The STIHL Group plans to dramatically reduce sales of gas products and replace them with battery-powered alternatives.
In their Sustainability Report 2022, Stihl announced:
By 2027, we plan to increase the share of total sales accounted for by batteries and battery-operated tools to at least 35 percent, with a goal of 80 percent for 2035.
In 2022, 20% of STIHL products sold were batteries or battery-operated tools. That means that within another 11 years, they hope to drive that number up by another 60%.
In the report, they also stated:
In our domestic market of Germany, we have already sold more battery-operated products than gasoline-powered products over the past two years.
And:
STIHL is currently transforming itself from an engineering company to a provider of mechatronic and software solutions.
Mechatronics is a field that integrates mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, and control systems to design and manufacture smart, automated products and systems.
For a company to shift its focus from being solely an engineering company to becoming a provider of mechatronics means embracing a more holistic approach to product development.
This transformation involves not only designing mechanical components, but also incorporating sensors, actuators, and embedded systems to enhance functionality, automation, and intelligence within their products.
By adopting a mechatronic focus, the company hopes it can deliver more advanced and competitive solutions that meet the growing demand for interconnected and smart technologies across various industries, ultimately driving innovation and market leadership.
Other points of note from the report:
- STIHL Group is consistently taking steps to incorporate sustainability into corporate decisions and management systems
- STIHL appointed a Group-wide Sustainability Officer, setting up a sustainability steering group, developing a materiality analysis, and defining Group-wide targets
- STIHL want to make a measurable contribution to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- By 2030, STIHL aims to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels (i.e., natural gas and oil) by 40 percent Group-wide compared to 2019
Dr Andreas Rigling, a forest ecologist, said:
STIHL is headed in the right direction.
The electrification of forestry technology needs to continue. It offers great potential, especially when it comes to reducing harmful emissions.
STIHL is opening new production sites for cordless and electric products to meet these stated goals.
In a press release dated 02.04.2024, Stihl announced that it had started construction of a new battery production facility in Oradea, Romania.
The production facility has a floor space of almost 47,000 square meters and is being built on an site measuring 147,000 square meters.
Regular production is set to start in September 2025. The ANDREAS STIHL POWER TOOLS S.R.L. plant in Oradea is expected to employ around 700 people by 2028.
Dr. Nikolas Stihl said:
We currently manufacture cordless products at our plants in Langkampfen, Austria; in Virginia Beach, in the U.S.; as well as in China and Germany.
We will also start manufacturing battery-operated tools at our German headquarters in Waiblingen this year and in Oradea starting in 2025, significantly improving our competitiveness in the battery segment in the process.
STIHL products are now made around the world.
Things have certainly changed since Andreas Stihl, “Father of the Chainsaw,” seen here with the STIHL Contra, ran the company!
