Code of compliance Würth Group

THE WÜRTH GROUP

The Würth Group is the global market leader in the trade of fastening and assembly materials. Adolf Würth laid the foundation in 1945 when he set up Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG in Künzelsau, a simple screw company that would later become the parent company of the Würth Group. After his father’s early death in 1954, Reinhold Würth (the current Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts) took over the family business at the age of 19, at that time with an annual sales volume of EUR 80,000. The company began to expand into international territory in 1962 as the first company abroad was founded in the Netherlands. Today, the Group has more than 400 companies and operates in over 80 countries.

The business units of the Würth Group are divided into Würth Line companies and Allied Companies. The Würth Line companies are responsible for the Group’s conventional core business, the sale of assembly and fastening materials. Our high quality demands are applied to more than 125,000 products: screws, bolts, screw accessories, anchors, chemical products, furniture and building fittings, tools, storage and retrieval systems, and protective equipment for professional users. The Allied Companies operate in similar business areas with sales or manufacturing companies. Financial service providers as well as hotels and restaurants are also included in this unit.

An extraordinary company philosophy

The Würth brand is synonymous with high-quality products and outstanding services. However, the Würth Group is not simply a trading company for assembly and fastening materials. The long-term success of our company is underpinned by our extraordinary corporate philosophy and the common values that shape the way we work day to day.

Our visionary thinking drives us to achieve new milestones time and again, and allows our family business to grow in a sustainable manner. In doing so, we encourage all of our employees to contribute their ideas and creativity to help us in our endeavors. Demanding and promoting performance is firmly embedded in Würth’s corporate culture. We live by the rules we set: to work with a sense of optimism, responsibility and mutual respect.

Mutual trust, reliability, honesty and straightforwardness, both inwards and outwards, are the fundamental principles deeply ingrained in the Würth Group’s corporate culture. Our commitment to these values was first laid down in the Corporate Philosophy which was written by Reinhold Würth in the 1970s.

These principles do not just include adhering to all applicable rules and laws, but also the proper mindset of the employees which constitutes an integral part of the sustained corporate success of the Würth Group. And it is our goal to promote this mindset. At the same time, this mindset entails our employees’ strict adherence to all applicable national and international rules and laws. To make these principles more transparent for our employees as well as our customers, suppliers and other business partners, we have developed practical rules of conduct on the basis of our corporate values, which are summarized in the Code of Compliance of the Würth Group.

The Code of Compliance contains minimum requirements which must be observed by all employees of the Würth Group worldwide. Every employee therefore has to be familiar with the Code of Compliance and commit to the fundamental principles and rules of conduct contained therein. The management bodies and executives of our companies bear a special responsibility as they have a role model function.

This Code of Compliance is supported by the firm conviction of the Würth family, the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts, the Advisory Board and the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group that a living compliance culture constitutes an integral part of our further sustained success.

Against this backdrop and in the interest of the Würth Group and all its employees, we would ask you to commit to the principles laid down in the Code of Compliance of the Würth Group in your everyday work.