Stihl's children took over in 1973 and globalized the chainsaw maker

Andreas Stihl founded his engineering office in Stuttgart in 1926 and developed chainsaws meant to transform forestry work. After World War II the company was in crisis: only 80 of 500 employees remained and the saw business was in a slump because people repaired used tools instead of buying new ones.

In 1960 Andreas made his children limited partners, and Hans Peter Stihl and his sister Eva worked their way through the company. When the founder died in 1973, the siblings took over a business with 2,500 employees and four plants in Germany. Their clear goal was to make it international: 'We would not have been able to compete on the global market if we had only been producing in Germany.'

The strategy produced plants in Brazil, Switzerland and the United States, which became the group's largest market. STIHL had been the world's best-selling chainsaw brand since 1971; by 2018 the group employed more than 17,000 people, sold in over 160 countries and generated €3.78 billion in turnover.

Under the siblings, STIHL added plants in Brazil, Switzerland and the US; by 2018 it employed over 17,000 people and posted €3.78 billion of turnover in 160 countries.

Post-war crisis showed the family that the domestic market alone could not carry the firm.

The siblings took operational control only after years of training inside the company.

Building production in Brazil and the US answered import barriers and made STIHL a local player.

A family business that keeps owners in leadership can still internationalize — the Stihl siblings deliberately built production where the markets were.

Hans Peter Stihl withdrew as managing director in 2002 and became chairman of the advisory and supervisory boards; his son Dr. Nikolas Stihl took on those roles in 2012. STIHL remained family-owned and headquartered in Waiblingen.