Technischer Überwachungsverein

TÜVs (German pronunciation: [ˈtʏf]; short for German: Technischer Überwachungsverein, English: Technical Inspection Association) are German businesses that certify the safety and rule-compliance of products of all kinds. As independent consultants, they examine factory plants, motor vehicles, energy installations, amusement rides, devices and products (e.g. consumer goods) which are subject to mandatory monitoring. Subsidiaries of the TÜVs can also act as project developers for energy and traffic concepts, and as problem solvers in environmental protection, which can represent a conflict of interest with the TÜVs' role as certification bodies. Many of the TÜV organizations also provide certification for various international standards, such as ISO9001:2008 (quality management system) and ISO/TS16949 (automotive quality management system).

The sign “TÜV” is protected by numerous domestic and foreign trademark registrations and applications consisting of the sign “TÜV”.

The TÜVs as a group became part of the German economy 150 years ago (2016 is the anniversary year), as part of the public and workplace safety initiatives of the time. To increase the safety of their equipment, steam engine and boiler owners founded regional "Dampfkessel-Überwachungs- und Revisions-Vereine" (DÜV) (steam boiler supervision and revision associations) as self-help organizations to independently supervise their boilers. Their success in preventing accidents was such that in 1871 membership in such an association relieved an owner from government inspections of their boilers.

Because of their success in preventing steam accidents they were trusted with other inspection tasks, and the DÜVs became the TÜVs. In 1870 there were 43 TÜVs in total. They were geographically based, as they are today, hence the names, SÜD, NORD, Rheinland, etc. A major part of their business is still based on the inspection and certification of boiler and pressure equipment. Over the years, the 43 TÜVs merged and now there are five TÜVs remaining in Germany (TÜV SÜD, TÜV NORD, TÜV Rheinland, TÜV Thüringen, and TÜV Saarland / SGS TÜV plus one in Austria (TÜV Austria). The largest is the SÜD group with 19,000 employees and 800 locations worldwide. The only commercial certification body in the world that competes with TÜVs, taken together as a group, is Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), with more than 80,000 employees and headquarter in Switzerland.

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