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| Official Opening of Construction Phase II Expansion ensures VIKING's continued growth |
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Langkampfen, 20 September 2007. After only one year of construction, construction phase II of the VIKING home office is complete. On September 20, 2007, part of the workforce relocated to the new building. The extension provides additional space for 20 administrative and 40 production employees. The total effective area was extended from approximately 7,000 mē to 20,000 mē effective area and the total area was increased to 63,000 mē. In his speech, Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Managing Director, VIKING expressed his pleasure in the full order books that made the tremendous expansion in the last years necessary. "Our premium strategy is the secret to our success and we continue to assert our claim to combine the highest quality with the best design." In the founding year 1981, 30 employees produced a turnover of 1.1 million euro and, from there, things really took off. Today the total revenue is around 86 million euro (2006). With the purchase of the land surrounding the VIKING plant, nothing more stands in the way of further expansion of VIKING GmbH.
"The expansion of VIKING, Austria brought with it constant new demands on the location in the last 26 years. With the broadening of the product range and the continually increasing sales figures, the number of employees also grew: in the last five years alone, around one third to almost 200 employees. In addition, state-of-the art rooms for new test processes and new technological development were created", reports Dr. Stihl, who provided room for growth for approximately 60 new employees in the new "VIKING House and who clearly embraces the further development of the VIKING premium strategy. VIKING is a member of the STIHL group. The Chairman of the Board of STIHL AG, Dr. Bertram Kandziora is pleased: "With the extension of the Competence Centre building, VIKING has an ideal foundation for the future. Because product development is the prerequisite for our growth strategy. VIKING has ambitious development plans. With the expanded Competence Centre we have created the conditions that will let us manoeuvre in the market even better in the future." |
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 Opening Ceremony: (from left to right) Nikolas Stihl (Managing Director, VIKING), Hannes Bodner (Tyrol Economic County Council ), Hans Peter Stihl (Chairman of the Supervisory Board, STIHL AG), Bertram Kandziora (Chairman of the Board, STIHL AG) at the Grand Opening of the VIKING extension building in Langkampfen. Original photo (jpg-file, 157 kB) |
 Competence Centre: The new Competence Centre with state-of-the-art rooms for new test processes and new technological development. Original photo (jpg-file, 115 kB) |
 Sound-testing room: The new sound-testing room for gardening appliances has a futuristic look and is the heart of the VIKING extension building. Original photo (jpg-file, 152 kB) |
 Testing room: Quality is a top priority at VIKING - no appliance leaves the company without first checking that it meets the highest safety and quality standards. Original photo (jpg-file, 165 kB) |
press release (doc-file, 68 kB) press release + photos (zip-file, 600 kB) |