1970-1979: The contracting firm grows

An innovative contracting business makes a name for itself

At his brand headquarters in Windhagen, Reinhard Wirtgen systematically expanded his fleet of large milling machines to as many as 100 units. He and his staff, which had meanwhile grown to 150, operated the machines in the contracting industry throughout Germany and beyond.

Because WIRTGEN successfully completed an increasing number of rehabilitation jobs via the milling process, milling was finally included as the standard procedure in invitations to tender. At the end of the 1970s, WIRTGEN succeeded in making the leap from hot milling to cold milling, which enormously increased the cost-effectiveness of the process. This was a groundbreaking step for WIRTGEN in its core area of business.

In addition, the hot recycling process was developed as a second rehabilitation method. Reinhard Wirtgen introduced it to the market with conviction – once again with machines he had built himself in his own service fleet. The company began to expand internationally by founding its first subsidiaries abroad.