60 years of Einhell: From Lower Bavarian installation firm to global player
In 2024 Einhell Germany AG is celebrating its sixtieth birthday. In this anniversary year, the company can look back on an impressive track record of success, developing from a Lower Bavarian installation firm to a global leader in the market for battery-operated DIY and garden tools. Since it was founded in 1964, Einhell has grown to become an international player employing more than 2,500 people across the world. With almost 50 subsidiaries, the group is already actively engaged in over 100 countries. Einhell is celebrating its 60th birthday with a large number of promotions and fantastic prize draws throughout the year.
Bringing ideas and visions to the stock market
The unique history of success began in 1964 when Hans Einhell, proprietor of an installation business in Landau an der Isar, asked his nephew Josef Thannhuber to take over the firm. Although the young and dynamic electrical engineer had other plans for his future, he allowed himself to be persuaded. Full of drive and vigor, he generated new ideas, visions and products under the brand and trade name Einhell. Business subsequently developed so well that the surge in sales, a growing international focus and its strong market position led to the company going public, thereby setting the course for further growth.
Successful steps into the 21st century
Looking back today, the company's founder, Josef Thannhuber, is full of pride: “With just one employee at the start, we turned over just DM 60,000 that first year. When I think back to that now, I can scarcely believe it. We certainly went through some very challenging times, but we carried on regardless. We were a global company without realizing it – the term was only coined considerably later. The dream, the passion and the unshakable belief in what we were doing have made us what we are today. When I look at the company now, I am impressed by how everything has developed, and how we have become one of the leading suppliers of battery-operated tools.”
In 2000 Josef Thannhuber moved from the Executive Board to the Supervisory Board, putting the operational management of the company into younger hands. The new management team included Andreas Kroiss, who took on management of the Austrian subsidiary in 1998, turning it around and making Einhell Austria the success it is today. On March 1st, 2001, he was appointed to the Executive Board of Einhell Germany AG, where he has served as CEO since January 1st, 2003, meaning that he has now spent more than 20 years driving the success of the company.
On the way to a billion euros in sales
Under the new management team, Einhell’s success story moved dynamically forward. Sales and profits continued to rise, new subsidiaries were founded, and further markets were opened up in South America and Australasia. On one of his business trips to Australia, Andreas Kroiss noticed the battery technology used for DIY tools there. He recognized straight away that this revealed a huge desire among customers for greater freedom and flexibility when doing jobs at home.
“When I was on a business trip to Australia in 2009, there was already a very discernible trend in the country towards battery tools. In Europe, no one in the DIY sector was interested in cordless tools, with the exception of screwdrivers, because customers weren’t convinced of the performance and durability of such tools. I believed in the idea, though, and developed it further with our team,” Kroiss explains, looking back.
Inspired by this idea, Einhell launched its Power X-Change battery platform on the market in 2015. Initially numbering just a handful of tools, the battery system now comprises some 300 DIY and garden tools that can be operated with the same 18 Volt battery. The strategy paid off: In 2017 Einhell, as a powerful “enabler”, passed the 500 million euro mark in sales for the first time. By the 2022 financial year it had already doubled its sales, with the company posting more than one billion euros in sales for the first time.
Further internationalization
Despite the difficult market situation, there has been no let-up in the dynamic development of Einhell Germany AG: The establishment of its own battery production facility in eastern europe extends the differentiation of its supply chains. Entries into additional markets and acquisitions of companies in Canada, Finland, South Africa, Vietnam, and Thailand are boosting its international presence. The next strategic goal is to break into the largest DIY market in the world – the USA.
The construction of a new office building for 180 staff at the Landau site by the end of 2024 is further evidence of this robust growth.
Andreas Kroiss, CEO of Einhell Germany AG, says: “Einhell Germany AG is in such a strong position that we will continue our internationalization strategy even in these difficult economic times. In the current climate we are working on gaining market share in relevant countries so that we are in the best starting position when consumer demand picks up again from its current weakness. In all target countries we are aiming for market leadership in the cordless DIY and garden tool sector, and we will expand our battery platform to 450 tools over the next few years.”
About Einhell Germany AG
Einhell is a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art tools and devices for the house and garden and will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024. From its headquarters in Landau/Isar (Bavaria), the internationally successful company has continuously expanded its innovative rechargeable battery platform Power X-Change and is now the market leader in the area of cordless tools and garden devices. For many years Einhell has set new standards in terms of endurance, performance, and safety. Einhell customers appreciate the freedom of cordless operation for all their DIY projects, as well as the excellent value for money that Einhell products represent and the first-class customer service offered by the company.