Waiblingen, 9/28/2023 | Company press release
Official opening of new STIHL building for special machine construction
STIHL, a family-owned business, has officially opened its new Waiblingen building for in-house special machine construction. With a total investment exceeding 15 million euros, STIHL is again committing to its main German location and strengthening the company’s competitiveness.
Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the STIHL Advisory and Supervisory Boards, was delighted about the newly completed building: “The special machine construction functions have been distributed across our STIHL plants in Waiblingen; now they are united under one roof which makes work processes more efficient. The brand-new spaces created here mean that around 120 members of staff in the office, workshop, and production are now optimally equipped and can continue using innovative ideas to shape the technical development and construction of production machinery and equipment for the entire STIHL Group.”
Sebastian Wolf, Mayor of Waiblingen, expressed gratitude for STIHL’s commitment to its Waiblingen location. “On behalf of the city of Waiblingen and speaking personally, I warmly congratulate you on the opening of the new building for special machine construction. Alongside other major investments at the headquarters and Waiblingen site, such as the recently opened Brand World and planned new office building, this yet again clearly demonstrates how committed to our city the Stihl family and company are. For that we are very grateful.”
Building concept supports enhanced collaboration
Martin Schwarz, Executive Board Member for Manufacturing and Materials, is clearly enthusiastic about the building concept: “Not only have we created new, modern workstations, we have also succeeded in connecting the areas – direct access between the open-plan office area and workshop spaces promotes collaboration and the exchange of ideas. And with large areas of glass facilitating a direct line of sight between them, we want the departments to feel physically closer together and for this to promote a team mentality.” The first floor also includes a spacious communications and meeting area for assembly and office staff.
The STIHL work environments concept for office design has already proven effective elsewhere, and has also been implemented here: Freely adaptable workstations and meeting rooms of different sizes facilitate individual, interactive and activity-based work in a pleasant atmosphere. Kitchenettes, a break room, and a gym round out the amenities.
Sustainable building approach through renovation and expansion
To ensure minimal material usage, the existing structure was renovated and expanded after purchase from the previous owner. In line with the STIHL sustainability strategy, the company installed a heat pump and a photovoltaic system to generate green energy. Additional insulation and state-of-the-art technical systems ensure a high level of energy efficiency. One highlight of the building is the industrial-grade paternoster elevator which has been installed, and has a maximum load of 63 metric tons. This system makes it possible to transport machinery and parts between the ground floor and the basement while using space optimally.
It is about three years since STIHL bought the site (of approx. 4,200 square meters) directly opposite Plant 2; in 2021 work began on renovating the existing building as well as constructing the new portion. This has added around 1,000 square meters of office space with direct access to around 1,800 square meters of open-plan production and workshop space.
STIHL special machine construction supports value creation
With the aim of offering top-quality products, the STIHL special machine construction facilities play an important role in the company’s competitiveness and vertical integration: Machinery and equipment used in the manufacture of STIHL products are custom-developed and built here exclusively for the STIHL Group. This is valuable because the technology that STIHL needs as a specialized company is not generally available on the market, and because STIHL’s special machine construction expertise supports in-house production for successful and efficient operation of systems.
