By Eduard Wolter
Published on
Reinhold Würth describes the period from 1945 to 2026 as Germany’s 80 golden years, without war, with increasing prosperity and a functioning democracy.
“My professional development and career can also be compared with the development of the Federal Republic of Germany. My father Adolf was able to found the Würth company in Künzelsau a few days after the end of the Second World War. I joined this two-man company as an apprentice in 1949 and had to continue running it as a 19-year-old after my father’s rapid death in 1954, which was a great success.”
The golden years of Germany are over
Today, the Würth Group has 86,000 employees, generated annual sales of around €20.7 billion in 2025 and has grown by an average of 19.3% per year since its foundation.
For the entrepreneur, however, the turn of the millennium marked a change in mentality in Germany.
As almost everyone has achieved a secure livelihood and a certain level of prosperity, the interest of working people in further career steps has declined. Germans have turned their attention to the family and preparing a future for their children that is as stress-free as possible.
In an opinion piece for Euronews, Würth laments: “This has led to the reorientation of an entire generation away from the stressful process of building their own survival strategy towards a secure, comfortable life. Worried about war? Not a thing. Stress at work? Not a thing. After completing their education, a trip around the world paid for by their parents? But yes!”
Germany’s immune system is no longer trained
His conclusion: the children and grandchildren of the baby boomer generation love convenience and in working life, Friday afternoon is now part of the weekend, whereas it used to start on Saturday afternoon.
Reinhold Würth’s company is represented in 80 countries with over 2,800 branches. The “king of screws” states that by 2026, Germany’s immune system will no longer be trained and will now have to be revitalised with “endless effort.”
The companies are no longer competitive due to the “excessive wage demands of the trade unions”. Würth’s analysis is drastic: production costs per unit in other EU countries “are up to 50% cheaper than in Germany. This means that products manufactured in Germany are no longer competitive on the global market, and workers in production facilities that have closed in Germany are losing their jobs. The deindustrialisation of Germany is a spiral towards the basement.”
Electronics, IT and AI as an opportunity
Reinhold Würth, who has made the Würth Group the global market leader in the trade of assembly and fastening materials for trade and industry, sees an opportunity above all in the fields of electronics, IT and artificial intelligence. Germany should compete with the US giants Google and Apple, set up its own national clouds and, above all, “innovate in the field of artificial intelligence.”
A sense of togetherness
The entrepreneurial legend also appeals to Germans to stick together. Reunification is a role model. “Millions were moved to tears back then,” says Würth, “that was a high point in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.”
In view of the danger of a world war, the Germans needed “a sense of unity and not strikes for higher company pensions after retirement.”
Prof. Dr h. c. mult. Reinhold Würth, is Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts. The Würth Group, based in Künzelsau, is the global market leader in the trade of assembly and fastening materials for trade and industry. In January 2026, Forbes estimated his wealth at $41.9 billion and temporarily ranked him and his family as among the richest Germans.