More than 84K
square feet is dedicated to battery manufacturing in
America
VIRGINIA
BEACH, Va., Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The conversion to battery-powered tools
continues to be the leading trend in the outdoor power equipment
industry and the fastest-growing market segment, and STIHL is at
the forefront of this battery transformation. Through 2025, STIHL
Inc. will have invested over $60
million towards battery manufacturing, including the
production of battery-powered blowers, pruners, trimmers, and
multi-attachment tools, as well as the assembly of over five
different battery packs to power those units at its
state-of-the-art factory in Virginia
Beach, Va.
The expansion of the STIHL battery-operated product and service
portfolio is in full swing. The STIHL product range includes more
than 80 battery-operated tools for consumers and professionals;
almost every fourth STIHL product sold is battery-operated. Thirty
new battery-operated products are scheduled to hit the market
worldwide over the next two years alone. STIHL aims to increase the
share of sales from battery-operated products to at least 35
percent by 2027, with a target of 80 percent by 2035. In support of
that goal, STIHL Inc., the U.S. operations for the STIHL Group,
converted 84K square feet of
warehouse space to battery tool manufacturing in 2023.
"In producing our battery products here in the United States, we prioritize excellence,
leveraging our vertically integrated manufacturing processes to
ensure the highest quality standards," said STIHL Inc. President
and CEO Chris Keffer.
In 2023, battery unit production accounted for 16 percent of all
units produced at STIHL Inc., compared to five years ago when just
one battery-powered model, the BGA 56 blower, was assembled in the
U.S. What started as one assembly line with less than ten employees
grew to over 100 employees dedicated to battery products and
battery pack manufacturing. By the end of 2023, battery unit
production capacity at STIHL Inc. increased by more than 150
percent year-over-year. A significant increase is expected again by
the end of 2024.
Since its inception in 1974, the STIHL Inc. campus evolved from
a single 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse to well over 1.5
million square feet of manufacturing and administrative space on
more than 150 acres. In Virginia
Beach, as a result of record sales over several years,
operations expanded by nearly 50 percent, resulting in over 1,000
new U.S. manufacturing jobs since 2020.
About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the number one selling brand of
battery-powered handheld outdoor power equipment among landscape
and tree care professionals in America1, the number one
selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment
in America,2 the number one selling brand of
gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment among U.S.
landscape professionals in America,3 and the number one
selling brand of chain saws in the world. STIHL also offers a full
line of battery powered handheld outdoor power equipment for the
professional and consumer. STIHL products are sold through a
network of more than 10,000 authorized local STIHL Dealers from
coast to coast—not big-box stores. Located in Virginia Beach, Va., STIHL Inc., the U.S.
affiliate of the global STIHL Group, exports to more than 80
countries around the world, and the majority of STIHL products sold
in America are made in America.4 STIHL products sold
through U.S. STIHL Dealers are for distribution in the U.S. only.
For more information or for the name of a local STIHL Dealer, call
toll free 1-800-GO STIHL
(1-800-467-8445) or visit STIHLusa.com.
1"Number one selling brand" is based on
2007-2023 syndicated and commissioned surveys and 2023 surveys
conducted by Irwin Broh Research of the U.S. professional
landscaper and tree care markets. 2"Number one selling
brand" is based on syndicated and commissioned surveys conducted by
Irwin Broh Research among U.S. professional landscapers, as well as
independent consumer research of 2009-2022 U.S. sales and market
share data for the gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power
equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial
landscapers. 3"Number one selling brand" is based on
2007-2022 syndicated and commissioned surveys conducted by Irwin
Broh Research of the U.S. professional landscaper market.
4A majority of STIHL products sold in America are made
in America of U.S. and global materials.
STIHL Inc. is pleased to support the work of the Tree Care
Industry Association (TCIA), the National Association of Landscape
Professionals, America's State Parks, the American Green Zone
Alliance and the North American Hardware and Paint
Association.
For information on job opportunities with STIHL Inc., please go
to www.stihlcareers.com. STIHL is an EEO and drug-free work
environment.
facebook.com/stihlusa
twitter.com/stihlusa / @stihlusa
youtube.com/stihlusa
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SOURCE STIHL Inc.