Briggs & Stratton is the largest producer of air cooled gas engines in the world, with a long tradition of designing and manufacturing an entire line of engines that are environmentally sound. The company takes great pride in this and in their history. With more than 90 years in this business they have seen the incorporation of their products into everything from welders, pressure washers, pumps to generators, to lawnmowers and more.
These products are used in both commercial and industrial applications. Briggs & Stratton engines are usually (but not always) gasoline burning and made from aluminum alloy. They usually range as high as 31 HP and as low as 3 HP. Their commitment to manufacturing environmentally sound engines is mainly centered on the attempt to reduce emissions to zero.
Briggs & Stratton has been able to achieve a 70 percent reduction in output emissions since 1990! It is hard to imagine that one company has single-handedly reduced their products’ emissions this far in such a relatively short amount of time.
History Of Diversification
In 1908 Harold M. Stratton, an investor, and Stephen F. Briggs, an inventor, formed a partnership. While at first somewhat informal, over time it has become the company it is today. Beginning in the 1920’s, Briggs & Stratton provided power for many different types of applications, including military and agricultural uses. It wasn’t until 1953, however, that they developed the very first lightweight aluminum engine.
This was Briggs & Stratton’s first step in turning the lawn and garden world on its ear. With the boom of suburbs nationwide the company began to grow exponentially. It was the company’s engines powering the mowers that were beginning to dot the new landscape. Many innovations soon followed. These included the addition of the lo-tone muffler, Easy-Spin® starting, and the automatic choke.
The 1980′s saw the influx of premium Japanese engines that were moderately priced. Mass retailers also began pushing hard for lower prices so that they could remain competitive. This brought a challenge to Briggs & Stratton’s doorstep. They quickly responded by reorganizing and diversifying into several different product lines and divisions. They also began pushing their way into the foreign markets.
Briggs & Stratton has now begun to acquire and absorb several different companies, including Generic Portable Products Systems (2000) and Simplicity Manufacturing (2004). The company holds to the idea that everyone has an internal engine driving them to succeed.
Check out the Briggs & Stratton page at CSNWelders and find the right Briggs & Stratton equipment to suit your needs!
