MANUFACTURERS

By Glenn Hansen

Stihl will celebrate 50 years in America this year . The company leased its first Virginia Beach manufacturing facility in 1974 and employed 50 people there . They chose Virginia Beach for its proximity to a deep-water port , for the skilled workforce in the area , and because of local financial support . Today , the company employees a few thousand people , manufactures a wide range of products and accessories , and exports products from here to 75 countries . You can buy a U . S . -made Stihl chain saw in China , they say .

We visited the manufacturing facility and U . S . HQ ( much larger today , and no longer leased ) to see ongoing updates , and to look at new equipment .

Manufacturing

We began our factory tour in the engine-parts plant , internal combustion engines , that is . Using a wide range of mostly automated equipment , Stihl machines pistons and crankshafts at its U . S . headquarters . They purchase near-net castings of these components (“ near-net casting ” is a metal casting process that produces parts that require only minor machining and heat-treating finish work ). They then finish the components and assemble engines . Each engine is hooked to a fuel supply and started before leaving the factory .

Stihl ’ s injection-molding operation is massive , with 60 machines running around the clock and employing 55 people . “ We make about 2 million plastic parts each week ,” said Donny Tabor , engineering manager for injection molding and polymers .

Each machine , about the size of a small school bus , is monitored virtually , with a computer tablet on each one sharing loads of data . Quality checks are required every 60 minutes to keep work flowing . In 2018 , Stihl invested about $ 1 million in a two-shot molding process that can create components with two different plastic finishes .

In a space that was a warehouse up to 2018 , Stihl now extrudes all its trimmer line – nearly 200,000 miles worth a year . Stihl buys polymers from various suppliers and extrudes line into four different shapes and eight colors . Large computer screens through the space show a range of manufacturing data . “ We do a lot to watch the metrics of our business ,” said Eric Beaver , trimmer line plant manager . They also make trimmer packaging and the spool inserts , winding the line at the end . “ We want as much control as possible over our processes ,” he said . Stihl battery-powered tools are assembled , mostly by hand , in a newer and expanding battery plant . This facility , perhaps half full currently , includes short assembly and packaging lines . Stihl is adding assembly infrastructure in the space as demand for battery-powered equipment rises .

Speaking of batteries , we spoke with Stuart Morrison , V . P . of manufacturing , during a lunch break .

“ We ’ re in an interesting time ,” he said , “ a transformation , and I just left a meeting where we talked about 2028 products .” While Morrison would not divulge details about those future products , he did talk about the evolution of battery technology . “ Power for handheld equipment is right where it needs to be today ,” he said . He left the thought open about commercial-grade equipment . He said that Stihl is working on tabless battery cell designs ; tabless lithium-ion cells feature broader pathways for current to travel through the cell to a motor . Some tools and Tesla EVs use tabless cells today .

Finished with the discussion of battery cells , Morrison thanked us for visiting , and talked about his pride in wearing Stihl logo apparel when he travels . He said people often approach him to talk about how they love their Stihl chainsaw or trimmer . “ Our brand reputation is very important to us . And we stay successful because we listen to customers .”

Following lunch , we saw and tried a few of Stihl ’ s newest power equipment . Here are a couple highlights , and you can read more on our website .

22 OPE + April 2024 www . OPE-Plus . com