In our latest Executive Edition series, Mary Gannon of Design World chats with Festo Didactic's CEO Thomas Lichtenberger, about the organizations successful programs to change the manufacturing landscape in the United States. Festo Didactic provides equipment and solutions for technical education for all areas of technology in factory and process automation, such as pneumatics, hydraulics, electrical engineering, production technology, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, CNC, HVAC and telecommunications.

Lichtenberger discusses the Festo's successful Mason, Ohio apprenticeship program and its newest work with The Space Coast Consortium Apprenticeship Program – an industry-driven apprenticeship program led by a group of advanced manufacturing companies operating on the Space Coast.

He talks about the future of manufacturing and how Festo's training programs are designed to shape that future.