- Rooted in the home region and internationally successful
- Worldwide sales network with 45,000 authorized dealers in 160 countries
- Free trade as a precondition for growth and employment
The Prime Minister of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, congratulated STIHL on the company's 90th anniversary at a gala evening at the Theaterhaus in Stuttgart on September 28.
"90 years of STIHL – that's a good reason not only for the company to celebrate, but also for the state of Baden-Württemberg. Because although STIHL is active all over the world, it has always remained true to its home region of Baden-Württemberg," said Kretschmann. "In 1926, Andreas Stihl opened an engineering office under his own name in Stuttgart, where he designed and produced the first transportable chain saw. That was the start of a great success story. So for me, one thing is clear: The grandfathers of all garage and startup companies come from the Stuttgart region – and not from Silicon Valley!"
Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the Advisory Board and the Supervisory Board, welcomed 300 guests from more than 80 countries at the festive occasion with the international sales organization. STIHL would continue to stand for top quality and customer focus also in the future, explained Dr. Stihl. The company has strong roots in Germany, but today has an international network of production and sales facilities. "Today, we produce at ten sites in seven countries and sell our products through 45,000 authorized dealerships in more than 160 countries," continued Dr. Stihl.
Company founder Andreas Stihl exported the chain saws he had developed himself to North America, Russia and other European countries as early as the nineteen-thirties. Today, the company generates 90 percent of its worldwide revenue of 3.25 billion euros abroad. For STIHL therefore, open world markets and free trade are important preconditions for growth and job creation – also at the sites in Germany. Dr. Nikolas Stihl called for the rapid finalization of the ongoing negotiations on free-trade agreements. "We expect the TTIP and CETA agreements to provide additional stimulus for our trade with North America," stated Dr. Stihl. "The federal state government fundamentally advocates free-trade agreements, but will not issue blanket approval for CETA and TTIP. Instead, our approval of such international trade agreements by the EU will continue to depend on whether existing standards in areas such as consumer protection, environmental protection and health care remain in place," stated Prime Minister Kretschmann.