Manufacturing Engineering

Top Company Uses Top Machining Software Training

Founded in 1974, STIHL Incorporated, the STIHL Group’s Virginia Beach subsidiary and only manufacturing plant in the United States, sells its well-known products through over 8,000 servicing dealers around the country and exports products to over 70 countries.

STIHL Inc. has experienced 13 consecutive record sales years and has continued to expand even when the national economy was sluggish. Currently, the Virginia Beach campus encompasses over 70 acres and is comprised of over 700,000 square feet of manufacturing, office and warehouse space in seven buildings. In 2004, the company completed a $60 million dollar expansion project. The multi-phase expansion will increase production capacity in the U.S. and bring further efficiencies to STIHL’s manufacturing and distribution process as new products, such as the STIHL 4-MIX® backpack blowers, are added to an ever-expanding product line.

While many companies have followed a trend in outsourcing, STIHL Inc. has been bringing much in-house for greater control of quality and delivery. The company now has in-house plastics injection molding where they manufacture over 600 different parts. And in extrusion molding, where all the STIHL brand trimmer line for the world is manufactured – over 112,000 miles of trimmer line are produced annually. Blow molding, heat treating, crankshaft and piston manufacturing are also in-house. Currently, they are adding a third shift in assembly. Production has more than doubled in recent years, approximately 2.5 million units annually, and is still growing.

In keeping with the company’s steadfast commitment to quality, the Virginia Beach plant switched to Mastercam® CAD/CAM software for its machining three years ago. Since then, says STIHL Inc.’s Facilities Manager Bob Mills, it has significantly enhanced productivity. Mastercam is the most widely-used CNC software in the world, combining accuracy and efficiency with ease of use.

STIHL’s team added to the changes in CAD/CAM software by adopting Mastercam’s Certification Program. Originally meant to create a benchmark for schools, the team found they could tailor the program to their needs, meeting STIHL’s own quality standard and its commitment to a workforce that understands processes.

They began by obtaining training and trainer certification from Mastercam’s Educational Division. The Certification Program includes a detailed curriculum that gives the student a comprehensive understanding of machining and programming, from how a computer works to how a toolpath is made.

STIHL Inc. already had an apprenticeship program. Ten people were chosen for the certification program. Training took place at the company’s Virginia Beach plant over a 5-month period. In addition, the trainees received college credit from Tidewater Community College. The certification test was then administered by Darryl Motley, Virginia’s Mastercam Reseller and certified instructor. Nine out of ten students received certification. “We like to train our own employees right here,” says Mills. “We have our own systems in place. We, as a company, need to be ready for the future.”
Mike Freimann, Mastercam’s Authorized Training Center Manager in Gig Harbor, WA, was on hand for the certificate award ceremony. “STIHL Inc. is the first company to use our certification program. It’s been a good match, pairing our premium software and training with a company that’s synonymous with quality,” says Freimann.

“Everyone who took the class is pretty fluent now,” notes Mills. “They can analyze and think for themselves.”

Mills adds, “It saves a lot of redundancy. If we need to make a similar part, we’ve saved the drawing and the toolpath. We don’t have to go back to square one.”

While plenty of companies talk about continuous improvement, at STIHL, it is truly part of the corporate culture. Switching to Mastercam is one example of how the company continually strives to improve.

Darryl Motley sees a natural fit for Mastercam’s Certification training and the manufacturing industry. “I think we’re going to see it used by industry as much as education,” he says. “It’s a winning combination.”