Organization

Standardization is a joint effort: companies and organizations in industry, public authorities and other institutions that support the work of the DKE both financially and by sending technical experts, together constitute the DKE union of sponsors. The Council (LA) lays down the basic principles of the DKE. The chairman of the Council represents the DKE, both within the organization and in public. The Council is assisted by advisory boards that are responsible for the major areas under its purview:

• Technical Advisory Board International and National Coordination (TBINK)
• Technical Advisory Board ETSI (TBETSI)
• Technical Advisory Board Evaluation for Conformity (TBKON)
• Advisory Board Technology (BKT)
• Finance Advisory Board

The Council also represents the German committees of the IEC and CENELEC.

Exports account for around 90% of total sales in the German electrical industry. Accordingly, the work of the DKE is internationally oriented towards the IEC, and nationally structured in such a way that the DKE bodies are generally assigned as counterparts to the international bodies, while also taking CENELEC into account. Roughly 80 % of European standards correspond to the results of the IEC work: this demand-oriented focus on international standardization also constitutes the basis for ongoing development of the internal European market – yet without being confined to the markets of Europe. To help develop innovative topics and to coordinate cross-product system requirements in the converging technologies, all divisions of the DKE and their standardization bodies work closely with other organizations, the VDE technical societies and the DIN bodies.

The DKE German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE was established in 1970 by the VDE and DIN. It operates on the basis of the Standards Agreement of 1975 between the Federal Republic of Germany and DIN.

The DKE constitutes a joint organization of DIN German Institute for Standardization and the VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies – the VDE is responsible for the daily operations of the DKE.

The standards issued by the DKE are part of the German collection of standards. If the standard in question is a safety specification, it is also included in the VDE Specifications Code of safety standards.

The results of the standardization work by the IEC and CENELEC, along with the European standards of ETSI, are published in Germany by the DKE in accordance with the rules stipulated by DIN. The crucial elements of standardization in this respect are the public enquiry procedure and the principle of consensus. In its standardization activities, the DKE actively provides needs-based support for the drafting of national, European and international electrical, electronic and information technology standards designed to promote innovation and assist development.

If safety and environmental aspects are involved, regardless of the technical bodies of the DKE, the results of the standardization work may also be published as VDE application guides, with or without public enquiry procedures.

_{ENCOURAGING DIALOGUE}

The DKE is the platform for results-oriented dialogue towards the development of generally accepted electrotechnical standards. With a focus on consensus, we bring together the know-how, information and interests of all relevant interested circles and publish the results as part of the German standards collection and the VDE Specifications Code of safety standards.

_{SAFEGUARDING EXPERTISE}

The DKE is the official German expertise centre for electrotechnical standardization. We represent German interests in the European and international standardization organizations and implement the results of international standardization work in the national standards collection.

_{ENHANCING COMMITMENT}

The DKE lives from the commitment and honest cooperation of everyone involved. Technical experts contribute their know-how, companies provide resources, the DKE staff organizes the processes efficiently and provides corresponding support with a wide range of services. Our joint objective consists in acknowledged, market-oriented, state-of-the-art standards. And progress as the result of positive change.

_SAFETY

Overall safety of electrotechnical products and installations – and their related services and labour protection.

_{COMPATIBILITY}

System compatibility of products and installations in networked systems and applications.

_{MARKET ORIENTATION}

Accelerated diffusion of new technologies on the market by supporting information processes via standards and specifications

_{CONSENSUS BUILDING}

Bringing together the knowledge and the interests of all associated parties, building consensus around controversial technical issues.

_{REPRESENTATION OF INTERESTS}

Representation of German interests in the development of international and European standards in order to eliminate obstacles to trade and to open up markets worldwide.

_QUALITY

Maintaining a high level of up-to-date technical rules in a consistent and widely accepted portfolio of standards which are oriented towards market and consumer requirements.

_{CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT}

Worldwide acknowledgement of conformity assessment results.

_{EXPANDING THE HORIZON}

Encouraging dialogue, safeguarding expertise and enhancing commitment: these are the maxims of the DKE and the factors involved in evolving the full power of standardization: for comprehensive safety of electrotechnical products in the interests of the consumer and the environment. Global opening of the markets by augmenting system compatibility and removing technical trade barriers. Successful development and swift implementation of technical progress for the sake of society as a whole.

The first safety regulations are created

• In 1893, the VDE’s first committee developed “Regulations for the erection of electrical low-voltage systems”. Two years later, “safety regulations for high-voltage systems” followed.
• In January of 1896, the Elektrotechnischen Zeitschrift (ETZ (Electrotechnical Magazine)) published the precursor to the current DIN VDE 0100 standard “Erecting low-voltage electrical systems”.
• In 1904, VDE presenteds its first “Normalien-Buch” (Book of Standards).

Electrical engineering in Germany begins to organize itself

• In 1879, Werner von Siemens and the Imperial Postmaster General Heinrich von Stephan founded the first “Elektrotechnischer Verein” (Association of Electrical Engineers). It covered all areas of electrical engineering and set itself the task of promoting and further developing the technical applications of electricity and cultivating the scientific basis. Other electrotechnical associations are formed.
• In 1893, the representatives of the electrotechnical associations merged their organizations into one: the “Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker” ((VDE) Association of German Electrotechnicians).

National and international standardizations are formed

• The first national standardization institute, the “Engineering Standards Committee” (today the the British Standards Institution) was founded in Great Britain in 1901.
• In 1906, with VDE’s participation, the “International Electrotechnical Commission” (IEC) was launched.
• In 1917, the “Normenausschuss der Deutschen Industrie” (German Industrial Standards Committee) was founded and renamed as the “Deutscher Normenausschuß” (German Standards Committee) 9 years later.
• In 1920, Austria laid the foundation stone for the “Österreichisches Normungsinstitut” (Austrian Standardization Institute).
• In 1970, DIN and VDE merged all German electrotechnical associations into the Deutschen Kommission Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik ((DKE) German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies). The only competent body for electrotechnical standardization in the then Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and for representing German interests on the international level.
• Since 1975, DKE’s position has been legally acknowledged in the “Standards Agreement” concluded between DIN and the FRG and from then on, DIN has been called the “Deutsches Institut für Normung” (German Institute for Standardization).