Why is the world's number one selling
brand of chain saw not sold at Lowe's® or
The Home Depot®?
We can give you 8,000 reasons, our legion of independent
STIHL dealers nationwide. We count on them every
day and so can you. To give you a product demonstration,
straight talk and genuine advice about STIHL products.
To offer fast and expert on-site service. And to
stand behind every product they carry, always fully
assembled. You see, we won't sell you a chain saw
in a box, not even in a big one.
Find your nearest
dealer
Never satisfied with success, STIHL is
always working to improve product performance.
When a company is credited with literally creating
an industry, and then follows that up with innovation
after innovation spanning nearly a century, you might
expect a bit of complacency. Well, not at STIHL.
In fact, the innovative spirit is alive and well-oiled
here, and we have the recent breakthroughs and a
spectacular R&D center to prove it. But let's
not get ahead of ourselves. First, a little trip
down innovation lane.
Andreas Stihl developed the first electric chain
saw in 1926. Since then, STIHL has specialized in
the development and manufacture of a wide range of
dependable portable power tools, both electric and
gasoline. These include chain saws, trimmers, brushcutters,
blowers, multi-task products, STIHL Cutquik®
cut-off machines, saw chains and guide bars.
STIHL engineers have also established a long list
of industry "firsts," technological advances that
have since become industry standards. Our innovations
include the gearless chain saw, anti-vibration system,
electronic ignition, self-lubricating saw chains,
chain brakes and many more.
In recent years, breakthroughs such as the STIHL
Easy2Start™ system
and prefiltration systems for STIHL Cutquik® cut-off machines and
chain saws have raised the bar for the environment,
efficiency and comfort. In Germany, the STIHL Engineering
Center is already paying dividends. The company's
largest single investment ever, the Engineering Center
houses an R&D department charged with constantly
exceeding tough performance standards, strict environmental
measures and the STIHL reputation for superior quality.
Success grows right along with capacity
in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The owner of a small but very successful
company once remarked, “The challenge is to see how
big you can get before it affects your quality.” We
are proud that our product line features some of
the best available technologies and some of the cleanest
running outdoor power equipment available today.
Looking back, our beginnings here
seem quite humble. STIHL opened its first American
plant in Virginia Beach in 1974. At that time, the
only product we assembled here was one chain saw.
Today, we manufacture almost 200 different models
of chain saws and power tools. That first plant was
home to less than 50 employees; now we keep roughly
40 times that many men and women very busy, and that
number will continue to grow.
And back in 1974, we had just 20,000
square feet under roof; now we have more than 1,000,000
square feet on a 90+ acre campus. And with future
expansion plans already being drawn up, we’re not
finished.
Recently, STIHL began manufacturing
guide bars for the first time in the U.S. in a new
facility on the company's Virginia Beach campus.
All told, STIHL Incorporated ships product to more
than 80 countries. But numbers don’t tell the whole
story. STIHL is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified,
meaning we meet rigid international manufacturing,
environmental and quality standards. Our products
consistently win quality and engineering design awards.
We’re committed to developing powerful, fuel-efficient
outdoor power equipment while using production practices
that are environmentally responsible. After all,
taking care of nature is the very basis of everything
we do. |
