Waiblingen, 9/15/2021 | Company press release

• Production around the world at a high level despite supply bottlenecks
• STIHL Brand World to open in Waiblingen in 2023
• STIHL presents product innovations and underpins technological leadership

The STIHL Group continued on its growth course of the past financial year and generated revenue of 3.51 billion euros in the period between January and August 2021. This corresponds to growth of 11.7 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. The exchange-rate-adjusted increase in revenue is 15.4 percent. On August 31, 2021, the STIHL Group employed 19,523 people worldwide; 7.3 percent more than at the end of 2020. “We are significantly above the previous year’s figures and above the planned figures in terms of unit sales and revenue for all product groups. The high level of commitment, the flexibility of our workforce and anticipatory planning in production, sales and logistics have made this possible – even though there have been significant disruptions to supply chains due to shortages of raw materials, a lack of production capacity at suppliers and at STIHL, and limited transport capacity. Without these bottlenecks, we would have been able to produce and sell even more products,” said STIHL Executive Board Chairman Dr. Bertram Kandziora, at the company press conference which took place as part of the International STIHL Media Day on September 15. Dr. Kandziora is optimistic about the rest of the financial year: “STIHL products continue to be in high demand. We are producing at a high level worldwide to be able to supply our customers.”

Global sales growth in both the gasoline-powered and cordless segment

Compared to the same period in the previous year, STIHL recorded growth in sales across all continents. “Whether professionals in forestry, horticulture and landscaping, local authority and road maintenance services or domestic users who are increasingly working on their own garden and home during the pandemic, STIHL products make it easier for people to work in and with nature. The high demand for our power tools, which has been ongoing since the middle of last year, confirms that we are meeting the needs of our customers with our product portfolio,” said the Chairman of the STIHL Executive Board. Popular products include the STIHL iMOW robotic mower, the STIHL GTA 26 cordless garden pruner, gasoline-powered chainsaws and clearing saws for hobby users, as well as the new cordless products for professionals launched in the first half of 2021. These include the STIHL HLA 135 cordless long-reach hedge trimmer and the STIHL FSA 135 cordless brushcutter. Dr. Kandziora said: “We are also observing a strong trend toward cordless power tools this year. We are happy to report that we recorded sales growth in the double-digit percentage range for products with gasoline and electric drives. This development shows that STIHL remains strong in the gasoline segment, but is also becoming an increasingly strong player on the cordless market.”

Global production at full capacity

However, persistently high demand for STIHL products also presents major challenges: The company is still experiencing disrupted supply chains around the world and significant supply bottlenecks for raw materials and components. This affects materials including steel, plastic granulate and electronic components. “Unfortunately, these external factors mean we have been unable to fully meet the demand for STIHL power tools in some places. Global production is currently running at full capacity to make up for the shortfalls and to better provide for our customers,” reported Dr. Kandziora. “All employees are playing a big part in helping us tackle these huge challenges – doing extra shifts and showing tremendous flexibility and personal commitment. At present we are generating record results in production, logistics and sales. It is only thanks to the enormous commitment of our workforce that our successful business development is possible,” said the Chairman of the STIHL Executive Board, in praise of the employees of the family-owned company.

Revenue in German market exceeds previous year level despite supply difficulties

In the period to August 2021, STIHL revenue in the German market significantly exceeded the strong level of the previous year. This positive sales development is mainly due to continuing strong demand for home and garden products triggered by the cocooning effect. However, Germany is also affected by difficulties in the supply situation arising from high product demand, bottlenecks in the provision of raw materials and components, and scarce freight capacity, which means that dealers, partners and customers are sometimes having to wait for product orders.
On July 9, 2021, the new finished goods warehouse at the STIHL sales headquarters in Dieburg was opened and officially began operations. The investment volume amounts to around 26 million euros. This new facility increases the company’s logistics efficiency and therefore paves the way for future growth in the German market.

STIHL head office grows and expands capacities for future-focused technologies

The German parent company, ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG, recorded revenue of 1.03 billion euros between January and August 2021, up 15.9 percent on the same period in the previous year. “These are remarkable growth rates given that in the STIHL Group too, supply bottlenecks are causing us considerable difficulties in obtaining sufficient primary products, materials and components for our production at the parent company’s plants,” explained Dr. Kandziora. Continuing high demand for e-bikes is also supporting positive business development. “At our STIHL Magnesium Die Casting plant in Weinsheim, we also produce housing components for e-bike drives and supply them to companies in the bicycle industry. E-bike sales development is still climbing steeply, so we are anticipating increased order volumes over the next few years,” said the Chairman of the STIHL Executive Board.
This growth is welcome, and also means that the number of employees at the parent company has risen since the end of December 2020, by 8 percent to 5,684 as at the reporting date of August 31, 2021. The total workforce is composed of 4,009 staff in Waiblingen, 416 in Fellbach, 257 in Ludwigsburg, 924 in Weinsheim and 78 in Wiechs am Randen. There are another 100 vacancies to be filled at the parent company, a large proportion of which are in research and development. Dr. Bertram Kandziora: “The continuing trend towards cordless products and digital technologies, connected and smart products and online retail is also gaining in importance for us. STIHL is in the midst of a transformation and we are positioning ourselves to be fit for the future. An important building block for this is the expansion of our capacities for future-focused technologies in Waiblingen.” The company is looking in particular for specialists in the areas of batteries, electronics, digitalization, software development, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and e-commerce.

STIHL Brand World to open in Waiblingen at the start of 2023

STIHL is currently modernizing and expanding its head office in Waiblingen. The flagship of the future building complex is the STIHL Brand World which is being built. Scheduled to open in early 2023, it will showcase the history of the company and its products across a total of three levels, while also offering visitors a knowledge platform examining woods and forests. Norbert Pick, STIHL Executive Board Member for Marketing and Sales, presented the new building at the International Media Day during a virtual tour and emphasized: “All areas of our new Brand World will enable our customers, fans and all interested parties to experience the STIHL brand in an informative and entertaining way. I am convinced that this will boost loyalty to the STIHL brand.”

STIHL presents world firsts in gasoline-powered and cordless products

At the International Media Day, STIHL presented innovations and new products designed to make it easier for professionals and domestic customers to work in and with nature. The company introduced ten new products in the cordless segment alone.

• “With the STIHL MSA 300, we are presenting the most powerful cordless chainsaw currently available on the market. With this tool we have reached a completely new dimension for sawing work in noise-sensitive areas and underlined our great innovative power – including in the cordless segment,” said the Chairman of the STIHL Executive Board. The range of applications for the professional saw in horticulture and landscaping, by local authorities and in forestry extends from selective pruning, cutting-to-length and felling medium-sized trees, to building with wood. The STIHL AP 500 S battery pack has been specially developed for this new product. Thanks to innovative technology, it not only boasts high energy content at a low weight, but also a significantly longer service life compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries.
• The STIHL BGA 300 for professional applications is the first cordless backpack blower in the STIHL range. It is characterized by its enormous blowing power and very high air speed. As a result of the patent-pending STIHL Silencer System, it is the quietest power tool in its class on the market, generating a maximum of 93 decibels, and can even be used without restriction in noise-sensitive areas.

Other cordless highlights for professionals include:

• The STIHL MSA 220 T tree maintenance saw, which is the most powerful model in the STIHL cordless saw range for tree maintenance
• The bottTainer mobile transport and charging box, the industry’s first cordless charging system for use on-the-go, which enables up to 28 batteries to be charged using the – also new – STIHL AL 301-4 multi-charger

The following cordless consumer products are coming to market for domestic users:

• The STIHL HTA 50 cordless pole pruner, which can be used to reach high branches from the ground for tree maintenance
• The STIHL SHA 56 vacuum shredder for the convenient vacuuming and shredding of leaves and cuttings
• The hand-held and very lightweight STIHL BGA 60 cordless blower, which makes light work of damp leaves and lawn cuttings thanks to its strong blowing power
• The STIHL SEA 20 handheld vacuum, supplied with an extensive range of standard equipment and featuring a good price-performance ratio; perfect for tackling dirt and dust around the home, car or hobby workshop

STIHL is also underscoring its position as a technology leader in the gasoline-powered chainsaw segment. The STIHL Hexa cutting system is a world first launch for the company, consisting of the 3/8” Rapid Hexa saw chain for professional saws and the Hexa file, which facilitates quick and precise chain sharpening. The cutting performance of the new chain is up to 10 percent higher than a 3/8” Rapid Super. In addition, the range is being expanded to include the STIHL MS 162 entry-level gasoline-powered chainsaw for domestic users, which boasts straightforward operation, easy handling and an attractive price-performance ratio.

STIHL also presents new digital solutions:

• STIHL ADVANCE ProCOM smart ear protection marks a milestone in personal protective equipment. It allows users to directly connect to up to 16 headsets in conference mode, even in noisy environments. The range between two devices can be up to 600 meters. This smart product can be combined with the STIHL Holzliste app.
• New in fleet management is the Smart Connector 2 A, which can be used to record the operational time and speed of a power tool, and transmit this information to a mobile device via Bluetooth.

The range available from the STIHL Brand Shop is also being expanded. The STIHL toy saw – one of the most frequently purchased STIHL chainsaws – will appear in a new edition in 2022. With the look and feel of the innovative STIHL MS 500i gasoline-powered chainsaw, it playfully reproduces all the functions of the “grown-up” one, from the moving, replaceable chain and LED operating display to the new bar design. In its STIHL COLLECTION 2022 clothing, the Brand Shop is also showcasing a tribute to nature and how it is experienced.

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship in Munich

The Individual World Championship on October 2, 2021 will mark the finale of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® season. The best sports lumberjacks in the world will come together in Munich to compete, using axes and chainsaws, for the most important title in the extreme sports series. Alongside the four champions from the overseas nations of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, the eight best national champions from Europe are also expected to take part. “Unfortunately, the pandemic means we will again have to do without spectators, not to mention the spectacular team competition. We hope for a different situation in October 2022, for the World Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden,” said Dr. Kandziora.

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