Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Stihl Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of the global Stihl Group. The company makes outdoor power equipment that is shipped to more than 80 countries around the world. Most of the STIHL products sold in the U.S. are made in Virginia Beach.
Switching to battery-powered tools is a leading trend in the outdoor power equipment industry and one of the fastest-growing market segments for Stihl, a top brand in the battery-powered handheld outdoor power equipment market for U.S. landscape and tree care professionals in America.
To support the company's battery-powered expansion, Stihl is investing more than $60 million in new battery manufacturing, including new battery-powered blowers, pruners, trimmers, and multi-attachment tools. The company will also assemble about five battery packs at its plant in Virginia Beach.
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Stihl hopes 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. As part of this effort, the company converted 84,000 square feet of warehouse space last year to battery tool manufacturing.
Stihl makes more than 80 battery-operated tools for consumers and professionals. According to the company, about 25 percent of Stihl products sold are battery-operated. The company expects 30 new battery-operated products to hit the market over the next two years alone.
In 2023, battery unit production comprised just 16 percent of all units produced at Stihl. Five years ago, the company assembled just one battery-powered model in the U.S., the BGA 56 blower.
Stihl's battery production started as a single assembly line with fewer than ten employees, but now, more than 100 employees are responsible for battery products and battery pack manufacturing in Virginia. Last year, as part of the investment, battery unit production capacity increased by more than 150 percent year-over-year, and the company says it is on pace for a significant increase by the end of 2024.
When the company was founded in 1974, the Stihl campus was a single 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse. The company now has more than 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing and administrative space on over 150 acres.
Since 2020, the Stihl has created more than 1,000 new jobs in Virginia Beach.
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