Wolfgang Simmer, the Head of the Marketing and Sales Services Division of STIHL Tirol (formerly VIKING) was recently re-elected President of the EGMF for a further two years. The EGMF – the European Garden Machinery Federation – is the association of leading European garden, landscaping, forestry and turf equipment manufacturers. The Tyrolean gardening power tool manufacturer has for many years been a committed member of the Brussels-based organisation, whose mission is to act as a spokesperson and point of contact for its members on pan-European matters, especially topics related to standardisation and marketing.
Wolfgang Simmer is pleased with the confirmation: "I'm very pleased about my re-election, but what matters most is working together to develop the highest standards in quality, safety, ergonomics, environmental compatibility and resource efficiency in the manufacture of all our machines."
Simmer has held the role since the end of 2016. He has been with the Tyrolean gardening power tool manufacturer since 1990. In his early years with the company he was responsible for VIKING sales in Austria, and then for international sales. He has been Head of Sales and Marketing since 2008.
STIHL Tirol was established in Kufstein in 1981 as VIKING GMBH and has been a full subsidiary of the STIHL Group since 1992. In addition to battery-powered and electric products, the Langkampfen site also develops, produces and sells lawn mowers, robotic mowers, ride-on mowers, garden shredders, tillers and scarifiers. The continuous and strong growth in recent years has made the Tyrolean company a leader in the gardening power tool sector. With 480 employees, VIKING achieved a turnover of EUR 381.9 million in 2017.
Company portrait of the STIHL Group
The STIHL Group develops, produces and sells power tools for forestry and agriculture as well as landscape cultivation, construction and private garden owners. The product range is complemented by the gardening power tool range previously sold under the VIKING brand and from 2019 entirely under the STIHL brand. The products are sold exclusively via specialist service-providing dealers, with 38 fully-owned sales and marketing companies, around 120 importers and more than 45,000 specialist dealers in over 160 countries. STIHL has production facilities in seven countries worldwide: Germany, USA, Brazil, Switzerland, Austria, China and the Philippines. STIHL has been the world's highest-selling chain saw brand since 1971. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Waiblingen near Stuttgart. In 2017, STIHL achieved a turnover of EUR 3.8 billion with 15,875 employees worldwide.