Waiblingen, 7/19/2021 | Company press release
STIHL pledges support for subsidiary in South Africa
- Staff safety is the top priority
- Buildings to be rebuilt
- Support for dealers
“For us as a family-owned company, the protection and safety of our employees is our top priority. We are shocked and appalled by the images coming out of South Africa. Parts of the country have been affected by severe rioting, violence and looting. The region around the port city of Durban has also been affected – as has our South African subsidiary ANDREAS STIHL Ltd. in Pietermaritzburg. We are happy to report that all of the employees and their families are unharmed,” commented Dr Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the STIHL Advisory Board and Supervisory Board. However, the latest information suggests that the subsidiary’s warehouse has been completely destroyed and its administrative building severely damaged as a result of the unrest and looting. The STIHL parent company in Germany immediately set up a crisis team to organize measures for the protection and well-being of the subsidiary’s roughly 40 employees, in collaboration with Hayden Hutton, the Managing Director of STIHL South Africa.
Commitment to South Africa: STIHL guarantees jobs and supports dealers
Dr. Nikolas Stihl provides assurance: “Our sales subsidiary in South Africa will continue to exist in future. No employees will lose their jobs on the grounds of this exceptional situation. On the contrary: We will rebuild STIHL South Africa. Doing so will require the expertise and dedication of our staff. We will make sure that our customers can continue to buy and use STIHL products in the future.” The STIHL subsidiary in South Africa supplies local dealers with products. The company has also pledged to help dealers. It is currently working at full tilt to develop solutions to supply dealers with its products in the short and medium term. Containers are being transported by ship, and equipment will also be taken to the country by air freight.
