STIHL Northwest Relocates and Expands to Support Growing Dealer Network
STIHL Inc. has announced the expansion and relocation of its STIHL Northwest branch operations with the opening of its new location in Centralia, Washington. The new facility boasts a significant increase in warehouse space, as well as technology upgrades that will enhance the company’s ability to serve the more than 500 STIHL dealers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.
“We are extremely pleased to celebrate the opening of this new and expanded location,” said STIHL Inc. president Bjoern Fischer. “This 100,000-square-foot facility represents our continued investment in the growth of locally owned STIHL dealers and our confidence in the U.S. market.”
The new location, located approximately 11 miles from the former facility, adds more warehouse space with taller, longer racks and more efficient picking methods to speed up the fulfillment of dealer orders and deliveries. Additionally, separate classroom, workshop and sheltered outdoor training facilities will provide STIHL Northwest the ability to offer their dealers enhanced training and technical service capabilities, the company reports.
STIHL selected the city of Centralia because of its easy access to Interstate 5 and proximity to primary shipping hubs.
“The new facility more than doubles our warehouse square footage and gives us additional space for future growth,” said Casey Kralovetz, director of branch operations at STIHL Northwest. “STIHL dealers are the core of our business and the new location with improved efficiency of our warehouse operations, enables us to deliver products to most of our dealers within 24 to 48 hours.”
STIHL Inc. distributes its products across the U.S. through a two-tiered system: selling products through 11 independent distributors and company-owned branches, who then sell products to a network of more than 10,000 authorized local independent STIHL dealers across the U.S.