Waiblingen, 1/26/2017 | Company press release
STIHL integrates VIKING and from 2019 will focus on one brand: STIHL
- “Everything green changes to STIHL Orange”
- Brand changeover to utilize growth potential under the strong STIHL brand
- Workforce at VIKING plant in Langkampfen to be strengthened
From 2019, STIHL Group will market the entire product line of garden tool manufacturer VIKING exclusively under the STIHL brand. The changeover enables the company to concentrate all sales and marketing activities on one brand. STIHL Executive Board Chairman Dr. Bertram Kandziora justified this step saying: “We will be able to more effectively leverage the existing unit sales and revenue potential of the present VIKING product line under the better-known STIHL global brand – and do so internationally.” Unlike global player STIHL, VIKING currently concentrates on the European market. The brand changeover opens up the prospect of worldwide sales of the VIKING product line in the medium term.
Strengthening of STIHL brand portfolio expertise
As the two premium brands have product portfolios that complement each other, the overall product line remains unchanged and will also be developed to meet customer needs in future. “By integrating both product lines in one brand, we are creating easier orientation and greater transparency for servicing dealers and customers. In addition, we are also expanding the portfolio expertise of the STIHL brand,” highlighted Norbert Pick, Executive Board Member for Marketing and Sales. “Know-how, development expertise and innovative strength will be improved in the company, and customers will ultimately benefit from this – in the form of new products and features,” said Pick.
Warranty, spare parts and servicing for VIKING products remain unchanged
The upcoming brand changeover is a strategic decision taken with a long-term perspective. “There is sufficient time between now and the 2019 launch date to ensure careful implementation,” said Dr. Kandziora. The STIHL Group guarantees that provisions for VIKING products with regard to warranties, parts and service will continue to apply without any changes. Chairman of the Executive Board Dr. Bertram Kandziora explained: “Our customers can also continue to rely on proven dealer services for their purchased VIKING power tools.”
Back in 2008, the STIHL Group reorganized the product lines of the STIHL and VIKING brands and offered all VIKING handheld electric power tools under the STIHL brand. The result was a significant increase in unit sales in those product groups.
Workforce at VIKING plant in Langkampfen to be strengthened
VIKING is a leading manufacturer of high-quality garden power tools which has been part of the STIHL Group since 1992. The product portfolio of this premium brand includes lawn mowers, robotic mowers, ride-on mowers, scarifiers, garden shredders and tillers. They are sold through specialized servicing dealers. VIKING GmbH, based in Langkampfen, Austria, is already an important manufacturing plant for STIHL cordless products. VIKING employs a workforce of 450. “With this change in brand we are charting the way forward for further global growth in the STIHL Group. The Langkampfen site will also benefit from this. Not only will all jobs be retained, but the workforce will in fact be further expanded,” explained VIKING Managing Director Dr. Peter Pretzsch and STIHL Executive Board Chairman Dr. Bertram Kandziora.
