Stihl Inc. celebrates expansion with ribbon-cutting ceremony
Stihl’s executive staff celebrates the grand opening of the latest addition to the Stihl Inc. manufacturing campus in Virginia Beach, Va. Pictured from left to right: Christian Koestler, vice president of operations at Stihl Inc.; Dr. Bertram Kandziora, executive board chairman at Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG in Germany; Ben Hoffmann, manager of special projects at Stihl Inc.; and Fred Whyte, president of Stihl Inc.
Stihl Inc., the U.S. manufacturing and distribution company for the worldwide Stihl group, celebrated the grand opening of the latest addition to its manufacturing campus in Virginia Beach, Va., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 8. Completed in May 2012 after only five months of construction, the expansion is part of Stihl’s continued investment in vertical integration. The company attributes the success of this project to the close collaboration with its development partners, including the city of Virginia Beach.
Dr. Bertram Kandziora, Stihl executive board chairman, was present to dedicate the facility and recognize the continued growth and success at Stihl. “While many U.S. companies have chosen to move their operations overseas in pursuit of cheap labor, we have chosen instead to reinvest in our technology, our workforce and our infrastructure here in Virginia Beach,” said Dr. Kandziora. “Simply put, we will continue to design, engineer, and build the best outdoor power equipment possible for Stihl servicing dealers and Stihl customers worldwide.”
The new plant adds more than 55,000 square feet, and doubles the capacity of the company’s blow-molding operation. The expansion also houses the company’s new 3,200-square-foot state-of-the-art data center, which is the first of its kind in the world to use computer door coil cooling units in conjunction with geothermal cooling.
Christian Koestler, vice president of operations for manufacturing at Stihl Inc., said the accessories plant expansion is significant because it represents the evolution the company has undergone through the years, expanding from a simple assembly operation in 1974, to an industry-leading, vertically integrated manufacturing company. “Unlike many other companies, we have not increased the outsourcing of component manufacturing,” Koestler said. “Instead, we have taken additional processes in-house to maximize quality, while minimizing material cost increases and achieving delivery efficiencies that make our operation competitive with any in the world.”
Stihl products built in the Virginia Beach plant are sold in America and exported to more than 90 countries.
