management – Process Automation at Festo North America. For assistance identifying, procuring, deploying, and maintaining Festo process automation products, please contact your local RS representative at 1.866.433.5722 or reach out to the RS technical support team.

About Festo
Festo is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic and electromechanical systems, components, and controls for process and industrial automation. For 100 years with more than 50 in the U.S., Festo Corporation has continuously elevated the state of manufacturing with innovations and optimized motion control solutions that deliver higher performing, more profitable automated manufacturing and processing equipment. Through advanced technical and industrial education, Festo Didactic Learning Systems and its partners prepare workers for current and future manufacturing technologies. Connect with Festo: Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube

About RS
RS is a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, enabling them to operate efficiently and sustainably.

We operate in 36 markets, stock over 830,000 industrial and specialist products, and list an additional five million relevant for our industrial customers, sourced from over 2,500 suppliers. This extensive range supports our customers across the industrial lifecycle of designing, building, and maintaining equipment and operations. We enhance their experience through a tailored service model, leveraging our efficient physical, digital, and process infrastructure sustainably. We combine a technically led and digitally enabled approach with an exceptional team of experts; ultimately, it's our people that make the difference.

Our purpose, making amazing happen for a better world, reflects our focus on delivering results for people, planet, and profit.

RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with stock ticker RS1 and in the year ended 31 March 2025 reported revenue of £2,904 million.

For more information, please visit https://www.rsgroup.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter).

About RS in the Americas
In the Americas region, RS stocks more than 250,000 industrial and electronic products from more than 700 trusted suppliers. These solutions cover categories extending from automation and control equipment to interconnect, passive, active, and electromechanical components and include more than 80,000 high-quality, competitively priced RS PRO products. For more information, please visit https://us.rs-online.com or connect with us via social media on Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube.