History in 130 years – from zero to 36 thousand

Year

Description

2023

VDE founded 130 years ago

2018

2017

VDE intoduces its new corporate design and its commitment for the future: VDE – for a worthwhile future

2016

VDE and DKE organize the 80th General Meeting of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) in Frankfurt.

The VDE / BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) student initiative INVENT a CHIP celebrates its

2015

95th anniversary of the VDE mark.

2012

The VDE Institute celebrates the opening of its VDE-Testlab Battery and Environment with a ceremony and an industry event on safety in the field of e-mobility.

1996

25th anniversary of the DKE German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies.

1995

100th anniversary of the first VDE regulation “VDE 0100”.

75th anniversary of the VDE Testing and Certification Institute.

1993

100 years after its founding, VDE has now 34 regional associations. VDE also has 36,000 members – including engineers, technicians and scientists as well as some 1,000 companies, research institutes and public authorities.

The association celebrates its 100th anniversary with the congress "Energy – Information – Innovation: Technologies for Society and the Environment” in Berlin.

1973 

In Brussels, CENELEC is established as the successor organization of both CENELCOM (for the EC countries) and CENEL (for the EC and EFTA countries). The main task of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization is to promote the harmonization of national standards.

1972

EUREL is founded to support the exchange of experience as well as joint activities of electrical engineers and scientists. 17 organizations from 14 European countries are united in the Convention of National Associations of Electrical Engineers of Western Europe.

1970

DIN (German Institute for Standardization) and VDE establish the “DKE German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies” to summarize electrotechnical standardization work. Thus, there is only one authority for electrotechnical standardization in the Federal Republic of Germany: the DKE which is legally supported by the VDE. It also represents German interests in international standardization organizations for electrical engineering.

1920

A central VDE testing center is set up at Potsdamer Strasse in Berlin, where the association is located. Its task: Testing of electrical products on their compliance with the existing VDE regulations. This is followed by the first legally protected registration of the "VDE mark" – an offer that only a few manufacturers make use of. Only with the stabilization of the currency – starting from 1924 – the number of testing applications increases. 10 years later, already 3,904 products bear the VDE mark.

1906

With the participation of the VDE, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is founded in London and joined by 24 countries.

1904

VDE’s first "book for standards" is published. It contains 183 pages and 17 provisions.

1895

The first VDE regulation “VDE 0100” (for the safe construction of electrical systems) is passed.

1893

The foundation conference of the VDE takes place in Berlin from January 21 to 22. 37 delegates of the German electrotechnical associations, the first of which was founded in 1879, adopt the founding protocol and elect the first management board.

The newly founded association holds its first annual meeting from September 28 to 30 in Cologne. Also, the first technical commission of the VDE is established at this meeting. Its task is to develop regulations on electrical systems.