Success made in America
STIHL can look back on a 50-year history in North America, also known as the lumberjack continent, with many challenges early on and impressive corporate development since. While everything started on a rented area of over 1,800 square meters, STIHL Inc. now operates on an area of approximately 148,000 square meters, the equivalent of more than 20 soccer fields. A success story to read about.
In 1974, the year the company was founded, 50 employees began assembling around 12,000 saws a year in Virginia Beach. Today, STIHL Inc. manufactures over 100 different models of gasoline and battery-powered chainsaws and power tools. By the end of the year, the number of units produced there over the last five decades will exceed 100 million. The USA is STIHL’s largest single market today, accounting for around one third of sales groupwide
Advertisements in the trade magazine “Chain Saw Age” were an important catalyst for putting the company in the spotlight at the time. | Photo: STIHL
THE JOURNEY TO AMERICA
Aside from its production site, STIHL’s North America sales network has also undergone a long and challenging development. Andreas Stihl made his first local contacts in 1937, but the Second World War put an end to these relationships. It would be more than 20 years before STIHL’s first sales partner finally started work in the USA in 1958.
Advertisements and company portraits in the industry magazine “Chain Saw Age” targeted dealers and end customers. The main reason for this success was personal contact between German company representatives and American wholesalers. As STIHL Pacific North West Manager in the 1960s, Virg Hatfield worked in a total of eight states. He traveled the area – four times the size of Germany – in his own propeller plane. His efforts were the basis for the foundation of the subsidiary STIHL Inc. in 1974.
STIHL INC.: MOST LOVED WORKPLACE
The American company STIHL Inc. is now the STIHL Group’s largest production facility, and is one of the largest private employers in coastal Virginia, with more than 2,700 employees. One area of focus is highly automated manufacturing processes that enable fast and high-quality production. One example is the manufacture of the STIHL 4180 fuel tank, which is formed, welded, assembled and tested for leaks in just 32 seconds. In addition, an extensive plastics production facility processes 16 million kilograms of granulate every year to produce lightweight and robust housings in the classic STIHL orange. The company not only employs numerous skilled workers, but also looks after them very well: STIHL Inc. has once again made the list of Most Loved Workplaces. Newsweek magazine confirmed this with an award. As an employer, STIHL Inc. not only offers competitive salaries, but also first-class employee benefits and extensive investments in the professional development of its employees.
T-SHIRT COMPETITION AND GALA CELEBRATION
The anniversary included a festive welcome event and an all-employee celebration in October, both attended by members of the Stihl family and the STIHL Executive Board. Colleagues in the USA were invited to design a T-shirt for the anniversary year as part of a competition. The T-shirt with the best design was given to all STIHL employees as part of the large employee celebration. Managing Director Chris Keffer addressed the employees: Over the past 50 years, we have employed thousands of dedicated individuals, each contributing to the STIHL story in their own unique way—many over several decades. This is a testament to the loyalty, commitment, and culture we’ve built together—because STIHL is not just a company, it’s a family. Thank you to the STIHL employees for helping to build a culture where people love to come to work every day and where we treat each other like family.” Dr. Nikolas Stihl also left an anniversary message: “STIHL’s remarkable success story in the US reflects the hard work and dedication of all our employees and our dealers and importers. On behalf of my family and the STIHL Executive Board, I would like to express my gratitude. It’s no wonder that STIHL has been the best-selling brand for gasoline-powered and battery-powered handheld garden tools among professional users in the US for many years.”
