Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
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In 2014, STIHL Inc. is celebrating 40 years of manufacturing in the United States. Founded in 1974 by Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG, Waiblingen, Germany, STIHL Inc. began with less than 50 people assembling one model of chain saw. It has grown to 1,900 employees in Virginia Beach, Va. (with 200 more employees in branch locations), building more than 70 different models and more than 275 model variations in the U.S. STIHL Inc. manufactures chain saws, grass and weed trimmers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, edgers, extended-length hedge trim- mers, pole pruners, brushcutters, earth augers, wood-boring drills, monofilament trimmer line, and chain saw guide bars. Located in Virginia Beach, STIHL Inc., the headquarters for U.S. operations for the worldwide STIHL Group, exports to more than 90 countries around the world; and the majority of STIHL powerheads sold in America are also built in America.* The company, which originally operated out of only 20,000 square feet of rented space, now boasts more than 2.4-million square feet (under roof) of building space nationwide (2 million of which is located in Virginia Beach). The company has 150 total acres of property in Virginia Beach (180 nationwide). Distribution is exclusive to six independent U.S. distributors and six STIHL-owned marketing and distribution centers that sell STIHL products to a nationwide network of 8,500 servicing retail dealers. STIHL is the only gasoline-powered chain saw manufacturer in the world that designs and manufactures its own saw chain (in Switzerland) and guide bars, with the newest guide bar manufactur- ing facility in Virginia Beach. STIHL products are protected by more than 1,000 patents. STIHL "firsts" include: Automatic chain oiling Centrifugal clutch Chain braking system Electronic ignition system Single-lever Master Control Lever Anti-vibration system Quick Chain Adjuster (QCA) system Side-access chain adjustment ElastoStart system Ematic System World's quietest, gasoline-powered chain saw (at the time, 1996) Auger brake STIHL Easy2Start dual-spring starting mechanism Dual chain braking system Intelligent Engine Management (IEM) STIHL M-Tronic World's first electronically controlled fuel-injection system on handheld outdoor power equipment *A majority of STIHL powerheads are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. Information provided by STIHL Inc. 34 SEPTEMBER 2014 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com Feature Story | Anniversary Series Special STIHL Inc. celebrates 40 years of manufacturing in the United States All photos provided by stihl inc. OPE