Interview: New production in Germany? “I’m lacking imagination at the moment,” says the head of Stihl

Mr. Traub, Stihl sells almost twice as many cordless tools as gasoline tools in Germany. Why is Stihl, with its chainsaws, hedge trimmers and brush cutters, managing the transformation to electrification better than the auto industry?

As a family business, Stihl does not always have the capital market breathing down its neck. We don't have to immediately correct our strategy if things go bad.

What makes your strategy different from the car manufacturers?

We have never tried to electrify by force, like some car manufacturers in our area. Our maxim is: It is not the technology that determines, but the customer. Our goal is clearly dual technology leadership in combustion and battery-powered devices. But at the pace of the customers. We have never changed this strategy.

But you started with the electrical topic very late.

The reality in the market determines our strategy. From 2009 it started with hedge trimmers because they were the easiest to convert to battery operation because they required significantly less power than chainsaws. It wasn't until 2015 that the real oomph came with various battery systems for professionals. But only now, with our new battery system, is the time when petrol-powered chainsaws can also be replaced one-to-one. We no longer develop hedge trimmers with gasoline engines. They simply don't buy them anymore.