DVS

What DVS does

DVS – Deutscher Verband für Schweißen und verwandte Verfahren e. V. is the leading German technical-scientific association (eingetragener Verein) for joining, separating, and coating technologies (Fügetechnik). Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Düsseldorf at Aachener Straße 172, DVS serves 17,000 members — industry companies, skilled workers, engineers, students, and apprentices — through five regional Landesverbände and more than 70 locations across Germany. Its remit covers welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, cutting, coating, testing, and additive manufacturing across metallic and non-metallic materials.

The core offering sits on three pillars. First, technical standardization via the DVS-Regelwerk, a body of ~500 proprietary guidelines and Merkblätter maintained through 200 expert committees and 15 research committees (Fachausschüsse) that connect industry companies with research institutes including ISF Aachen, RWTH Aachen, TU Dresden, and ifw Jena. Second, personnel certification through the wholly-owned subsidiary DVS-PersZert, which is DAkkS-accredited and operates as the German Authorised National Body for both the European Welding Federation (EWF) and the International Institute of Welding (IIW); more than 100,000 skilled workers are qualified annually through this network. Third, applied research, events (DVS CONGRESS, ROBOTER, ITSC, IIW Annual Assembly), and specialist publishing via DVS Media GmbH, including the DVS MAGAZIN member magazine.

DVS operates a community-led, membership-based business model. Revenue is generated from recurring annual membership dues (with free membership for students and apprentices as a pipeline-building measure), fees from DVS-PersZert certification and education services, event registration and sponsorship, and specialist publications. Subsidiaries include DVS-PersZert (certification), DVS Media GmbH (publishing), and the five regional Landesverbände (Nord, Ost, Süd, Südwest, West). Leadership comprises President Susanne Szczesny-Oßing and CEO (Hauptgeschäftsführer) Dr.-Ing. Roland Boecking. The organization holds multiple regulatory designations — DAkkS, EWF ANB, IIW ANB, ZLS, AZAV, and SGB-Träger status — that collectively give it a near-monopoly on internationally recognized welding and joining-technology certification in Germany.

Name

DVS

Legal name

DVS – Deutscher Verband für Schweißen und verwandte Verfahren e. V.

Website

https://dvs-home.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DVS is the leading German technical-scientific non-profit association for joining, cutting, and coating technologies, serving 17,000 members across industry, skilled workers, and students via 500+ technical standards, DAkkS-accredited personnel certification through DVS-PersZert, and a network of 70+ locations in Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: DVS operates as a membership-based association. Companies, institutions, and individuals pay membership fees to join the DVS network and gain access to benefits including standards (DVS-Regelwerk), training, events, and industry networking.
2. Education and Certification Services: DVS offers training programs, seminars, and certification services through DVS-PersZert for personnel qualification in joining technologies. Revenue generated from education and certification activities.
3. Events and Conferences: DVS organizes major events including DVS Congress, ROBOTER, ITSC, and other specialized conferences. Revenue generated through event registration fees, exhibition, and sponsorship.
4. Specialist Publications: DVS publishes specialist magazines (DVS MAGAZIN), technical books, and specialist media. Members receive discounts on DVS specialist publications and events as a membership benefit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DVS is a German technical-scientific association that develops and maintains industry standards for joining, separating, and coating technologies (welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, cutting, surface coating). It provides personnel certification, technical guidelines (DVS-Regelwerk with 500+ rules), professional education and training programs, industry research coordination, and networking events for members across Germany's manufacturing sector.

Product overview

DVS operates as a unified association offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services centered on joining (Fügen), separating (Trennen), and coating (Beschichten) technologies. The core offering includes professional qualification and certification through DVS-PersZert (DVS's personnel certification body), supported by a modular education system covering welding, soldering, adhesives, additive manufacturing, cutting, and surface technology. The DVS Group encompasses DVS-PersZert (certification), DVS-AfT (Technology), DVS-AfB (Education), and DVS Media (publications). Key products include the DVS-Portal, DVS-Regelwerk (500+ guidelines and data sheets), virtual welding training systems (VWTS), document verification service (Dokumentencheck), and specialized magazines including DVS MAGAZIN. The organization maintains 15 technical committees (Fachausschüsse) covering specific technologies from welding metallurgy to underwater technology, and organizes major events including DVS CONGRESS and specialized conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DVS-PersZert
• DVS-Regelwerk
• DVS-Portal
• DVS Dokumentencheck
• DVS Dokumentenmanagement
• DVS CONGRESS
• Jugend schweißt
• CONNECT HLB Netzwerk
• DVS MAGAZIN
• DVS-AfT (Ausschuss für Technik)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Welding Federation (EWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVS-PersZert holds official authorization as the German National Body (ANB) for the European Welding Federation (EWF), enabling DVS to issue European welding personnel qualifications and participate in international standards development.
• International Institute of Welding (IIW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVS-PersZert holds official authorization as the German National Body (ANB) for the International Institute of Welding (IIW), enabling international welding personnel certifications and global professional recognition.
• Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDAkkS is Germany's national accreditation body. DVS-PersZert holds DAkkS accreditation as a personnel certification body, covering multiple technical areas including welding technology, pressure equipment directive, and SCC safety certification.
• Gemeinschaftsausschuss Klebtechnik (GA-K)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGA-K is a joint committee bringing together DVS with DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Technology and Biotechnology), FOSTA (Research Association for Steel Application), and iVTH (International Association for Technical Wood Questions) to coordinate adhesive technology research across multiple industries.
• Zentralstelle der Länder für Sicherheitstechnik (ZLS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVS-PersZert holds authorization from ZLS (Central Office of the Länder for Safety Technology) as a certification body, reinforcing DVS's role in occupational safety certification.
• CERTQUA (AZAV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVS-PersZert holds AZAV (Accreditation and Approval Act for Employment Promotion) certification through CERTQUA, enabling DVS to provide job market-oriented training programs eligible for public funding.
• DIN (German Institute for Standardization)coreTechnology or IntegrationDVS participates in DIN standardization committees, including joint DIN/DVS committees for specific technical areas such as thermal spraying (NA 092-00-14 AA), contributing to the development of national and international standards.
• Various research institutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVS research is conducted in collaboration with leading German research institutes including ISF Aachen, RWTH Aachen, TU Dresden, ifw Jena, and others. These institutes participate in DVS expert committees and present research at DVS events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DEKRA SE: Germany-headquartered testing, inspection and certification (TIC) company; overlaps with DVS in industrial personnel and product certification but is a for-profit incumbent operating across many sectors beyond welding.
• ASM International: US-headquartered professional society for materials engineers; comparable to DVS as a non-profit technical society providing education, conferences, and publications for metallurgy and adjacent joining/materials disciplines.
• European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting (EWF): Pan-European coordination body for welding joining and cutting; DVS is itself the German National Body for EWF. EWF serves as a broader incumbent coordinating multinational qualification frameworks across national welding bodies.
• TÜV Rheinland / TÜV SÜD: Major German testing, inspection and certification groups that issue accredited welding personnel and product certifications; comparable as incumbents providing accredited industrial certification services that overlap with DVS-PersZert's mandate.
• International Institute of Welding (IIW): Global welding federation whose annual assembly DVS supports; IIW is the highest-level international authority on welding qualification, standards, and personnel certification — a direct counterpart to DVS at the international level.

Others

• DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung): German national standards body; works through joint DIN/DVS committees on specific areas like thermal spraying. Comparable as a national-level standards institution with similar accreditation and influence characteristics, though broader than welding alone.
• VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau): Germany's leading industry association for mechanical and plant engineering; comparable as a large national industry association providing standards influence, research coordination, and member services — though operating in machinery rather than welding specifically.

Direct peers

• American Welding Society (AWS): National non-profit welding society in the United States; operates the most direct international comparison to DVS as a membership association providing welding certification, codes & standards (AWS D1.1 family), education, and conferences for industry members and skilled workers.
• TWI Ltd (The Welding Institute): UK-based independent research and technology organization for welding, joining and materials; comparable to DVS in operating national-body-style certification, industrial research programs, and standards influence for the welding/joining community.

Regional players

• ASNT (American Society for Nondestructive Testing): US-based membership association for nondestructive testing personnel certification; parallel model to DVS-PersZert in providing accredited personnel qualification in an adjacent technical field that DVS also covers through its testing committees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCslyb5eYd32X5QZRACwje7w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dvs-verband
• Instagraminstagram.com/dvs.verband

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DVS