AEG: История немецкого электротехнического концерна (1883–1996)

1883–1996 electrical equipment and aircraft manufacturer of Germany

; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the Deutsche Edison Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität in Berlin. 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 labour from concentration camps. After World War II, its headquarters moved to Frankfurt am Main. In 1967, AEG joined with its subsidiary Telefunken AG, creating Allgemeine Elektricitäts Gesellschaft AEG Telefunken. In 1985, Daimler Benz purchased the AEG Telefunken Aktiengesellschaft (which was renamed to AEG Aktiengesellschaft) and wholly integrated the company in 1996 into Daimler Benz AG (1998: DaimlerChrysler). The remains of AEG became part of Adtranz (later Bombardier Transportation) and Deutsche Aerospace (1998: DASA, today part of Airbus SE). After acquiring the AEG household subsidiary AEG Hausgeräte GmbH in 1994, Electrolux obtained the rights to the AEG brand name in 2005, which it now uses on some of its products. The AEG name is also licensed to various brand partners under the Electrolux Global Brand Licensing program.

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 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 Encyclopedia 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. 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 (from 1979 on only 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 GmbH was sold. In 1985, the company re took 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 GmbH in 1994, now own the rights to use and license the AEG brand.

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. AEG worked extensively with the Nazi party in Poland. AEG was forced to relinquish Kabelwerk Krakow, a cable manufacturing plant, to the Nazi party. Kabelwerk Krakow was located in Krakow Plaszow and used forced Jewish labor manufacturing cables from 1942 to 1944. In 1943, AEG began to relocate goods and evacuate workers. Goods were relocated to various places, including Berlin and Sudetenland. When installing electric and lighting systems for the Waffen SS training grounds in Dębica, AEG used forced labor from Jews placed in the Pustkow labor camp located in south east Poland. During World War II, an AEG factory near Riga used female slave labour. AEG was also contracted for the production of electrical equipment at Auschwitz concentration camp. AEG used slave labour from Camp No. 36 at the new sub camp of Auschwitz III and also known as Monowitz, called "Arbeitslager Blechhammer". Most of them would die in 1945 during the death marches and finally in Buchenwald. AEG was a major supplier of grips for P38 pistols manufactured by Walther Arms, Mauser, as well as on the early wartime Spreewerk P38s. In an effort to express regret for its use of Jewish slave labour in World War II, AEG joined with Rheinmetall, Siemens, Krupp, and I G Farben to pay DEM75 million in reparations to the Jewish Claims Conference.

AEG played an important role in the history of the German railways; the company was involved on the development and manufacture of the electrical parts of almost all German electric locomotive series and contributed to the introduction of electrical power in German railways. Additionally many steam locomotives were made in AEG factories. In 1931 the company acquired Borsig and transferred the locomotive production to the AEG Borsig works (Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH) from the Borsig plant in Tegel. In 1948 the plant became VEB Lokomotivbau Elektrotechnische Werke. In addition to numerous electric locomotives produced for the DR steam locomotive production continued until 1954. When the Federal Republic of Germany began implementing AC propulsion systems AEG found itself in competition with Brown, Boveri & Cie. The prototype DB Class E320 was built with Krupp as dual voltage (15 kV and 25 kV AC) test machine, the technology ultimately leading to locomotives such as DB Class 120 and ICE 1. Only after German reunification and the adoption of the LEW plant in Hennigsdorf did AEG's name return to whole locomotive manufacturing, but only for a short time. "AEG locomotives GmbH " became part of ABB Daimler Benz Transportation (later ADtranz) and currently the technology developed in the past, in part, now enables Alstom to build the very successful Traxx series of locomotives. AEG also built the Hellenic Railways TRAINOSE Class 520 DMUs between 1989/1990/1991 and 1994/1995/1996.

AEG manufactured a range of aircraft from 1912 to 1918. The first aircraft in 1912 was of wooden construction and modeled after the Wright brothers biplane. It had a wingspan of ; was powered by an eight cylinder engine producing 75 hp; unloaded weight was 850 kg; and could attain a speed of From 1912, the construction of airplanes proceeded in mixed wood and steel tube construction with fabric covering. One of the planes designed and built was a Riesenflugzeug ("giant aircraft") AEG R. I. This aircraft was powered by four Mercedes D. IVa engines linked to a combination leather cone and dog clutch. The first flight tests were satisfactory, but on 3 September 1918, the R. I broke up in the air killing its seven crewmen. The most successful in terms of production figures of all the AEG aircraft designs was that of the G. IV Grossflugzeuge ("large aircraft") heavy tactical bomber, of which one still survives of the 320 built, as the sole surviving World War One German multi engine bomber. During the Second World War AEG produced machines for reconnaissance purposes, including a helicopter platform driven by an AC motor. This was a tethered craft that could not fly freely; the power supply was carried by three cables from the ground. The machine reached an altitude of 300 m.

Name From To Emil Rathenau 1887 1915 Felix Deutsch 1915 1928 de 1928 January 1946 Walther Bernhard January 1946 May 1947 de May 1947 December 1955 de January 1956 February 1961 Hugo Bäurle March 1961 January 1962 Hans C. Boden February 1962 September 1962 de October 1962 December 1964 Berthold Gamer January 1965 December 1965 Hans Bühler January 1966 June 1970 Hans Groebe June 1970 July 1976 Walter Cipa July 1976 January 1980 Heinz Dürr February 1980 December 1990 lt=Ernst Stöckl January 1991 September 1996