Press releases

«Vibrant Curiosity – Success with a System» - Würth successfully holds its first Media Day

Künzelsau. About 30 journalists from Germany and abroad followed the Würth Group’s invitation to the first Media Day which took place at the corporate headquarters on 22 November 2007. Under the motto “Vibrant Curiosity – Success with a System“, they gained deep insight into the corporate strategy and the corporate development of the market leader in the field of assembly and connecting technology.

Successful completion of studies for 20 MBA graduates - MBA program receives FIBAA accreditation - Reinhold Würth awarded with honorary doctorate of the University of Louisville

Künzelsau. 20 students of the University of Louisville have successfully completed their further qualification of Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Global Business while working full-time. They received their certificates on Friday, 9 November 2007, in the framework of a graduation ceremony as held at American universities in Alma Würth Hall in the Würth Group’s Künzelsau headquarters.

First Würth Education Prize Awarded Competence Center ‘Economic Education’ awards a prize to future-oriented school projects

Künzelsau/Stuttgart. The “race“ for the first Würth Education Prize is over: Within the framework of an official presentation held at Neues Schloss (New Castle) in Stuttgart, the Competence Center ‘Economic Education’ awarded the first prize to the project of Kirbachschule Sachsenheim-Hohenhaslach on Wednesday, 7 November 2007. The prize includes prize money of 4,000 euros.

Information evenings at FREIE SCHULE ANNE-SOPHIE

Künzelsau. With effect from September 2008, Freie Schule Anne-Sophie will be situated in the new premises in Taläcker, part of the town of Künzelsau. Besides elementary school, the building will also house the junior high school. In future, Freie Schule Anne-Sophie offers the possibility to obtain any school-leaving qualification.

SWG celebrates 40th company anniversary and inaugurates new production hall

Waldenburg. On 6 October 2007, SWG Schraubenwerk Gaisbach GmbH celebrated its 40th company anniversary and the inauguration of a new production hall - another milestone in the successful company history of the Würth Group’s first production company.

The “Competence Center Economic Education“ organizes Symposium for Managers

Künzelsau/Schwäbisch Hall. The “Competence Center Economic Education” of the charitable Würth Trust invited for the first time to a symposium for managers last Friday and Saturday, 5 and 6 October 2007, that was organized at Hotel “Krone“ in Schwäbisch Hall-Hessenthal. The symposium was booked out with around 140 participants.

Musicians par excellence - Würth Prize to Artemis Quartet

Künzelsau/Berlin. On Sunday, 7 October 2007, the Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany (JMD) was awarded to Artemis Quartet at the Berliner Philharmonie.

Federal President Horst Köhler visits Würth

Künzelsau. On Tuesday, 2 October 2007, Federal President Horst Köhler visited the Würth Group’s headquarters in Künzelsau-Gaisbach in the land of Baden-Württemberg.

Peter Zürn to be appointed Member of the Würth Group’s Central Managing Board

Künzelsau. Peter Zürn, hitherto Chairman of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, will be appointed Member of the Central Managing Board with effect from 1 January 2009. He will thus succeed Rolf Bauer, who will retire on 31 December 2008. Norbert Heckmann, who has been working for Würth since 1992, most recently as Managing Director of Würth Elektronik eiSos, will take over the post of Chairman of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG.

Würth opens museum for contemporary art in Agoncillo (La Rioja, Spain)

Künzelsau/Agoncillo. Würth España S.A., the Spanish Würth company and market leader in the trade with assembly and connecting material in Spain, celebrated the official inauguration of a museum of contemporary art in Agoncillo (La Rioja, Spain) last Friday. “Würth Museo La Rioja” opened its doors to visitors on Sunday, 9 September 2007, with the exhibition "Human Figure and Abstraction". Admission is free.

EU commissioner Günter Verheugen visits corporate headquarters of the Würth Group in Künzelsau-Gaisbach

Künzelsau. On the occasion of one of his fact-finding missions to economic businesses in member countries of the European Union, Günter Verheugen, the European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry and Vice President of the European Commission, visited the Würth Group’s headquarters in Künzelsau on August 31, 2007.

Laying of the foundation stone for the Würth Industrial Park in Shenyang

Künzelsau/Shenyang. The first stone has been laid and things are supposed to advance in big steps: In the presence of Alois Wimmer, Executive Vice President of the Würth Group, and Song Qi, Deputy Mayor City of Shenyang, the foundation stone for the Würth Industrial Park in Shenyang was laid within the framework of a traditional Chinese ceremony on August 1, 2007. With that, the construction work for the project that for the time being comprises an investment volume of USD 30 million has begun.

Würth Group successfully sticks to its growth course - Business results of the Würth Group in the 1st half-year of 2007

• Trading group increases sales by 10.7 percent to EUR 4.29 billion in the first six months
• EUR 321 million operating result
• 30,000th sales representative worldwide hired at Würth Brazil
• 225th Pick-up branch opened in Germany

Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG – Sponsor of the Summer Party of the Federal President

Künzelsau/Berlin. The Baden-Württemberg company Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG sponsored this year’s summer party of Federal President Horst Köhler at the President’s residence Schloss Bellevue in Berlin on Friday, 6 July 2007.

WÜRTH MODYF GmbH & Co. KG celebrates its 10thcompany anniversary

Künzelsau. On the weekend of the anniversary, that is to say 28 – 30 June 2007, customers and persons interested are invited to come to the Würth MODYF shop in Künzelsau’s Benzstraße and join in the celebrations.

Turning the first sod for the new buildings of Free School Anne-Sophie

Künzelsau. On June 25, the time has finally come: Bettina Würth, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group and initiator of Free School Anne-Sophie turns the first sod for the new building of the reform-pedagogic school in Künzelsau-Taläcker together with her father Prof. Reinhold Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts. After its foundation in September 2006, the school has temporarily been accommodated in a former agricultural school at Zollstockweg in Künzelsau.

Würth Group successfully issues bond

Künzelsau/’s-Hertogenbosch. The Würth Group took advantage of the continuously favorable conditions in the capital markets to acquire long-term funds and very successfully issued a EUR 300 million Euro bond in the market through its financial company of Würth Finance International B.V., based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Delegation of French Senate visits the Würth Group

Künzelsau. The dual education system in Germany has an excellent international reputation since uniform and high-quality professional training and further education constitute an important reason for Germany’s economic strength. In order to obtain concrete information about this system, nine delegates from the French Senate paid a visit to the federal state of Baden-Württemberg for two days and came to the Würth Group in Künzelsau on Wednesday, 23 May 2007.

Würth Group: Issuing of Business License for Arnold Fasteners (Shenyang) Co., Ltd. in the Würth Industrial Park Shenyang, China

Künzelsau. On 24 May 2007, the mayor of Shenyang, Mr. Li Yingjie, symbolically handed over to the Würth Group the business license for Arnold Fasteners (Shenyang) Co., Ltd., which had already been issued by the municipal authorities a week before. Li visited the Group headquarters of the Würth Group in Künzelsau-Gaisbach together with a delegation of 12 representatives of the city of Shenyang and members of the committee of the Shenyang-European Union Economic Development Zone.

Würth Group plans a bond

Künzelsau/’s-Hertogenbosch. The Würth Group uses the continuing attractive conditions on the capital markets to take up long-term funds: The fixed-interest bond offered since May 14, 2007 is issued by Würth Finance International B.V. and has an expected volume of EUR 300 million and a term of seven years. The lead-managers and book-runners are Landesbank Baden-Württemberg and Deutsche Bank. The bond is given a credit rating of “A/outlook stable” by the rating agencies Standard & Poor and FitchRatings. Since the year 2000, the Würth Group has been given this rating by both agencies.

Reinhold Würth awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Palermo

Künzelsau/Palermo. Reinhold Würth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts, was awarded an honorary doctorate in art history and museography by the University of Palermo in Palermo, Italy, on 10 May 2007 in a ceremony attended by approximately 150 guests. The honor was awarded to the entrepreneur for his manifold cultural activities in Palermo.

Financial Year 2006 of the Würth Group

• Consolidated sales increase by 12 percent to EUR 7.75 billion
• Operating result goes up by 13 percent to EUR 515 million
• Equity capital rises to EUR 2.28 billion
• End of 2006: 54,906 employees worldwide

Künzelsau/Stuttgart. On Wednesday, May 9, 2007, the Künzelsau-based Würth Group presented the consolidated financial statement for the financial year 2006 in Stuttgart. “The active and professional way in which we are acting in the market as well as the dynamic development of the economic situation contributed greatly to a very successful year 2006 for the Würth Group”, said Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group.

Financial Year 2006 of the Würth Group

• Würth Group has achieved new sales records:
• … in the first quarter of 2007: more than EUR 2 billion
• … in March: EUR 764 million
• Operating result grows disproportionately to sales
• 60,000th employee hired
• Midcom, USA, and its 4,000 employees have become part of the Würth Group
• Pick-up branches complement the strategy of direct selling

Künzelsau/Hohenlohe Region. The first quarter of the current financial year has been another successful one for the Würth Group. All important key figures show considerable increases.

Official Presentation of the Prize “Select Place 2007” in the “Land of Ideas” to the Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie

Künzelsau. Within the framework of a ceremony for invited guests at Stadthalle Künzelsau Peter Bertling and Axel Hepelmann, representatives of Deutsche Bank AG - partner of the initiative “Land of Ideas”, officially presented the prize “Select Place 2007” to the Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie, a business of the Würth Group.

Future is shaped at the Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie Winner of the Competition “365 Places in the Land of Ideas” / Deutsche Bank Presents Commemorative Plaque and Certificate on behalf of the Federal President

Künzelsau. Within the framework of a ceremony for invited guests at Stadthalle Künzelsau Peter Bertling and Axel Hepelmann, representatives of Deutsche Bank AG - partner of the initiative “Land of Ideas”, officially presented the prize “Select Place 2007” to the Hotel-Restaurant Anne-Sophie, a business of the Würth Group.

Promoting interchange with the economy - future teachers visit businesses in the region

Künzelsau. Roughly twenty students of the Pädagogische Hochschule (PH) Ludwigsburg (College of Education) focusing on economics will visit six businesses in the Hohenlohe region within the framework of the "WirtschaftsPraxisProgramm WiPP" (Practical Economic Program WiPP).

First Non-Stop Flight New York-Schwäbisch Hall

The Business Year 2006 of the Würth Group: Double-Digit Growth

• Sales volume generated by the Würth Group increases by 12.0 per cent to the new record level of 7.74 billion EUR
• Operating result shows increase above proportion compared to sales
• Number of employees has jumped up to more than 54,900
• Creation of 1,000 new jobs in Germany

Künzelsau/Hohenlohe Region. In the business year 2006 the Würth Group continued its double-digit growth: The worldwide leading trading company for fasteners and assembly material based in Künzelsau (Hohenlohe Region) increased its sales volume, in accordance with the provisional financial statement, by 12.0 percent to the new record of 7.74 billion EUR.