Tradition meets innovation
A history dating back to 1919. Deutsche Zählergesellschaft – DZG – is a traditional company with ISO 9001 certification and special customer loyalty. Against the background of the digital energy revolution, we combine continuity with innovation.
DZG manufactures a wide range of metering systems – from classic Ferraris meters to smart meters and electronic metering systems. In addition, DZG offers a full range of services such as meter management, meter repair, testing, maintenance and calibration. With us you benefit from up-to-date and sustainable meter management for household customers, tradesmen and external metering point operators.
DZG originated in 1919. Its sole shareholder was Ing. Anton Stepper, who was director of Solar-Zählerwerke in Hamburg until the outbreak of the Great War. In the years before the war, a DC meter was manufactured by DZG according to the scheme of these solar meters. Furthermore, DZG was founded with the intention to sell electricity meters for alternating and three-phase current, which were built by the company B. Ketterer Söhne, Furtwangen/Schwarzwald. It thus took over the supply of single-phase and multi-phase alternating current meters. In addition, calibration meters, which were used for special purposes in power stations, were built. More than 95 % of the acceptance tests for the products of both companies were carried out by municipal power stations, “Überlandzentralen”, “Hüttenwerke” and the Reichsbahn.
In 1925 the manufacturing company Deutsche Zählergesellschaft mbH Hamburg-Furtwangen was founded, which manufactured electricity meters according to the patents of Ing. Anton Stepper.
In 1938 the property Hamburg 21, Bachstraße 9-17 was acquired. The move from Spaldingstraße to Bachstraße took place on 1 September 1939. The beginning of the war led to restrictions in production and thus to a decline in meter manufacturing. Meter production for all meter factories in Germany fell to 50 % and finally to 17 % of pre-war production.
The company building also fell victim to the Royal Air Force's third major attack on Hamburg in the night from 29 to 30 July 1943. As far as brickwork and ceilings had been preserved, reconstruction took place, which lasted until February 1945.
In April 1944 production was resumed with the help of the first four female workers, and in June 1944 the office and administration were moved back to the rebuilt premises on Bachstrasse.
In 1947 DZG employed about 75 employees and workers. In the years 1955 to 1990 DZG consisted of the following companies:
- DZG in Hamburg with the sales department and its technical department for research and development
- DZG production plant in Furtwangen/Vöhrenbach
- The repair shop "Stepper & Co" in Hamburg with a branch in Furtwangen
- "Hamburger Elektronik Gesellschaft mbH" (since 1971)
During this time, mainly electromechanical Ferraris meters of all makes were repaired, reset and certified in the Electrical Inspection Office 60 – later EE2 – maintained by the company.
The main business was production and distribution of new Ferraris meters.
DZG Oranienburg was founded in 1991 when DZG took over the meter repair business in Oranienburg from the Energiekombinat Potsdam, today MEVAG or E.ON edis.
The newly founded meter plant began manufacturing new meters in 1991 on behalf of DZG Vöhrenbach. In 1994 the development of the service business for energy supply companies began and in 1998 ELGAWA was founded as a joint venture with GMT Gaselan GmbH & Co.KG (manufacturer of gas meters) and Hydrometer GmbH (manufacturer of water meters and heat meters). The aim was to make the joint know-how and good customer contacts in the fields of electricity, gas and water accessible to the service sector. In 2000 DZG Oranienburg took over all shares.
The fall in prices for electricity meters caused by overcapacities on the market brought about drastic changes for DZG. Between 2004 and 2007, the production sites in Vöhrenbach (Germany), Moulhouse (France) and Brzeg Dolny (Poland) had to be closed.
In addition to the repair and calibration of electricity meters of various makes, DZG today stands for future-proof, customer-oriented and modular solutions in the field of meter measurement.
The emerging changes in the market have prompted DZG to start again with the development and production of electricity meters (smart meters).
Thanks to the successful participation in the smart metering company MeterPan GmbH, a customer-oriented service portfolio, the provision of suitable meter technology for all sectors (from remote meter reading to smart metering) and years of experience in metering, DZG is once again one of the leading companies in the industry.
