Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth Develops a Global Corporation in 70 Years

(f.l.t.r.) Reinhold Würth with his wife Carmen Würth and State Premier of Baden-Wuerttemberg Winfried Kretschmann.

Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group's Family Trusts, can look back on an extraordinary professional life: He turned a two-man business into a globally operating group for assembly and fastening materials. On 1 October, Reinhold Würth celebrated his 70th work anniversary. Many friends and guests from the world of politics, business and culture arrived at Carmen Würth Forum for the anniversary celebrations.

Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group, presented the IHK certificate to Prof. Dr. h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth.

"Reinhold Würth summarized the spirit of his company in one sentence: ‘The human being is at the center.’ That also means that personal qualifications are just as important as professional qualifications for Reinhold Würth," Winfried Kretschmann, State Premier of Baden-Württemberg, said in his speech. "This attitude is further highlighted by Reinhold Würth’s generous activities as a patron of the arts, his great commitment—not only for the Würth Group, but also for the region and the state—be it in the world of arts, education, music or culture. Our guiding principle that we thought up for the state government’s digitalization strategy ‘home, high-tech, high-speed’ is a perfect description of Reinhold Würth!"

Reinhold Würth during his speech

A Life for the Company

In 1949, Reinhold Würth began a commercial apprenticeship in his father’s screw wholesale business at the request of his father. If his mother had had her way, he would have become a teacher.

He helped build the business from scratch, watched and copied his father, learned the ropes. His sales training consisted in the trips the two made to their customers. Then came the year 1954: Adolf Würth passed away unexpectedly from a sudden heart failure. At the age of 19, Reinhold Würth turned from an employee into a managing director.

A Life for Success

He loves selling, loves dealing with people. Curiosity drives him. He says about himself: "I always wanted to know what’s behind the mountain and around the next corner." That is why he was one of the first entrepreneurs to venture abroad.

In 1962, he already established the first international subsidiary in the Netherlands—a decisive step for the company’s further success. His daughter Bettina Würth, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group, describes the company’s success as follows: "For my father, it has always been and still is important to create a sound basis and maintain it in long term."

Today, the Würth Group’s more than 400 companies operate in more than 80 countries around the world and employ more than 77,000 people. Reinhold Würth is certain: "Screws and fasteners, that’s like beer and buns. You’ll always need them."

A Life Based on Principles and Values

"You spend most time in your life at work." Right from the beginning, this fact has been a credo for Reinhold Würth, driving him to put the employee’s well-being at the center of the corporate culture. His culture is based on a strong sense of community. It is based on values like reliability, straightforwardness, honesty and treating each other with respect. And he deems the word "thank-you" the most important word in our dealings with each other. Working with people in partnership and on an equal footing was critical to the company’s success, not only inside the company, but to the customers in the outside world as well.

A Life for Art and Culture

Art and culture are an integral part of the Würth Group. Reinhold Würth laid the foundations for the Würth Collection at the beginning of the 70s: He bought the paining "Cloud Reflection in the Marsh" by Emil Nolde. Today, the Würth Collection with over 18,000 works of art is among Europe’s largest private art collections. As a lover of classical music, Reinhold Würth wants to share his passion with and give something back to his home region that he still feels strongly connected to. Since 2017, the Würth Philharmoniker orchestra has been an integral part of the cultural program offered to both employees and the general public.