From left to right:
Dipl.-BW. (FH) Karl Angler, Finance and Information Technology
Dr. Michael Prochaska, Human Resources and Legal Affairs
Dr. Bertram Kandziora, Chairman of the Executive Board, Manufacturing and Materials
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Norbert Pick, Marketing and Sales
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Anke Kleinschmit, Research and Development
Dear Business Partners,
Dear Staff,
Dear Friends of the STIHL Group,
As a member of the Stihl family, I am proud of how the STIHL Group has developed over the years and decades – especially because the conditions we have faced around the world have not always been easy. Today, STIHL is a leading global brand of power tools for forestry, agriculture, landscape maintenance and the construction sector. Our products are valued by professional users and discerning consumers alike for the quality and value they deliver. The fact that we are in this position today is due to the great dedication, hard work and knowledge of all our employees and their willingness to dig in and engage with new things time and again.
Take my grandfather, Andreas Stihl, for example. Eighty years ago, he decided to establish an in-house training workshop at STIHL. It was a visionary decision, and a farsighted step for the founding company’s long-term success. That same principle – of building, generating and retaining knowledge – has proven its value right up to the present day.
It has also been 60 years since my father, Hans Peter Stihl, joined the company. Then, as now, bold decisions were essential to making STIHL the number one brand in the chainsaw world and to defending and expanding upon this position over the decades to come. Where we stand today offers confirmation that it is worthwhile to press ahead in search of innovative solutions to technical challenges and even to take unfamiliar paths so that we can offer our customers products that help them get the job done even more efficiently.
Through it all, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to technological leadership. We offer surprising and innovative solutions while at the same time working tirelessly to improve. To that end, we will forge new paths. We will continue to connect with others and engage in dialogue, both within the company and with the wider world. We have the power to grow – even above and beyond ourselves.
On behalf of the Advisory Board, I would like to thank all our partners, the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board, the employee representatives and the entire workforce worldwide for their commitment and for their positive and constructive cooperation.
Chairman of the Advisory Board
Dear Business Partners,
Dear Staff,
Dear Friends of the STIHL Group,
2019 was a very challenging year for the STIHL Group. Our industry is in flux worldwide, and STIHL is among those feeling the ripple effects. We did manage to increase our share of the global gasoline-powered outdoor power equipment market over the past few months, which underscores the fact that our key products will continue to be those powered by fuel. Still, the forecasts that battery-powered tools would replace gasoline-powered products have proven accurate, and this development is expected to continue to pick up steam.
This especially challenging phase of change was also marked in the past fiscal year by slowing global economic growth, trade wars and the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Global weather conditions were another issue for us, as soaring temperatures and low precipitation across large parts of the world weighed significantly on our business.
Although overall conditions were tough, we posted 3.9 billion euros in revenue across the STIHL Group, a gain of 4 percent year over year. The sales volume was practically unchanged from 2018 levels.
Here at STIHL, we have known about our customers’ varied needs for many years. To successfully meet these needs, we are increasingly focusing on a diverse portfolio of gasoline- and battery-powered products. We are also working on new digital products and new business models. After all, we are currently in the middle of a process of transformation that encompasses much more than technological change. Our customers’ needs and purchasing habits are evolving, with activities increasingly moving to the Internet. We are now taking these requirements into account.
Independent servicing dealers are and will remain part of the STIHL DNA. With more than 53,000 dealers around the world, we have an excellent dealer network worldwide. We plan now to work with our dealers to expand this successful business model and adapt it to the new overall conditions that are in place. By launching our own premium online shop, we are increasingly turning to the Internet as a sales channel. Our own marketing company “STIHL direct,” ensures quality and efficiency.
The expertise and dedication of our staff is the foundation for new ideas and the new options we are able to offer our customers. It is the people of the STIHL Group who make sure we do more than just accumulate knowledge; we also put it to work. On behalf of the entire Executive Board, I would like to thank all our employees very much for their outstanding work. I would also like to thank the owners for the trust they have placed in the Ececutive Board, and the members of the Employee Council for their constructive cooperation.
Chairman of the Executive Board