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utomation engineers are under increasing pressure to keep production running while managing ever more complex systems. Every minute of
downtime counts, but critical technical information is often spread across multiple tools, manuals and data sources, slowing down troubleshooting and impacting productivity. Festo has introduced its new AI-powered Virtual Assistant to give engineers and maintenance teams immediate access to reliable technical answers, helping them resolve issues faster and keep operations moving. The Festo Virtual Assistant is an AI-powered online tool developed specifically for industrial automation applications. It delivers context- related answers to technical queries in seconds, enabling users to move more quickly from problem identification to resolution without the need to manually search multiple data sources. Unlike general-purpose AI systems, the Virtual Assistant operates exclusively on verified Festo data sources, including datasheets, manuals, technical documentation and engineering tools. It ensures that all outputs are based on reliable, application-relevant information. The Virtual Assistant is designed to interpret technical context, allowing it to respond to engineering queries with a high degree of accuracy.
By consolidating information typically spread across multiple systems into a single interface, the Virtual Assistant simplifies access to engineering
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FESTO LAUNCHES AN AI- POWERED VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
knowledge for users in automation, electrical, maintenance and industrial IT roles. It supports a broad range of applications, including fault diagnosis, component selection, access to technical standards and retrieval of product data. Besides offering best practice solutions, it provides direct links to Festo engineering tools for sizing or simulation and helps with machine troubleshooting. Available 24/7, the Virtual Assistant is ideal for continuous production environments, providing support across shifts, including nights and weekends. This enables engineers to access technical guidance at the point of need, without delay. Users can describe technical issues in their own words, as though they were talking to a colleague. The more precise the question, the more specific the answer will be. No additional training is required, making it simple to adopt this AI tool within existing workflows.
User queries remain within Festo’s secure infrastructure. The Virtual Assistant complies with data privacy legislation and relevant regulatory requirements, including the EU AI Act. Commenting on the launch, Javier Güell, Festo sales AI Solutions, said: “Engineers’ time is best used to solve problems, not to spend hours searching for
SPELSBERG STRENGTHENS UK INDUSTRY TEAM
pelsberg UK has appointed Michael White as the company’s new industry manager who will partner with stakeholders across key sectors to advise on industrial enclosure selection. White brings over 20 years’ experience to the role and will support Spelsberg’s full-scale range of engineering services offered to industrial projects that extend to enclosure customisation and bespoke design. Data centres are a key focus for Spelsberg, and White will support OEMs and electrical contractors as well as data centre management in the selection and integration of high durability and fire-protected enclosures. Spelsberg’s range of polycarbonate housings can protect critical electrical connections and devices for up to 90 minutes in the event of a fire, supported by IP66 protection.
Based in Bedfordshire but covering the UK and Ireland, White will also support designers as well as electrical contractors and installers across industries including the rail sector, water and waste-water treatment, as well as energy, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences. Engineering firms diversifying into net zero, carbon capture, and hydrogen services will also be included within Spelsberg’s industrial focus.
White has considerable industry experience with a previous role that focused on labelling
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information. However, increasing system complexity and fragmented data sources often make that unavoidable. The Festo Virtual Assistant helps redress that balance by searching multiple sources in seconds, enabling engineers to focus on their core role of designing new solutions, keeping systems running and optimising performance.” The Festo Virtual Assistant is available via the Festo website. It is free to use and can be accessed using an existing Festo login or through a simple registration process.
Festo
www.festo.com T
and identification products for global oil and gas projects. White then moved to a manufacturer of engineered cable management products and associated support systems. White spent three years in Houston, Texas, working across oil & gas and tech projects, partnering with design engineers and electrical contractors to deliver electrical connections in demanding environments. Most recently, White managed data centre projects in the UK for a global electrical distributor that specialises in industrial and hazardous area electrical products.
Spelsberg
www.spelsberg.co.uk
TERADYNE ACQUIRES TESTINSIGHT
eradyne, a leading provider of automated test equipment (ATE) and advanced robotics, has announced it has acquired TestInsight, a leading provider of semiconductor test development, validation, and conversion software widely used across the industry. TestInsight’s advanced tools and expert team will be pivotal in accelerating the development of test solutions on Teradyne platforms, enabling faster and more efficient time to ramp for complex AI devices. The acquisition strengthens Teradyne’s ability to support customer design-in activities and accelerate time to market for the emerging AI and data centre markets. By combining TestInsight’s pattern conversion, validation, and virtual test capabilities with Teradyne’s ATE platforms, customers will benefit from a tightly integrated design-to-test workflow that reduces debug cycles, improves coverage, and enables earlier test program readiness.
Teradyne
www.teradyne.com May 2026 Instrumentation Monthly
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