Würth

Würth was founded by Adolf Würth (1909–1954),[2] established for the purpose of selling screws in 1945 in Künzelsau (hence the company logo, which consists of the family name and two screw heads with cylindrical and round heads). After the death of Adolf Würth, his son Reinhold Würth took over in 1954 at the age of 19 with his mother Alma Würth, making it a two-person company.

Since then, the company has become the world's leading retail group with the main business share in the distribution of fasteners and tools with approximately 120,000 different products in these lines. Its more than 3 million customers include companies from the construction industry, wood and metal crafting, automotive companies, and, increasingly, industrial customers.

Today the Würth Group operates worldwide and employs over 71,000 people, making it one of the largest non-listed companies in Germany. The German newspaper Die Welt listed it as 91 on its list of top 500 companies.

On 1 January 1994, Reinhold Würth withdrew from management and took over as Chairman of the Würth Advisory Board. On March 1, 2006, he passed on this office to his daughter Bettina Würth and became Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group.

On 27 October 2006, after five years of research, the group opened a production plant in Schwäbisch Hall for new types of solar cells using copper, indium, and selenium instead of silicon.[3]

Unlike other trading companies, Würth spends much on research and development. It set a record in 2007 with more than 60 patents.[4]

Besides the German parent company Adolf Würth GmbH & Co, Würth includes more than 400 companies in 86 countries, which are divided into two lines:

• The Würth Line (die Würth-Linie), whose companies carry the Würth name
• 206 allied companies, which are usually purchased companies that operate under their original name or have been integrated into another allied company

The Würth Group specializes in sales through its representatives. It operates globally, with continuous expansions due to sales.

At Würth, reps can earn bonuses through a differentiated reward system. The group companies and foreign sales companies are largely autonomous in their tasks, although they report their results to the parent company. Würth has also allowed its staff to select architects and planning representative administration to choose the best options for themselves.

The Würth Group supports the Würth Foundation (Stiftung Würth), established by Carmen and Reinhold Würth in 1987 to promote art and culture, science and research, and education.[5] The organization gives many types of awards, including the Würth Prize for European Literature (Würth-Preis für Europäische Literatur), the Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany (Würth-Preis der Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland), and the Würth Literature Prize (Würth-Literaturpreis).

In the company's headquarters in Künzelsau, employees can visit an in-house Würth Museum, next to Schwäbisch Hall, whose exhibits change three to four times a year. The art museum is also open to the public.

The Würth Foundation awards several prizes in various artistic disciplines. In addition, the Würth Foundation engages in school and university funding. In 2005, the Künzelsau College of Applied Sciences of the University of Heilbronn was renamed Reinhold Würth University.

Würth is the organizer of the Würth Open-Air Festival, an annual multi-day festival in Künzelsau. Several Würth Group companies outside Germany have Würth art forums, including the Musée Würth France Erstein in France and the Museo Würth La Rioja in Spain.[6] In Chur, Switzerland, the Foundation maintains the Stiftung das Kulturforum Würth Chur.

• Official Site
• Würth Industry UK
• Wurth Industry of North America
• Wurth Elektronik
• Wurth Canada
• Wurth USA
• Würth Racing
• Wurth Turkey
• Wurth Armenia
• Wurth Georgia
• Würth Italia