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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, 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 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 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. |
