Consumer goods Stihl struggles with economic downturn - battery-powered tools drive change
The chainsaw and garden tool manufacturer Stihl is feeling the effects of the global economic downturn.
20.05.2026, 11:28
SDA
The aim is to maintain the sales level of 2026, said CEO Michael Traub in Waiblingen near Stuttgart. The first quarter got off to a slow start. The company is feeling a clear sense of restraint.
Last year, turnover increased by 2.8 percent to 5.48 billion euros. This almost matched the coronavirus-related sales record of 5.5 billion euros set in 2022. The result in 2025 was satisfactory. The family-owned company traditionally does not provide specific information on profits. Traub went on to say that the turnover target for the current year was a challenge in light of the ongoing trade and geopolitical uncertainties and the resulting restraint among customers.
No further job cuts planned
Although Stihl cut jobs in Germany and elsewhere in 2025, the company is not planning any further job cuts for the time being. More than 5,800 people worked at the German headquarters at the end of 2025, compared to just over 6,000 men and women in the same period last year. The German headquarters includes several plants in the Stuttgart region, as well as in the district of Constance and in Weinsheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. The reason for the reduction in Germany was an increase in personnel in China. At the end of last year, Stihl had a total of 20,246 employees worldwide, 2.6 percent more than at the end of 2024. One reason for this was the new plant in Romania, which went into operation at the end of 2025.
Battery-powered devices increasingly popular
Romania is the first plant to exclusively produce battery packs and battery-powered appliances. According to CEO Michael Traub, the company's goal is for four out of five tools sold by Stihl to be battery-powered by 2035. This is because the popularity of battery-powered tools continues to grow. At the end of 2025, they accounted for 27 percent of Stihl's global sales, up from 25 percent in the same period last year.
