Here's an article that appeared in the local paper yesterday. Thought some of you might like to see it.
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=76748&ran=212097
VIRGINIA BEACH — Even as it looked back on its 30 years in operation Wednesday with a beer-and-brats celebration, Stihl Inc. had its eyes set on the end of another record year that will lead to at least 100 new jobs.
The four hurricanes that struck Florida with epic force have been raining sales on the outdoor power equipment producer, and Stihl announced plans to hire 100 new people and add a third shift to its assembly operations over the next five months.
The company has been so inundated with demand for its chain saws and other equipment that the Virginia Beach plant, which employs more than 1,150 people, has been double-shifting all of its chain saw lines in 10-hour shifts. And for the first time in its history, the plant will forgo its traditional weeklong shutdown from Christmas Day through New Year’s Day to keep up with demand for chainsaws.
“Our heart goes out to those people. The devastation that we’ve been seeing in Florida has been incredible,” said Stihl Inc. president Fred J. Whyte. “But we’ve seen firsthand how our chainsaw is literally a lifesaving tool in hurricane cleanup jobs. Our sales have been off the charts for the last couple months.”
In addition, the manufacturer completed a 145,000-square-foot warehouse and office space on International Drive early this summer and is nearing completion of its 31,000-square-foot plastic injection facility.
At least two more expansions are already being discussed, something that both the company’s 73 acres in Oceana West Industrial Park and its optimism could accommodate.
Hans Peter Stihl, board chairman of Stihl Group, came from Germany for the anniversary celebration, and pointed to the foresight in his decision to buy so much land more than 25 years ago.
“I knew the history of our company,” said Stihl, whose father, Andreas, founded the company in 1926 in Waiblingen, Germany. “I always buy much more land than people think is necessary. And I’ve been right all the time.”
The company is also gearing up to introduce three new products that will be produced entirely at the Virginia Beach facility for worldwide export: a powerful, yet small, handheld chain saw to be used by arborists; a brush cutter with a four-cycle engine that uses a mixture of oil and gas, allowing it to handle like a two-stroke engine and even be used upside down; and a line of backpack blowers that also employs the Stihl 4-Mix engine.
The 4-Mix, which company executives called the “cleanest engine on the market,” is being produced to meet stringent Environmental Protection Agency emission regulations that go into effect next year. Stihl said the new products will help the company increase its market share domestically and internationally.
With skilled tech workers at a premium across the nation, Stihl has taken cues from the automotive industry and partnered with several local high school and secondary educational institutions to ensure a continued quality work force.
The newest, a German-patterned apprentice program with Old Dominion University, allows two engineering students each year to work at the plant before returning to complete their education. And in the spring, the first group of Virginia Beach high school seniors will graduate from the Stihl-sponsored small engines technology program with industry-recognized certificates in outdoor power equipment.
“Manufacturing in the United States is at a crossroads,” said Peter K. Mueller, executive vice president of operations at Stihl Inc. “We’re adding more and more automation every day. It’s very difficult to find skilled workers, and for certain jobs, we do have to recruit nationally, but we, of course, prefer to hire from the local area.”
While best known for its chain saws, Stihl receives 65 percent of its business from its other equipment, which includes trimmers, blowers, pruners, drills and sprayers. A third of the products produced in Virginia Beach are shipped to 70 countries across the nation.
“We’re at an advantage because we’re able to combine German technology with old-fashioned American know-how,” Whyte said. “With so many manufacturing jobs going overseas at the fantastically high numbers we keep hearing about, I’m pleased that we’re operating contrary to that equation, and we’ve done it a reasonably successful way.”
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=76748&ran=212097
VIRGINIA BEACH — Even as it looked back on its 30 years in operation Wednesday with a beer-and-brats celebration, Stihl Inc. had its eyes set on the end of another record year that will lead to at least 100 new jobs.
The four hurricanes that struck Florida with epic force have been raining sales on the outdoor power equipment producer, and Stihl announced plans to hire 100 new people and add a third shift to its assembly operations over the next five months.
The company has been so inundated with demand for its chain saws and other equipment that the Virginia Beach plant, which employs more than 1,150 people, has been double-shifting all of its chain saw lines in 10-hour shifts. And for the first time in its history, the plant will forgo its traditional weeklong shutdown from Christmas Day through New Year’s Day to keep up with demand for chainsaws.
“Our heart goes out to those people. The devastation that we’ve been seeing in Florida has been incredible,” said Stihl Inc. president Fred J. Whyte. “But we’ve seen firsthand how our chainsaw is literally a lifesaving tool in hurricane cleanup jobs. Our sales have been off the charts for the last couple months.”
In addition, the manufacturer completed a 145,000-square-foot warehouse and office space on International Drive early this summer and is nearing completion of its 31,000-square-foot plastic injection facility.
At least two more expansions are already being discussed, something that both the company’s 73 acres in Oceana West Industrial Park and its optimism could accommodate.
Hans Peter Stihl, board chairman of Stihl Group, came from Germany for the anniversary celebration, and pointed to the foresight in his decision to buy so much land more than 25 years ago.
“I knew the history of our company,” said Stihl, whose father, Andreas, founded the company in 1926 in Waiblingen, Germany. “I always buy much more land than people think is necessary. And I’ve been right all the time.”
The company is also gearing up to introduce three new products that will be produced entirely at the Virginia Beach facility for worldwide export: a powerful, yet small, handheld chain saw to be used by arborists; a brush cutter with a four-cycle engine that uses a mixture of oil and gas, allowing it to handle like a two-stroke engine and even be used upside down; and a line of backpack blowers that also employs the Stihl 4-Mix engine.
The 4-Mix, which company executives called the “cleanest engine on the market,” is being produced to meet stringent Environmental Protection Agency emission regulations that go into effect next year. Stihl said the new products will help the company increase its market share domestically and internationally.
With skilled tech workers at a premium across the nation, Stihl has taken cues from the automotive industry and partnered with several local high school and secondary educational institutions to ensure a continued quality work force.
The newest, a German-patterned apprentice program with Old Dominion University, allows two engineering students each year to work at the plant before returning to complete their education. And in the spring, the first group of Virginia Beach high school seniors will graduate from the Stihl-sponsored small engines technology program with industry-recognized certificates in outdoor power equipment.
“Manufacturing in the United States is at a crossroads,” said Peter K. Mueller, executive vice president of operations at Stihl Inc. “We’re adding more and more automation every day. It’s very difficult to find skilled workers, and for certain jobs, we do have to recruit nationally, but we, of course, prefer to hire from the local area.”
While best known for its chain saws, Stihl receives 65 percent of its business from its other equipment, which includes trimmers, blowers, pruners, drills and sprayers. A third of the products produced in Virginia Beach are shipped to 70 countries across the nation.
“We’re at an advantage because we’re able to combine German technology with old-fashioned American know-how,” Whyte said. “With so many manufacturing jobs going overseas at the fantastically high numbers we keep hearing about, I’m pleased that we’re operating contrary to that equation, and we’ve done it a reasonably successful way.”
Looks like they need a new editor.
