Corporate - STIHL Timeline

1974 – STIHL Incorporated opens for business in leased facility.

1975 – First U.S. Sales Office opens.

1977 – STIHL breaks ground for Manufacturing Plant I and Administrative Offices.

1980 – An addition to Manufacturing Plant I, housing the Tool and Die Shop, the Crankshaft Heat-Treating and Plastics Department is completed.

1981 – Construction begins on Plant II.

1983 – Plant II completed at a cost of $5.3 million.

1985 – STIHL Inc. launches the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® series on ESPN.

1986 – One-millionth 1120 series chain saw produced in Virginia Beach.

1986 – Introduction of STIHL's line of protective apparel and accessories.

1986 – Consumer chain saw safety and firewood seminars introduced.

1987 – Production of 024 chain saw moved to Virginia Beach.

1988 – STIHL expands product line with special clearing saws designed for professionals for pre-commercial thinning.

1989 – Production of 4130 series trimmers (FS 36, FS 40 and FS 44) in Virginia Beach.

1989 – BR 320/400 backpack blower production begins in Virginia Beach.

1990 – Production of chain saw models 034, 034S, 021 and 023 begins in Virginia Beach.

1991 – Production of model 025 chain saw and FE 55 begins in Virginia Beach.

1992 – Production of BG 72 blower/vac, FS 74 & FS 76 trimmer/brushcutters, and BR 320L backpack blowers begins in Virginia Beach.

1993 – Production of the 029 and 039 Farm Saws, 009 MiniBoss™ chain saw, HS 72, 74 & 76 hedge trimmers and FC 72 edger in Virginia Beach.

1994 – Production of BE 55 blower, EC 70 edger, and FS 44 R trimmer.

1994 – STIHL Inc. celebrates 20th Anniversary in Virginia Beach.

1995 – STIHL Inc. achieves globally-recognized ISO 9001 certification.

1995 – 10-year anniversary of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series.

1995 – STIHL 023 C named "Best of What's New" by Popular Science magazine.

1996 – STIHL 017 with QCA system awarded "Best Value" by Home Mechanix magazine.

1996 – 100th birthday of Andreas STIHL.

1996 – STIHL 036 QS with two chain braking systems.

1997 – STIHL Incorporated begins production of innovative 4137 series engine and Professional Series™ product line.

1997 – Production of the STIHL 019 T chain saw for arborists begins in Virginia Beach.

1997 – STIHL 036 QS wins Johnson Hill Press OEMmie award for innovation.

1998 – Introduction of STIHL 029 Super Farm Boss® chain saw.

1998 – Introduction of FS 120 / FS 200 trimmers.

1998 – The May issues of national consumer magazines, including Popular Mechanics, feature STIHL trimmers (FS 75 & FS 36) as their top choices in consumer gas-powered trimmers.

1999 – 25th Anniversary of STIHL Incorporated.

2000 – Introduction of STIHL HomeScaper Series™.

2000 – STIHL Inc. receives U.S. Senate Productivity Medallion of Excellence Award in the private-sector manufacturing category.

2000 – STIHL Inc. opens new Employee Services building.

2001 – Construction completed on new Raw Materials Warehouse/Manufacturing Addition.

2001 – Introduction of STIHL Precision Series™ hand tool line.

2001 – STIHL Inc. achieves globally-recognized ISO 14001 registration.

2001 – 75th Anniversary of founding company ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG.

2001 – Introduction of revolutionary STIHL 4-MIX® technology.

2002 – U.S. Production of 4180 (4-MIX®) series engine begins in Virginia Beach and FS 110 trimmer and FC 110 edger are introduced to the marketplace.

2003 – STIHL Inc. announces a $60.8 million, 228,000-square-foot expansion to its Virginia Beach operations. Completion slated for 2005.

2003 – The patented STIHL 4-MIX® engine technology receives one of 12 Grand Awards in the 16th annual Popular Science “Best of What’s New” awards.

2003 – Introduction and application of the STIHL Easy2Start™ recoil starting system to selected STIHL 4140 HomeScaper™ Series products.

2003 – Introduction of the STIHL MM 55 Yard Boss®, an innovative, multi-task yard care system.

2003 – Introduction of the MS 460 STIHL Magnum™ “RESCUE” chain saw, a proven professional saw designed exclusively for fire, rescue and emergency professionals.

2003 – In competition with other STIHL manufacturing plants worldwide, STIHL Inc. wins the company's highest awards for quality in chain saw and power tool manufacturing, achieving such honors for more than five consecutive years.

2003 – STIHL Inc. achieved a twelfth consecutive record sales year.

2004 – STIHL Easy2Start™ recoil starting system applied to STIHL MS 210 C chain saw – the first STIHL chain saw to offer this feature.

2004 – STIHL Inc. celebrates 30th Anniversary in Virginia Beach.

2004 – STIHL Inc. is a registered ISO 9001 company and has been re-certified every third year since initial certification 1995, as required by certification board.

2004 – STIHL Inc. is a registered ISO 14001 company and has been re-certified every third year since initial certification 2001, as required by certification board.

2004 – Introduction of the STIHL HL 100 Series extended length hedge trimmer w/ STIHL 4-MIX® engine; the STIHL MS 210 C chain saw with STIHL Easy2Start™; and the MS 361 and MS 361 C low vibration professional chain saws.

2004 – STIHL Inc. recognized with Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award (Silver).

2004 – STIHL Inc. awarded inaugural Virginia Shingo Prize by Virginia Manufacturers Association.

2004 – Third phase of $60.8 million dollar expansion completed, including Plant 6 (a new warehouse and office building totaling 145,000 square feet) and an over 30,000-square-foot addition to plastics injection molding.

2007 – Hans Peter Stihl, son of STIHL’s founder, Andreas Stihl, dedicated STIHL Inc.’s newest facility, a 60,000-square-foot guide bar production plant. The addition of the new plant pushed STIHL Inc.’s growth to more than one million square feet of manufacturing and administration space in Virginia Beach, representing a 4900% increase since 1974, when STIHL Inc.’s operations began. According to Mr. Stihl, "This extraordinary growth is unprecedented within our global manufacturing efforts."