The family of Allianz Centers for Technology is growing.

With the Allianz Teknik Earthquake and Fire Testing and Training Center in Turkey, three Allianz Group research centers are now available to support customers and society in loss prevention, improve products and processes, and increase the operational safety of systems and consumer goods. For decades, the findings from damage analysis have helped to reduce accidents of private individuals and damage in companies.

The Allianz Teknik Earthquake and Fire Testing and Training Center was officially opened in late 2019 on the campus of the Turkish-German University in Beykoz, Istanbul.

Over an area of 2,500 square meters, the test center houses, among other things, an earthquake laboratory, in which not only earthquake tests but also automobile and transport tests can be carried out; an earthquake simulation, especially for earthquake response training; a fire alarm and extinguishing practice hall; a fire pump room and a smoke extraction simulation for practical exercises.

It is the third test center of the Allianz Group and also the first test center of the company to be used in an earthquake area. Turkey is one of the most seismically active countries in the world and is repeatedly hit by violent earthquakes. Allianz Teknik will conduct earthquake and fire tests for industry in addition to certification and training programs. Under the umbrella of the center, a professional risk consultancy service will be offered, which, together with professional institutions and universities, will also be available to the public.

The center also contributes to the training of qualified technicians and engineers in the private sector and offers scientific programs for students and educational initiatives for young people and children through specially-designed toys and equipment.

“Our main focus in this project is raising public risk awareness. We can organize hands-on trainings for catastrophe risk management and emergency response against earthquake and fire exposures as well as giving test services to reduce potential risks before anything bad happens to our customers,” says Ceyhun Eren, Director of Allianz Teknik and Risk Engineering.

One part of the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) in Germany is the Allianz Center of Competence for Automotive Technology, AZT Automotive GmbH, located in Ismaning near Munich. The research center was founded in 1971 in response to the rapid increase in the number of accidents and the associated claims costs in the wake of mass motorization under the leadership of Max Danner, and was expanded in 1973 to include a crash track. Since 1982, the crash repair test developed at the AZT has been regarded as a touchstone for the ease of repair of vehicles after minor accidents.

In response to the sharp rise in the number of stolen vehicles, the AZT's security experts also defined standards and requirements for theft protection in the early 1990s, resulting in the legal introduction of the electronic immobilizer for newly registered cars. In addition to classic topics from the field of repair research, the AZT is increasingly concerned with issues in the areas of automated driving, electro-mobility, vehicle data and the security of networked vehicles. In addition, road safety campaigns on topics such as bicycle helmets, seat belts in cars and blind spot dangers for the target group of children are published and training measures are conducted nationally and internationally.

“As the competence center of the Allianz for Automotive Technology, we see it as our central task to recognize innovations in the automotive sector at an early stage and to investigate their effects on road safety in general and for motor insurance. To this end, we are working on solutions together with experts from the automotive and repair industry, science and insurance,” says Christoph Lauterwasser, Managing Director of AZT Automotive GmbH. 

Together with the Gesellschaft fuer Werkstoffprüfung (GWP), Allianz Risk Consulting GmbH and the Allianz Center for Technology/Industrial Engineering can look back on more than 12 years of successful collaboration in the cooperation laboratory in Zorneding. In addition to the classical examination methods for damage analysis, innovative procedures such as 3D scans and computer tomography are used.

A Remote Lab application is also available, which allows customers to participate in the investigations from a distance. The aim of the investigations is to elucidate the damage mechanism of damage to industrial plants, power plants and technical components and thus, to enable the cause of the damage to be determined. Natural scientists, engineers and technicians from AGCS work closely together to generate findings for loss prevention – not just for the insurance company, but also for the operators, manufacturers and for an exchange of experience in expert committees and technical publications.

As when the AZT was founded 88 years ago, the aim is to make sense of the damage. “The motto 'From Damage, Comes Knowledge' is firmly rooted in the DNA of our employees,” explains Stefan Thumm, AZT operations manager. In addition to conventional power generation plants, investigations have for years focused increasingly on damage patterns in renewable energy generation plants, especially onshore and offshore wind farms.

The technological development in this area is very broad and fast. “We are very proud that our versatile and modern laboratory equipment helps us to better understand this technology and to reduce damage, which is ultimately the basis for the success and profitability of new technologies,” explains Johannes Stoiber, Managing Director of ARC GmbH.