This is how a family group becomes successful worldwide: innovation, service and quality

Since its founding in 1926, the STIHL Group has continued to innovate. As a pioneer of machines and tools for gardens and landscaping, the world leader in chainsaws and portable power tools has remained true to its original philosophy throughout its existence: a family business that enables people to work in and with nature. This, thanks to innovative, powerful and high-quality products, with the guarantee of efficient service and the constant ambition to work for sustainability and environmental conservation.

"The weather conditions of the past few months, although not the best for the vacation season, have had a positive effect on our group," Joeri Welslau, managing director of STIHL Benelux, says humorously. "The rain has made everything grow in earnest. And for us that's a good thing, of course. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to stay home and helped encourage them to take better care of their outdoor spaces and gardens. Last year, we exceeded 4.6 billion in sales. That's a nice increase of more than 16%. 

Innovation as a leitmotif

Since its founding in 1926, STIHL has strived to provide the best technical solution for all forestry, park and garden maintenance work. And this means identifying market needs. For example, about ten years ago STIHL launched its first cordless hedge trimmer on the market. Demand has grown significantly over the years. From 15% in 2016, the share of battery-powered machines has risen to 42% in 2020, underlining the validity of this direction. Four ranges of hedge trimmers are offered: AS (entry-level models), Al (machines with integrated battery), AK (compact machines) and AP (powerful machines for professional use). "Battery is the future," says Joeri Welslau, "even though it is not the answer to everything. For heavy work, such as felling trees in large areas, a gasoline model is still more suitable." 

Another recent innovation is 4-MIX engine technology. This uses the same gasoline-oil mixture as two-stroke engines, but is much less polluting. Another example is the MS 500i , the first chainsaw with direct injection, which optimizes engine starting and operation. Or the brand new MS881, the most powerful chainsaw in the world.   

Ongoing development with emphasis on task simplification

To further simplify tool use and management, STIHL plans to equip more of its products with its smart connector. A central part of the intelligent STIHL Connected solution, it allows machine data (operating hours, maintenance scheduling, adding fuel, etc.) to be transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet. And with the STIHL Connector Box, you can store all machine data in the Cloud.  

Guaranteeing the best service 

Innovation is essential. But you can't just sell quality products, you have to service them. Service is just as crucial. The group's goal is not to sell a chainsaw, for example, but to support the user on a daily basis. "We give instructions, advise, create tutorials on how to use our products correctly, how to maintain them, what oil and gasoline to use and so on," says Joeri Welslau.  

Presence on all fronts

From entry-level models to powerful machines for professionals, the company caters to all user needs, regardless of the task to be performed. STIHL has plants in Germany (professional machines), Switzerland (chainsaws), Austria (lawn and robotic mowers), the U.S. (4-MIX engines), Brazil and China (consumer line).  

Sustainability and environmental responsibility

In terms of products, STIHL is striving to reduce its ecological footprint. "In the Netherlands, for example, alkylate gasoline is mandatory for professional brush cutters. The pollutant benzene is banned; this is better for the user and the environment. STIHL must also follow this direction. Product development at STIHL is always done in accordance with local legislation. "We will certainly continue to develop our battery-powered machines and work on the battery technology to improve their performance and service life. The "robotic mowers" product group is also an important area of development, as it is in high demand. But unlike some of our competitors, we do not sacrifice quality for price. Quality will always come first," says Joeri Welslau. 

At the group level, the production of professional machines in Germany is already CO²-neutral and the goal is to achieve this in all production sites worldwide by 2022.