Business ProfileforSTIHL Incorporated

I’m not doubting any of the situations where customers left low ratings, but I don’t think most people give STIHL the credit that they deserve. Their survival over the past 15+ years has been nothing short of remarkable. We consumers have made it almost impossible for companies like this to survive, let alone thrive in most cases. We have literally driven the economy into a world of big box stores and online retailers in the name of convenience and lower prices. I’m just as guilty of shopping online for low prices as anyone else, so I absolutely own my part in that. The thing is, STIHL became famous by unapologetically building their professional grade products from the highest quality materials and by following the strictest quality standards. Professionals from the logging industry and other outdoor experts were more than willing to spend the extra money because they knew they were getting a top-quality product that wasn’t going to let them down when they were miles from civilization. Believe me when I say that STIHL would have been happy to follow that business model until the end of time but again, we consumers changed that. Other brands of OPE begun targeting homeowners and building lower grade, less expensive equipment long before STIHL ever did. Unfortunately, this trend began creeping into the professional market as well and it became all about PRICE. All of a sudden, STIHL found themselves right in the middle of the battle for market share. That meant they had to play the same games as everyone else. It’s not cheap having to reduce prices and still somehow make a high quality machine. Today, people buy homeowner grade equipment and then they compare it to their grandfather’s old 028. They fail to realize that their grandfather understood what quality meant in his day and he bought the 028 that was a professional grade saw. STIHL still makes professional grade tools, but few consumers are willing to spend the money it takes. This isn’t STIHL’s fault!