Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of small engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large facilities in the U.S. and eight more in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, and the Netherlands. The company's products are sold in over 100 countries across the globe.

History

In 1908, inventor Stephen Foster Briggs and investor Harold M. Stratton started an informal partnership to capitalize on the growing automobile industry. Eventually Briggs and Stratton settled on manufacturing automotive components and small gasoline engines. In 1919 Briggs & Stratton purchased the manufacturing rights for a small, simple two-seat vehicle with a gasoline engine called the Smith Flyer from the A.O. Smith Company in Milwaukee. The Flyer had a small gasoline engine mounted on a fifth wheel, or motor wheel. Briggs & Stratton made engine improvements that raised the horsepower and renamed the vehicle the Briggs & Stratton Flyer. The Guinness Book of Records lists the Flyer as the most inexpensive car of all time, selling at US$125 to US$150 (equivalent to $2020 to $2430 in 2021). In 1925 they sold the rights to the Flyer to Automotive Electric Services Corporation. Briggs & Stratton kept the motor that had been the heart of the motor wheel and adapted it to power other applications such as reel lawn mowers and small equipment such as washing machines. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1928. During World War II, Briggs & Stratton produced generators for the war effort. Some pre-war engines were made with aluminum, which helped the company develop its expertise in using this material. This development, along with the post-war growth of 1950s suburbs (and lawns), helped secure Briggs & Stratton's successful growth throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Stephen Briggs went on to purchase Evinrude and Johnson Outboards and start the Outboard Marine Corporation. Frederick P. Stratton Sr. (the son of Harold Stratton) served as Chairman of Briggs & Stratton until his death in 1962 (Harold also died that year). Frederick P. Stratton Jr. served as Chairman until his retirement in 2001. In 1995, Briggs & Stratton sold the automotive component business. The resulting company is Strattec Security Corporation. In 2000, the company acquired its consumer generator business from the Beacon Group and formed Briggs & Stratton Power Products. The Beacon Group had previously purchased the Consumer Products Division of Generac Corporation (now Generac Power Systems) in 1998. In 2005, the company added Simplicity Manufacturing Inc, and Snapper, Inc, to the Briggs & Stratton Power Products line. Murray, Inc, one of its largest customers, collapsed owing the company $40 million, and to minimize the loss Briggs & Stratton purchased the name, marketing rights and product designs of that company. In 2008, Briggs & Stratton announced it would be acquiring the Victa Lawn Care business from GUD Holdings Limited Australia for A$23 million. In 2019, Briggs & Stratton announced they would be closing their engine factory in Murray, Kentucky, with production being moved to their Poplar Bluff, Missouri facility. On July 20, 2020, Briggs & Stratton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. KPS Capital Partners purchased a majority of the company stake for $550 million. On September 22, 2020 KPS Capital Partners closed on the acquisition of Briggs & Stratton. This sale waives the $900 million that Briggs & Stratton owed going into bankruptcy.

Acquisitions, agreements and joint ventures

Innovations

Logo history

The Briggs & Stratton logo was always a masthead, but it has been changed several times over the course of the company's 80-plus years.

Models

Flathead with gravity-feed float carb unless otherwise noted

Cast-iron models

Number series Letter series Many variations and submodels were available on the basic series mentioned above. Some variations include:

Aluminum models

Industrial and commercial models

Outboard motors

Briggs & Stratton/I/tC 130g32-0059-h1

Karting engines

Two-cycle engines

Headquarters, manufacturing plants, and testing facilities

Briggs & Stratton builds over 9,000,000 engines in the USA each year. The company employs over 3,000 employees in six states. Wauwatosa, WI, is home to the company's headquarters and R&D center. Manufacturing plants are located in Poplar Bluff, MO; Auburn, AL; Statesboro, GA; and Sherrill, NY. The company also has a proving grounds and testing facility located in Fort Pierce, FL.