|
Originally a pioneer in damage research, we are now a renowned institute
with unique know-how in loss prevention and corporate risk management.
Allianz Leads the Way
On 1 January 1900, Allianz became the first German insurance company to
insure mechanical plant against operating risks. The aim from the outset was
to make the perceptions gained from causes of damage available to interested
companies. Building on this basic idea, Allianz once again led the way in
1932, becoming the first insurance company to set up its own materials
testing center. It also became the first institution in the world to devote
itself entirely to damage research.
Prevention Becomes the Motto
Even in the Berlin period, a wide range of cases of damage -- burst pipes in
steam boilers, blade damage in turbines, broken piston rods in steam engines
and damage to diesel engines, construction machines, etc. -- was
investigated. All investigations were fully documented, and every report
contained recommendations as to how similar damage could be prevented or
minimized. Establishing the cause of damage remained one of the main tasks
of the testing center. But it was not long before preventative monitoring
became another main concern of the Berlin operation. Its work had clearly
demonstrated how inspection, testing and maintenance could prevent many
cases of damage to technical equipment.
From Berlin to Munich
After 1945, the testing center in Berlin continued under the name of
Werstoff-Untersuchungs-GmbH and was leased by Allianz a short time later. In
1949 Allianz Versicherungs-AG moved to Munich. In the long term, the
distance between the testing center in Berlin and the engineering division
of the insurance company had a negative effect on the coordination of the
contracts for test work. The laboratories were in dire need of extension so
the test laboratory moved to Ismaning near Munich in 1962 -- bringing it
closer to the insurance company again. In 1969 the testing center was given
a new name: the Allianz Zentrum für Technik (AZT). Now a GmbH (limited
company), AZT (or, in English, the Allianz Center for Technology) is a 100%
subsidiary of Allianz AG.
The Range of Services Grows
The Allianz Center for Technology was expanded step by step, with new teams
of experts being formed all the time. Their specialist areas included
structure-borne noise measurement, vibration engineering, non-destructive
testing, organic chemistry and physics. Nuclear, fire and calibration
laboratories were added to the existing facilities. At the same time the
center's range of services was consistently extended.
The Automotive Institute was established in 1971 and operates in parallel
with the Industrial Technology area. A risk and quality management
consultancy service was added to the previously purely technical services in
1995. During the following year, the consultancy portfolio was extended to
include environmental management systems. Since 2001, the portfolio also
includes technical and environmental due diligence services. In addition,
the AZT is a technical partner of the BMW.WilliamsF1 team (Formula One
racing).
| 
