75 years ago, Reinhold Würth began his apprenticeship in his father’s screw shop. The company is now a billion-dollar company. Now he wants to slow down.
The entrepreneur Reinhold Würth, known as the “screw king,” wants to take a step back in his career. “I will hand over the chairmanship of the foundation’s supervisory board on January 1, 2025 – to my grandson Benjamin,” said Würth at a ceremony to mark his 75th working anniversary in Künzelsau. In the future he will take on the position of honorary chairman and will probably “complain along” from the background. “But Benjamin is the future of this company.”
The 89-year-old had already left the day-to-day business of the trading group many years ago, which earns its money with fastening and assembly technology. Since then, among other things, he has chaired the control committee that monitors the family foundations. The Würth Group belongs to them. Benjamin Würth has been deputy chairman of the committee since the beginning of 2023 and was considered a potential successor.
Federal Chancellor pays tribute to Würth at ceremony
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) gave the celebratory speech for the 89-year-old. He praised him, among other things, as an “innovative traditionalist and tradition-conscious innovator.” Würth began an apprenticeship in his father’s then small business at the age of 14 before taking over at the age of 19 after his death in 1954. The billionaire is one of the richest Germans. More than 88,500 people worked for the Würth Group worldwide – a good 27,400 of them in Germany. In 2023, the company will have sales of more than 20 billion euros.
Source: Stern
