In April, the Würth Group will celebrate two very special anniversaries: The oldest company of the Würth Group, Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, celebrates its 65th anniversary, and the entrepreneur Reinhold Würth celebrates his 75th birthday.

The foundation of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG constitutes the basis of the Würth Group. Today, the Würth Group is represented in 84 countries and world market leader in its core business, the trade in assembly and fastening material. Würth UK Ltd. was established in 1973 and is a member of the Würth Group.

This is also an important year for our UK business since merging with our sister company in 2009. We look forward to supporting our customers as the Trade Professional’s Choice.

In the anniversary year of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, Prof. Reinhold Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts celebrates his 75th birthday on April 20. Reinhold Würth can look back on a truly impressive life: He turned his father’s screw wholesale business that started as a two-man operation into the Würth Group that today has roughly 58,000 employees on the payroll and generated sales of EUR 7.5 billion in the business year 2009 (according to the preliminary annual financial accounts).

These two incidents lend themselves to celebrating and highlighting the development of the business and Reinhold Würth’s vita in different events at the seat of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG during a week of festivities in Künzelsau in the South of Germany.

On the occasion of the forthcoming anniversaries all international companies trading under Würth as well as the entire Würth Group are given a redesigned logo after 20 years.

Company Portrait: Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG
Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG is a leading specialist in the trade with assembly and fastening materials for professional use. The business offers a product range covering more than 100,000 items representing top-notch quality.

Among other things, the product range comprises screws, screw accessories, anchors, chemical-technical products, furniture and construction fittings, tools, storage and retrieval systems as well as personal protective equipment. Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG caters to more than 400,000 craftsmen and industry businesses.

These customers are attended to by approx. 2,500 sales reps who specialize in the respective branches of industry. At the same time, Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG is permanently expanding its nation-wide network of sales branches. At present, there are more than 300 Würth branch offices all over Germany. Customer-orientation, reliability and speed constitute key factors of the company’s business relations.

Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG located in Künzelsau/Baden-Württemberg, is the German parent company and the largest single company of the Würth Group that is operating on a worldwide scale. At present, Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG employs around 5,000 people in Germany and generated sales amounting to EUR 1.087 billion in the business year 2009 (according to the preliminary annual financial accounts).

Portrait: Reinhold Würth
The company’s history is inseparably connected with the entrepreneur Prof. Reinhold Würth. Under his direction, the company turned into the market leader in the sale of assembly and connecting materials. In the summer of 1945, Adolf Würth founded a screw wholesale business in Künzelsau/Baden-Württemberg.

His son Reinhold accompanied and helped him from the very beginning. He officially joined the company as its second employee and first apprentice on October 1, 1949. As early as January 1951, he went on a sales trip by himself for the first time.

The 15-year old youngster was supposed to look for new customers in Düsseldorf. In 1952, he completed his commercial training by passing the exam for sales assistants. When Adolf Würth died at the age of forty-five in 1954, Reinhold Würth took over the business at the age of nineteen.

At the time, the company was a two-man business with annual sales of EUR 80,000. Reinhold Würth managed the company with far-sightedness and was soon able to celebrate his first successes. In 1962, the first foreign subsidiary was set up in the Netherlands, followed by company foundations in Switzerland, Austria, Italy and other countries.

In 1969, Reinhold Würth decided to venture out to North America. One year later, Würth also became active in South Africa. The foundation of companies in Australia (1982) as well as Japan and Malaysia (both in 1987) rounded off Würth's presence on all continents. In 1994, Reinhold Würth withdrew from operative business and took the chair of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group.

On March 1, 2006, his daughter Bettina Würth became his successor in this position. Reinhold Würth continues being the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts.