Stihl

Andreas Stihl AG

Type	Private Corporation
Industry	Forestry equipment, Landscape maintenance
Founded	1926
Headquarters	Waiblingen, Germany
Products	Industrial Chainsaws, String trimmers, Cultivators, Cut off saws, Leaf blowers, Construction Tools, Edgers, Pole Pruners, Augers/Drills & Protective Apparel
Employees	7,317
Website	Stihl.com

Andreas Stihl AG & Company is a manufacturer of chainsaws and other handheld power equipment including trimmers and blowers. Their headquarters are in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg near Stuttgart, in Germany. The company was founded in 1926 by Andreas Stihl, an important innovator in early chain saw production. The company is the world's best selling brand of chain saws and is the only chain saw manufacturer to make its own saw chains and guide bars. Andreas Stihl AG is a privately held company owned by the descendants of Andreas Stihl.

Company history

Andreas Stihl designed and hand built the first chain saw back in 1926. The saw was electric powered, and weighed in at 140 pounds. The Stihl name soon became popular, and also became synonymous with professional grade chain saws and would soon become the number one selling chain saw company in the entire world, a title that the company retains to this day. Stihl growth was slow initially, as the chainsaws hit the market about the same time as the Great Depression; with manpower cheap, and old two-man saws proven, there were no need for power saws. The early saws were very heavy, and often needed two men. Some outfits had a wheeled generator which had a power cord to run to the electric saw. Stihl saws saw service with the Wehrmacht particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia, where timber was cut for defensive positions.

After the war the availability of cheap, strong aluminum, better designs, and more powerful engines meant that the Stihl saw came into its own.

Expansion

In the mid-1970s Stihl expanded the company by building manufacturing plants in Brazil and in the United States. Much of the increased demand came from the construction and landscaping markets. Along with the professional markets, Stihl designed a number of homeowner use equipment, like blowers, line trimmers, edgers, and chain saws. In 2008, the newest Stihl production facility is a plant located in Qingdao, China.

Stihl Incorporated

Stihl Incorporated is the American branch of Stihl Group based in Virginia Beach, VA. In 1974, with 50 employees, the company began production in a leased 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) warehouse at the western edge of the city. In 1975 the company purchased 90 acres (0.36 km²) of land in the Lynnhaven Parkway area of the city and since then has gradually developed and expanded a complex of manufacturing, warehouse, and administrative buildings with over 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m²) of space. Its most recent expansion, expected to be completed in 2012, is a 53,000 square feet (4,900 m²) accessories manufacturing line that will add a further 52 positions to the over 1,900 people currently employed there (2,100 across the U.S) . Following construction of this expansion, the company stated that it would have no further room to grow at the site and announced that it had purchased the former Lillian Vernon headquarters near the complex , providing an additional 62 acres (0.25 km²) for future expansions.

These expansions are required because with the exception of 2009, the company has stated that it has recorded 15 consecutive years of record sales.

Product gallery

Stihl gas-powered trimmers. Mid-1990s model FS74, left, and 2004 model FS80R, right.   Stihl MS 170

External links

• Official website
• Official STIHL USA website