INTERVIEW
strong equity into the landscape business. We want to serve those customers the best we can. They’ re very loyal to that brand and we want to continue to bring them what they’ re looking for— the rugged, tough, powerful RedMax brand. The future of RedMax is strong.
OPE +: Can we talk about battery and charging solutions? Where are your batteries made? What’ s battery manufacturing like right now for you? Simmons: Most of the battery packs are built in Mielec, Poland. When we started out in the battery journey, we were using pack-build partners, with all the cells sourced from cell suppliers. We’ ve been moving that in-house over the years to get more control of the manufacturing process and the supply chain. It’ s important that we get more control— not just in battery, but in general— of our supply chain.
The other question was about the battery business in general in North America. Our focus is still on bringing the customers they are asking for, which is our gas-powered solutions. But we are investing now for the future. A lot of homeowners have already shifted to battery, and we have great solutions for them. As we advance technologically with more runtime and higher performance, battery will be there for professionals. But right now in North America it’ s primarily a gasoline industry still. Rangert: And we really want the customer to choose their power. That’ s the way we try to position ourselves. When you see the new chainsaw we have here, it’ s a 50cc-equivalent battery chainsaw. It’ s equally good or even better in some cases. But we need to have a customer select what they want for that application to serve them best.
OPE +: Right, but when I read your financial statements, the Husqvarna Group and its global statements, it’ s really bleak for“ petrol,” or it could be read that way. Rangert: It can be read that way. Our strongest markets are in Europe, and they are much more advanced in battery. They’ ve come much further. In total, I think we have 40 % battery products right now and majority still gas because the markets, you know, Latin America, Asia, still very much on gas. Here it’ s picking up, but it will take some years before it’ s a 50 / 50 split. So that’ s where we say we need to continue to invest in gas as well, and we do. Simmons: There is absolutely nothing going on behind the scenes at Husqvarna that is giving up on innovating and developing and building new gasoline-powered engines and products. We are investing in innovating in that space, just like we’ re investing on the battery side, just like we’ re investing on autonomous products as well. So we see a future; the future of gasoline is strong. I have teams developing new engine technology, and we’ re looking at alternative fuels and how we can build more suited to alternative fuels or actually run on flexible fuel options. And we’ re not the only ones. We know that other manufacturers doing the same thing in the industry. I have a team working with battery handheld. I have a team working just with batteries. I have a team working with electrifying wheel products. At the same time, we’ re bringing the market some petrol products because it’ s what our customers want. We are very diverse in how we split our resources.
OPE +: Is there a particular segment you’ re either really excited about for 2026 or one where you can steal market share? Simmons: This is a chainsaw year. 2026 is the chainsaw year. The core spirit of Husqvarna is back in 2026 with chainsaws. The 550I XP, the new battery chainsaw, is being brought to market for 2026. We have two new batteries to go with it. We have the new 564 XP. And then we have an entire range of 400 series, our more landowner-based gasoline chainsaws. In that, we have a 445, a 450, and a new version that has an AutoTune carburetor on it. So battery pro, gasoline pro, gasoline landowner, all new for 2026.
OPE +: Can we talk about robotics a little bit? Everybody’ s entering this market, right? People still think of the Husqvarna as the original. Are you playing catchup now in a way? What are you doing to stay ahead? Rangert: Having more players in the market is good; it creates the awareness of the category, which wasn’ t here before. From our perspective it’ s great. We’ re making a lot of investments now. We have just this year launched a machine specifically developed for the U. S. market with grass heights and the big wheels and so on. Of course, wire-free is the technology, no one buys wired anymore. But I think the main growth area we see right now is really in the pro side for robotics; and there we are not alone, but we are ahead. We have the big machines over here today. We see great growth in that category from a small base, but it’ s really taking off in a good way. The good thing with the pro side is that they really see the benefit immediately, with the labor shortage we have now going on in the landscaping and also in the golf and sports industries. That’ s where we see the majority of the growth right now, and we want to stay ahead on the residential side as well. Simmons: Having a little bit of a peek behind the curtain— as I do with my colleagues over on the robotic side— maybe we should actually thank the competition. In some ways, it’ s put an even more invigorated spirit on the R & D side to accelerate. Competition is a good thing in that sense.
OPE +: So how is your messaging changing to dealers around robotics? Rangert: I think we need to make our customers aware of Husqvarna robotic mowers and the value proposition, why
24 OPE + December 2025 www. OPE-Plus. com