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BREAKING NEWS: Massive STIHL Layoffs As Company LOSES Profits!

#1

PTmowerMech

PTmowerMech

I think it's just an adjustment being made. Nothing to get worried about. (yet)

BREAKING NEWS: Massive STIHL Layoffs As Company LOSES Profits!​



#2

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

everyones screwed and it ain't gonna get better anytime soon.


#3

M

MParr

I wonder how much their partnership with Briggs and Stratton is costing them? Those slick looking Orange and White Ferris mowers have to come at some cost.


#4

PTmowerMech

PTmowerMech

MParr said:
I wonder how much their partnership with Briggs and Stratton is costing them? Those slick looking Orange and White Ferris mowers have to come at some cost.
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I've always like Ferris. So I've been real tempted to buy a new Stihl ZTR. If they did anything other than just mow, I'd have one already. But I just can't do it. That $12,000 would make my pick up like new again.

Priorities, ya know.


#5

StarTech

StarTech

And it appears that the economy has a lot to do with it. We just don't have the money to over pay for everything. Here in the last few years what is coming in for repairs has changed a lot.

It like my Briggs distributor demanding me to buy $2000 in parts that I didn't need just to keep them profitable. Well I dropped the Briggs distributor and so far this I have only seen 3 Briggs engines in my which I already had the parts in stock for form three years ago. Currently the main OEM engines I am seeing are Kawasaki engines. Now next year who knows what will be the problem OEM line of products.

Also with Stihl they made several changes that affected my repairs of their equipment. One being barring Zama from sell repair kit through the regular distributor channel. According the info these kit were to be available through the local Stihl dealers but even they can't get them only new carbs. And with the war in Ukraine Stihl is not able to provide maintenance kits as they were source out of the Ukraine. And I am not able to mufflers or drive shafts from Stihl for the brush cutters. I have to part good machines just to repair customer units.


#6

ILENGINE

ILENGINE

StarTech said:
And it appears that the economy has a lot to do with it. We just don't have the money to over pay for everything. Here in the last few years what is coming in for repairs has changed a lot.

It like my Briggs distributor demanding me to buy $2000 in parts that I didn't need just to keep them profitable. Well I dropped the Briggs distributor and so far this I have only seen 3 Briggs engines in my which I already had the parts in stock for form three years ago. Currently the main OEM engines I am seeing are Kawasaki engines. Now next year who knows what will be the problem OEM line of products.

Also with Stihl they made several changes that affected my repairs of their equipment. One being barring Zama from sell repair kit through the regular distributor channel. According the info these kit were to be available through the local Stihl dealers but even they can't get them only new carbs. And with the war in Ukraine Stihl is not able to provide maintenance kits as they were source out of the Ukraine. And I am not able to mufflers or drive shafts from Stihl for the brush cutters. I have to part good machines just to repair customer units.
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I have been seeing the same trend. Less items to work on but bigger more expensive repairs few trimmers and riders. More higher end Z turns and most with Kaw engines.


#7

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

Most homeowner stuff will go electric I bet.
Commercial companies will stay with ICE power.


#8

PTmowerMech

PTmowerMech

Scrubcadet10 said:
Most homeowner stuff will go electric I bet.
Commercial companies will stay with ICE power.
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Right. Homeowners can charge their stuff all week. Commercial guys can't.

The customer that just gave me a Tanaka weed eater & a stihl said he just didn't need them. He's got an electric one, with two batteries that does what he needs done. No gas mix to worry about, winter storage. Says it's a lot easier to load the string.

His two badboy mowers are giving him fits. Last week, both were broke down at the same time.

Layoffs are just part of the economy rebounding, if you look at from a long term perspective. It's just part of the cycle. They regroup, cut their overhead and restructure to keep going until demand increases. It's near the end of the mowing season. So the demand is slowing. Not a lot of folks buying new lawn equipment right now.


#9

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Stihl is going for the commercial user handheld market with the AR3000 battery system.


#10

B

bertsmobile1

Also remember a lot of the electronic bits used in Stihl gear was made in Ukrane & Belarouse
Both of these countries are currently devoting nearly all production to making weapons to kill each other with .
Bottom end stuff comes from China but as manufacturing in the USA is more expensive so it will be mainly commercial - top end residential made in the US using the imported parts that they can not get at the moment .


#11

StarTech

StarTech

Yes we are more dependent on other countries then many consumers realize. And this current war in Eurasia is affect quiet a bit of things. The worst may be yet to come if China get started in the China Sea area. Lot of production goes on that area too.

I have been seeing a lot made out the USA labels on all parts lately. Just assembled in the USA. Just kinda glad I am approaching the retire phase of this battle of getting parts.

We were at one time could get about any part we needed, now it seems only assembled parts are available. Last I was needing a throttle shaft for a Walbro carburetor, I had to order a complete carburetor for the repair.

And it is just about same for things like my Chevy transmission where the parts to repair it cost nearly as much as a factory rebuilt unit. I had at least $1500 in parts that I needed and the rebuilt was $1800 with a 4 yr warranty. IF used vehicles weren't so high I would have just retired the truck that has 343,000 miles on it.


#12

Tiger Small Engine

Tiger Small Engine

bertsmobile1 said:
Also remember a lot of the electronic bits used in Stihl gear was made in Ukrane & Belarouse
Both of these countries are currently devoting nearly all production to making weapons to kill each other with .
Bottom end stuff comes from China but as manufacturing in the USA is more expensive so it will be mainly commercial - top end residential made in the US using the imported parts that they can not get at the moment .
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The zero turn market is already very competitive.
Other than brand recognition, Stihl zero turn mowers offer not real advantages or benefits over other zero turns.
The economy is nowhere near as “good and stable” as many would lead you to believe.
I am a Stihl guy on handheld equipment, but will be a hard pass on their zero turns.


#13

upupandaway

upupandaway

PTmowerMech said:
Right. Homeowners can charge their stuff all week. Commercial guys can't.
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Too bad, consumers will have to buy a new battery trimmer\mower every 3\4 years unlike gas powered. Just the cost of a battery is equal or close to just buying a new one. Maybe that is the new marketing trick - The battery is guaranteed to die in a few years....

Gas lasts alot longer. Sure it might need to be fixed for the average consumer but it will be less than spending $200 for a new battery.
Someone actually brought me an echo trimmer that was made in the 90's. All it needed was a new carb diaphragm.
Same for me, personally, I still use a Stihl Bg75 also from the 90's and my FS80 from 70's.


#14

Tiger Small Engine

Tiger Small Engine

upupandaway said:
Too bad, consumers will have to buy a new battery trimmer\mower every 3\4 years unlike gas powered. Just the cost of a battery is equal or close to just buying a new one. Maybe that is the new marketing trick - The battery is guaranteed to die in a few years....

Gas lasts alot longer. Sure it might need to be fixed for the average consumer but it will be less than spending $200 for a new battery.
Someone actually brought me an echo trimmer that was made in the 90's. All it needed was a new carb diaphragm.
Same for me, personally, I still use a Stihl Bg75 also from the 90's and my FS80 from 70's.
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So I read three different articles online about the layoffs of Stihl. 2500 employees at Virginia Beach, Virginia plant and one third will be furloughed for 4-16 weeks. No heads up, no pay during layoffs, just a short notice mass text from Stihl.
A few observations here:
They say that excessive inventories has lead to the short term layoff.
No doubt increased battery purchases from customers has impacted gas sales.
I believe the economy is not nearly as “sound and solid” as politicians and others would lead you to believe.
Literally one comment regarding the Stihl layoffs out of three different articles, in comment section. Now if it were about someone important like the Kardasians, or global warming, why, the comments would be in the thousands.
I personally think laying off hundreds of employees from a company like Stihl is a huge deal. A canary in the coal mine so to speak.


#15

M

MParr

I’m looking at for new pole saw. I’m going with Echo.


#16

PTmowerMech

PTmowerMech

If techs are having a hard time getting parts, I'm not sure how they have too many parts. lol

Wrong parts?


#17

S

SeniorCitizen

Hammermechanicman said:
Stihl is going for the commercial user handheld market with the AR3000 battery system.
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No surprise to me if the nut in the O P is still advertising .


#18

PTmowerMech

PTmowerMech

SeniorCitizen said:
No surprise to me if the nut in the O P is still advertising .
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Taryl only acts like a nut for the camera. He's a good tech.


#19

StarTech

StarTech

PTmowerMech said:
If techs are having a hard time getting parts, I'm not sure how they have too many parts. lol

Wrong parts?
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Part of their problem is techs like me that can still go around their high priced parts. Just priced a Zama GND kit from Stihl as they make out they are the only source for the parts. They want nearly as much they do for a carburetor. Well not quite but even $24 is pricey for a GND kit. And refuse to sell the full carburetor kit (with needle valve). Well I been doing this long enough that I put together my own kit for under $10 and they are Zama OEM parts. So they just lost the sale of 6 kits today.

And China is also working on them too sales wise..

My local dealer just sold out recently and the new dealer insists on charging me full retail and not going give me the 10% discount I was getting.


#20

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

I have 3 stihl dealers near me and none of them will give me a discount. I pay retail like everybody else. Best they do is tax free.


#21

upupandaway

upupandaway

Tiger Small Engine said:
No doubt increased battery purchases from customers has impacted gas sales.
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Maybe this will be like Krispy Kreme during 2000??? when people were determined to go on a diet. It almost destroyed the company. Eventually people went back.
Maybe in a few years when everyone who is buying a battery blower\trimmer will realize they need to spend another $150 on a replacement battery while their neighbor still uses that 2000 bg50 and go back..?????


#22

PTmowerMech

PTmowerMech

upupandaway said:
Maybe this will be like Krispy Kreme during 2000??? when people were determined to go on a diet. It almost destroyed the company. Eventually people went back.
Maybe in a few years when everyone who is buying a battery blower\trimmer will realize they need to spend another $150 on a replacement battery while their neighbor still uses that 2000 bg50 and go back..?????
Click to expand...

In my day, when things became popular and sales climbed, the prices went down. But not much of that goes on anymore. It's always up, up, up and away.
Then someone comes out with a better idea and the cycle starts over.


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