In the year of STIHL's 90th anniversary, the company founder Andreas Stihl is being honored with an art medal for his considerable achievements for the State of Baden-Württemberg. The medal was unveiled in Waiblingen on October 26 by Finance Minister Edith Sitzmann and Dr. Peter Huber, Director of the Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg (State Mint) and presented to Hans Peter Stihl and Eva Mayr-Stihl. Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Andreas Stihl's grandson and STIHL supervisory and advisory board chairman, said at the presentation ceremony: "It is a great honor for us to receive the ‘Andreas Stihl' medal. We are proud that his lifework has been recognized in this way." The medal is one of the "Baden-Württemberg Inventors" series.
Instrumental in advancing the development of the state with creativity and ingenuity
Finance Minister Edith Sitzmann explained: "Our intention behind the "Baden-Württemberg Inventors" art medal is to honor people in our state who have aided progress with their technical developments in particular. Equipped with a large portion of ingenuity and creativity, the inventors have succeeded in developing and optimizing their technology. It is this innovative spirit that has made Baden-Württemberg such a highly productive state." Dr. Peter Huber added: "I would like to thank Dr. Nikolas Stihl and the Stihl family for their excellent cooperation in designing the ‘Andreas Stihl' art medal. It really is beautiful. With this art medal series our state commemorates its most outstanding inventors. And the Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg has demonstrated with this medal its high standard of medal making."
Andreas Stihl revolutionized work in the woods
Andreas Stihl was a qualified engineer and made people's work with and in nature easier with his inventions. In 1926 he founded the A. Stihl Engineering Office in Stuttgart. Stihl scored a great success with his STIHL Contra gearless gasoline chainsaw, which played a major role in revolutionizing work in the woods in the 1960s. With a weight of 12 kilograms and a power output of 6 horsepower, the saw was lighter and more efficient than any other on the market when it was launched in 1959. The STIHL Contra was thus a significant milestone in the company's history and is therefore depicted on the reverse side of the art medal. Today, STIHL is the world's biggest selling chainsaw brand. Last year the company achieved a record turnover of 3.25 billion euros. Another record turnover is expected in 2016, the company's 90th anniversary year.
Andreas Stihl art medal in various versions
The art medal is produced in gold, silver and bronze as well as a medal card with a medal made of a copper-nickel alloy. It is freely available. The Andreas Stihl medal is the tenth in the "Baden-Württemberg Inventors" series to be issued by Staatliche Münzen. Inventors already honored include Carl Benz, Ferdinand Porsche and Gottlieb Daimler.