DEKRA is a European vehicle inspection company founded in Berlin, Germany in 1925 as Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein. With approximately 45,000 employees and revenues of roughly €3.3 billion, DEKRA is the largest inspection company in Germany and the third-largest in the world. By its own account, it is the European market leader. The group focuses on the inspection of vehicles and technical systems, but also offers other services. DEKRA has had its headquarters in Stuttgart since 1946. Business operations are carried out by DEKRA SE, which is wholly owned by DEKRA e. V.
Tasks
DEKRA’s main tasks include the periodic inspection of motor vehicles, expert appraisals, safety inspections and the inspection of technical systems. Other products and services include damage reports, accident analyses and technical reports, industrial testing services, initial and in-service training, temporary work, outplacement, certifications, environmental protection, materials testing, product testing, building surveys, corporate consultancy and specialist publications. DEKRA’s range of services also includes safety engineering and occupational medicine support for businesses in accordance with professional association regulations. In former West Germany, DEKRA operates as an “officially recognised inspection organisation”. In former East Germany and Berlin, the association also has the status of a “technical testing centre for automobile traffic” with the accompanying expertise. DEKRA operates 480 branches throughout Germany and carries out regular vehicle inspections at 38,500 inspection sites. The DEKRA Academy, which is responsible for initial and in-service training, is represented at 150 locations. It is one of the largest private training companies in Germany. As of 2009, you can obtain a Bachelor of Arts in the subjects of television and film, journalism and media management at DEKRA Hochschule Berlin, a university of applied sciences. On November 1, 2017 DEKRA acquired the EuroSpeedway Lausitz as a test site, especially for autonomous driving.
Group structure
The DEKRA e. V. association has nearly 44,000 members. They are primarily companies with fleets of commercial vehicles, such as carriers, that are supported technically and commercially by DEKRA. The association also provides employee training for companies engaged in the safe transport of dangerous goods or substances. DEKRA e. V. holds 100% of the shares in DEKRA SE. It acts as a holding company for the subsidiaries organised into the following three business units:
DEKRA Automotive
DEKRA Industrial
DEKRA Personnel
Overall, the group has more than 230 subsidiaries and holdings in over 50 countries.
Key figures
In the 2018 financial year, the expert organisation achieved one of the best results in its history. Revenues increased by 6.6% to roughly €3.34 billion. DEKRA is in third place among certification and inspection companies worldwide after SGS and Bureau Veritas. As of 31 December 2018, DEKRA has around 45,057 employees throughout the group.
History
DEKRA was founded in Berlin in 1925 as Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein. No inspections were made during World War II. In 1961, DEKRA was recognised as an official inspection association. The first DEKRA training centre was opened in Wart in 1977. DEKRA AG was founded in 1990 and took over the work of the association. DEKRA ETS was founded in 1991 and took on technical safety, materials testing and construction tasks. DEKRA Umwelt was founded in 1993 in cooperation with the Kölnische Rückversicherung reinsurance company. Further partnerships followed in Eastern Europe beginning in 1993. On 13 July 2010, DEKRA AG was renamed DEKRA SE, becoming a European Company. Since 2003, DEKRA has been the official sponsor of the referees of the German Football Association. DEKRA attained a high level of global recognition between 1991 and 1995 as Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher's exclusive advertising partner and continue recently with Nico Hülkenberg. DEKRA has been the technical partner and sponsor of DTM since 1989.
SafetyCheck
DEKRA offers free visual and functional inspection in all of its branches under the name SafetyCheck during a promotion period in the spring of each year. The vehicle inspection does not fulfil the requirements of Section 29 of the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations and has no effect on the inspection sticker.
