| | | | | |

Festo Didactic Brings Workforce Training Focus to the Recent MODEX Show 2026

April 21, 2026

Festo Didactic Brings Workforce Training Focus to the Recent MODEX Show 2026
Festo Didactic assesses workforce skill levels and develops training programs tailored to each facility’s automation environment

Training systems help workers build the technical skills needed to deploy and maintain warehouse automation 

As automation accelerates across intralogistics and warehouse operations, many companies face a growing challenge: deploying increasingly advanced systems without enough skilled technicians to install, operate, and maintain them. 

Festo Didactic addresses the workforce challenge the recent MODEX Show 2026  by featuring training solutions designed to build the automation skills needed to keep material-handling systems running. Experts at the booth has demonstrated training technologies and discuss workforce development strategies with attendees. Festo Booth # B9127 at MODEX 2026, Atlanta, April 13–16. 

A featured system at the booth is the Festo Didactic MecLab, a compact training platform for operating and maintaining conveyors, sorting operations, sensors, pneumatics, and PLC-controlled automation. MecLab replicates industrial material-handling processes. This training tool allows learners to understand how the mechanical, electrical, and control technologies behind automated logistics systems integrate, operate, and are maintained in support of uptime and throughput. 

Festo Didactic assesses workforce skill levels and develops training programs tailored to each facility’s automation environment. This type of mechatronics training delivers actionable understanding and skills. Didactic solutions can include installing learning systems within the plant’s training area, conducting instructor-led courses, and customizing courses to align training with the specific technologies used in a plant. 

Didactic also partners with community colleges and technical institutions to build automation training labs and apprenticeship programs. The result is a local workforce pipeline for careers in maintaining and operating advanced manufacturing and warehouse automation systems. Tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in Canada could go unfilled by 2030 if the skills gap is not addressed, increasing the urgency for this type of workforce development and training. 

“Every technology, from AI to autonomous guided vehicles, depends on people well versed in the fundamentals of technologies and controls,” said Karolyn Ellingson, Head of Industrial Workforce Development, Festo Didactic. “We work with companies and educators to build those fundamental skills so that warehouses and manufacturing plants operate at peak productivity.” 

Visitors to the recent MODEX SHOW 2026 learned more about closing the skills gap at a plant and in their communities by speaking with Festo Didactic representatives. Visit the technical education section of the Festo website to become acquainted with the wide range of Didactic solutions. 

About Festo Didactic: 

Festo Didactic leverages its automation expertise to provide comprehensive industrial and technical education solutions. Festo Didactic is committed to providing educators and employers with the hands-on training, digital coursework and blended learning solutions needed to close the STEM skills gap. Our lab equipment, curriculum and certification programs are thoughtfully designed to support various learning pathways and on-the-job training. With over 30,000+ certifications issued and 36,000 Festo-equipped educational institutions, Festo Didactic and its partners are preparing students and employees for the future of work.

Related Story

For Packaging and Intralogistics, Festo Is Unifying Automation from Design Through Commissioning

OEMs and system integrators in the warehouse automation and intralogistics industries are under pressure to design, deploy and commission automation systems faster with less risk and cost. 

At the recent MODEX Show 2026, Festo showcased its unique ecosystem that unifies automation systems from design to commissioning, shortening machine build time and reducing commissioning errors. (Festo Booth #B9127 at MODEX 2026, Atlanta, April 13–16.) 

Related Articles

Editor’s Pick: Featured Article

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s scalable engineering software, u-control 2000, adapts individually to your requirements. And, the u-control is powerful, compact and fully compatible with Weidmüller’s I/O system u-remote. This article looks at what makes u-control the heart of your automation.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are one of the main components of any automated system. A typical control system has inputs, outputs, controllers (i.e., PLCs), and some type of human interaction with the system, a human machine interface (HMI), for example.

Read More

Latest Articles

  • Evolution Follows Revolution: SmartD Is a VFD Brand – Not Just an Innovation

    April 29, 2026 By Krystie Johnston SmartD’s transformative Clean Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) is laying the groundwork for long-term progress in motor control SmartD Technologies is a Montreal-based power electronics company cofounded by Simon Leblond in 2018. Their innovative SiC semiconductors and modulation algorithms are revolutionizing how we approach motor control today. And this is Read More…

  • What Is the Best Way to Protect Network Equipment in a Warehouse?

    April 23, 2026 What is the best way to protect network equipment in a warehouse? The best approach depends on the environment, but in many cases: 👉 A wall-mounted cabinet with filtered airflow provides an effective solution This approach: What Types of Enclosures Can Be Used? 👉 For most warehouse applications, filtered enclosures are the preferred Read More…