AEG (German company)

AEG AG
Company typeAktiengesellschaft
IndustryElectrical industry
PredecessorGesellschaft für elektrische Unternehmungen [de]
Founded1883 in Berlin as Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität
FounderEmil Rathenau
Defunct2 October 1996 (brand rights acquired by Electrolux)
HeadquartersBerlin, later Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Ernst Stöckl [de] (1996)
ProductsElectrical power generation and transmission
Telecommunication (Phones and Mobile Phones)
Automation
Transportation and Automotive
Home appliances
Personal Care
Machine Tools
Projectors
Printing equipment and Supplies
RevenueDecrease DM 20.5 billion (1995)
Number of employees
11,000 (1995)
ParentElectrolux
Websiteaeg.com
Founder Emil Rathenau

Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (German for 'General electricity company JSC';[2] AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established 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[3] 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.[4]

During the Second World War, AEG worked with the Nazi Party and benefited from forced labour from concentration camps.[5] After the war, 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.

  1. ^ "One of the OGs".
  2. ^ "Aktien und Historische Wertpapiere Geschichte der AEG". www.dm-aktie.de. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Emil Rathenau and the German Electrical Industry". scihi.org. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  4. ^ "AEG's journey from global electrics giant to major appliance brand". Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. ^ Markham, James M. (9 January 1986). "Company Linked to Nazi Slave Labor Pays $2 Million". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 November 2020.