AEG (Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft "General Electricity Company") was a German electrical equipment manufacturer founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau in Berlin. While the company is officially defunct as of 1996, the brand is currently owned (since 2005) and used by Swedish company Electrolux, which also licenses it to various brand partners.
The company's initial focus was driven by electrical lighting, as in 1881, Rathenau had acquired the rights to the electric light bulb at the International Exposition of Electricity in Paris. Using small power stations, his company introduced electrical lighting to cafés, restaurants, and theaters, despite the high costs and limitations. By the end of the 19th century, AEG had constructed 248 power stations, providing a total of 210,000 hp of electricity for lighting, tramways, and household devices.
During the Second World War, AEG worked with the Nazi Party and benefited from forced labor in Nazi concentration camps. After the war, its headquarters moved to Frankfurt am Main. In 1967, AEG joined with its subsidiary Telefunken. In 1982, AEG-Telefunken had to file for bankruptcy, after which in 1985, Daimler-Benz purchased AEG. The company was eventually carved up in the 1990s: after its naval, radar and defense electronics became part of Deutsche Aerospace, its rail infrastructure became part of Adtranz, its electrical grid business sold to GEC Alsthom, and other divisions sold to others. Its diesel engine division, automotive electronics and postal automation parts were directly integrated into Daimler-Benz,Daimler-Benz absorbs AEG and AEG formally dissolved in 1996.
Name During its lifetime, the company was known under various names, including AEG Daimler-Benz Industrie AG, Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektrizität AG, Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft AG, Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft AEG-Telefunken AG, AEG-Telefunken AG and AEG AG.
History
Summary
In 1883, Emil Rathenau founded Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität in Berlin. In 1888, it was renamed as Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. Initially producing electrical equipment (such as light bulbs, motors, and generators), the company soon became involved in AC electric-transmission systems. In 1907, Peter Behrens was appointed as artistic consultant to AEG. This led to the creation of the company's initial corporate identity, with products and advertising sharing common design features.The Father of Industrial Design aeg.com
The company expanded in the first half of the 20th century, and it is credited with a number of firsts and inventions in electrical engineering. During the same period, it entered the automobile and airplane markets. Electrical equipment for railways was produced during this time, beginning a long history of supplying the German railways with electrical equipment. According to the 1930 Encyclopædia Britannica: "Prior to 1923, it was the largest electrical manufacturing concern in Germany and one of the most important industrial undertakings in the world."
During the Second World War, AEG joined with other large companies such as IG Farben, Thyssen, and Krupp in their support of the Nazis. The company benefited from the use of large numbers of forced labourers, as well as concentration-camp prisoners, under inhuman conditions of work.The Mazal Library: NMT, Volume VII, pp. 557 Archived 13 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine (Document D-203 pages 557–562), The Farben Case Archived 1 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
After WWII, the company lost its businesses in the eastern part of Germany. After a merger in 1967, the company was renamed Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AEG-Telefunken, and from 1979 on, only as AEG-Telefunken. The company experienced financial difficulties during the 1970s, resulting in the sale of some assets. In 1983, the consumer electronics division Telefunken Fernseh und Rundfunk was sold. In 1985, the company retook the name AEG and the remainder of the company was acquired by Daimler-Benz; the parts that remained were primarily related to electric power distribution and electric motor technology. Under Daimler-Benz ownership, the former AEG companies eventually became part of the newly named Adtranz in 1995, and the AEG name was no longer used. Electrolux, which had already acquired the household subsidiary AEG Hausgeräte in 1994, now own the rights to use and license the AEG brand.
Foundation to 1940
The company originated in 1882, when Emil Rathenau acquired licences to use some of Thomas Edison's lamp patents in Germany.Timeline 1882 The Deutsche Edison Gesellschaft ("German Edison Company") was founded in 1883 with the financial backing of banks and private individuals, with Emil Rathenau as company director.Timeline 1883
In 1884, Munich-born engineer Oskar von Miller (who later founded Deutsches Museum) joined the executive board. The same year, the company entered negotiations with the Berlin Magistrat (the municipal body) to supply electricity to a large area from a central supply, which resulted in the formation of the Städtischen Elektrizitätswerke (A.G.StEW)After 1887 called the Berliner Elektricitäts-Werke (BEW) ("City electricity works company (Berlin)") on 8 May 1884.Timeline 1884
The original factory was located near Stettiner Bahnhof. In 1887, the company acquired land in the Berlin-Gesundbrunnen area on which the Weddingsche Maschinenfabrik (founded by Wilhelm Wedding) was previously located. In the same year, in addition to a restructuring and expansion of the production range, the AEG name was adopted.Timeline 1885–1887
In 1887, Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrowolsky joined the company as chief engineer, later becoming vice-director. His work on polyphase electric power led him to become the world's leading engineer in three-phase electric power systems at the end of the 1880s.Timeline 1888–1889
In 1891, Miller and Dobrovolski demonstrated the transmission of electrical power over a distance of from a hydroelectric power plant in Lauffen am Neckar to Frankfurt, where it lit 1000 light bulbs and drove an artificial waterfall at the International Electrotechnical Exhibition in Frankfurt am Main. This success marked one of beginnings of the general use of alternating current for electrification in Germany, and showed that distance transmission of electric power could be economically useful. In the same year, the Stadtbahn Halle/Saale (City railway Halle–Saale) opened the first electric tram system (of notable size) in Germany.Timeline 1890–1891
Tropp Paul began his work for the AEG from 1889/90 until 1893, and Franz Schwechten designed the facades of the Acker- und Hussitenstraße in 1894–95.
In 1894, the site of the former Berlin Viehmarktgasse (cattle market alley) was purchased. This had a railroad siding connecting to the Berlin rail network, but no rail connection existed between the two plants. In 1895, an underground railway link between the two plots was built in a tunnel 270 meters long. The tunnel was built by Siemens & Halske under the direction of C. Schwebel and Wilhelm Lauter, who were also connected in the building of what is now the Spree tunnel Stralau used by the U-Bahn.
By 1889, AEG were known as specialists in the construction of industrial portable drilling machines, some of which were driven by flexible shafts from electric motors. AEG also developed a toothed-belt drive to reduce motor speed down to that required by machine tools.
In 1903, the competing radio companies AEG and Siemens & Halske merged, forming a joint subsidiary named Telefunken.Timeline 1903
In 1907, architect Peter Behrens became an artistic adviser.Timeline 1904–1907 Responsible for the design of all products, advertising, and architecture, he has since become considered as the world's first corporate designer. Behren's philosophy was to create a building which is solid, strong and simple in its structure. It is perfect for doing its job of producing large, heavy machinery. The dimensions of the building were chosen to allow turbines to be transported above other machinery.
In the 1920s, AEG became a global supplier of electrical know-how and equipment. In 1923, for example, it provided most of the essential materials and a team of engineers to oversee the electrification of British-ruled Palestine. British firms, at the time, could not compete with the prices of AEG.Ronen Shamir (2013) Current Flow: The Electrification of Palestine. Stanford: Stanford University Press
The activity of the company soon extended to all areas of electrical power engineering, including electric lighting, electric power, electric railways, and electrochemical plants, as well as the construction of steam turbines, automobiles, cables, and cable materials. In the first decades, the company had many factories in and around Berlin: Maschinenfabrik Brunnenstrasse (steam turbines, dynamos, electric motors) Apparatewerk Ackerstrasse (carbon-filament and metal thread light bulbs, Nernst lamps, switches, fuses, resistors, electrical measuring equipment, dynamos, electric motors) Kabelwerk Oberspree (KWO, cables, copper and metal works, rubber fabrication, insulator fabrication) Transformatorenwerk Oberspree (TRO, transformers) Glühlampenfabrik Moabit (1907–1912, carbon-filament and metal thread light bulbs, Nernst lamps, Vacuum tubes) — later became part of Osram, from 1939 on Telefunken Turbinenfabrik (1909, steam turbines) — famous as an example of industrial architecture Apparate-Werke Treptow (AT – 1926, arc lamps, switches, fuses, controls, starters, electrical measuring equipment)
A number of other notable events involving AEG occurred in this period: 1900: Invention of the hairdryer 1901: The Neue Automobil Gesellschaft ("New Automotive Company") became part of AEG through the takeover of Allgemeine Automobil-Gesellschaft.Timeline 1900–1901 27 October 1903: An AEG-equipped experimental three-phase railcar achieved a speed of on the test track of the Königlich Preußische Militär-Eisenbahn (Royal Prussian Military Railway) between Marienfelde and Zossen. This world speed record for rail vehicles was held until 1931. 1904: Merger of AEG with the Union-Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (UEG) (literal: Union-electricity Company) 1910: Factory Hennigsdorf -entry into the aircraft building marketTimeline 1910–1911 1929: AEG produced its first compressor-driven refrigerators and temperature controlled irons.Timeline 1926–1930 1933: AEG joined other large manufacturing companies to support Adolf Hitler. 1935: Presentation of the world's first tape device Magnetophon K1 based on work by Eduard Schüller at the Berlin Radio ShowTimeline 1931–1935 1941: AEG bought Siemens & Halske shares in Telefunken and the company became a subsidiary.
On 20 June 1915, founder Emil Rathenau died at age 77.Timeline 1915–1916
The Nazi era and World War II
AEG donated 60,000 Reichsmarks to the Nazi party after the Secret Meeting of 20 February 1933 at which the twin goals of complete power and national rearmament were explained by Hitler. They joined with other large companies, such as IG Farben, Thyssen and Krupp, in their support of the Nazis, especially in promoting re-armament of the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine. During the war itself, they were to use large numbers of forced labourers as well as concentration camp prisoners, under inhuman conditions of work.The Mazal Library: NMT, Volume VII, pp. 567 (Document NI-391 pages 565–568), The Farben Case The Mazal Library: NMT, Volume VII, pp. 557 (Document D-203 pages 557–562), The Farben Case