The Würth Group (Würth-Gruppe, ˈvʏʁtɡʁʊpə) is a worldwide wholesaler of fasteners, screws and screw accessories, dowels, chemicals, electronic and electromechanical components, furniture and construction fittings, tools, machines, installation material, automotive hardware, inventory management, storage and retrieval systems. The group of over 400 companies across 80+ countries has been servicing the Automotive, Woodworking, Metalworking, Industrial and Construction industries with a strong presence across Europe. Würth was founded in 1945 by Adolf Würth in Künzelsau, Germany. The company has been run by his son Reinhold Würth since 1954. Würth was founded by Adolf Würth (1909–1954), established for the purpose of selling screws in 1945 in Künzelsau (hence the company logo, which consists of the family name and a W of 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 been active in the distribution of fasteners and tools with approximately 125,000 different products in these lines. Its more than 3,9 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 81,000 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. Unlike other trading companies, Würth spends much on research and development.