Although this supplier of high-voltage testing and measurement technology has only been called HIGHVOLT since 1995, the Reinhausen Group member can look back on a much longer history.
When the electrification of the world was still in its infancy, two friends Franz Josef Koch and Kurt August Sterzel founded the company „Koch & Sterzel Spezialfabrik wissenschaftlicher Apparate und Instrumente oHg“ in Dresden. Within a decade, they developed it into a leading company for high-frequency technology, testing systems, measuring transducers and the construction of X‑ray apparatus. After the Second World War, the VEB Transformatoren- und Röntgenwerk Dresden (TuR) was founded from the remains of the heavily destroyed production facilities. The Koch & Sterzel product range was continued, further developed and adapted to the new scientific requirements.
After the reunification of East and West Germany, Siemens AG took over the business and, in 1995, founded the high-voltage testing technology as a separate company named HIGHVOLT. In the following years, numerous new developments were created such as XXL reactor coils for testing extra-long cables, fully automated test systems for distribution transformers, and complex measurement technology. The company, which has been part of the Reinhausen Group since 2002, continues its contributions to making the energy supply of tomorrow safe and sustainable with its innovations and solutions in the field of high-voltage testing technology.
1904

Founddation of the Company „Koch & Sterzel“
Foundation of the company “Koch & Sterzel Spezialfabrik wissenschaftlicher Apparate und Instrumente oHg” in 1904 in Dresden’s old town with eight employees.

1914
Koch & Sterzel employs more than 200 people.
1923
Due to growth, the company moves to a larger location.
1928
AC-Cascade
In 1928, the world’s first 1 MV cascade is realized for the Dresden Technical University on the basis of three 333 kV transformers for the generation of high alternating voltages.

1936
First 1‑MV-DC-Test System
Cutting-edge research: Atomic physicists and Nobel Prize winners George Hevesy and Niels Bohr can be seen at the world’s first 1‑MV high-voltage system at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Copenhagen, which feeds cyclotron magnets.

1943
The company now employs 1,800 people.
1948
Foundation of VEB Transformatoren- und Röntgenwerk Dresden (TuR).

1953
Construction of the High-Voltage-Test Hall
Measuring 55 x 40 x 29 meters, the high-voltage test hall is the largest monolithic industrial building in Europe at the time. The new hall makes it possible to manufacture and assemble high-voltage test systems more efficiently and to carry out final and acceptance tests, even for the highest voltages.

1969
Most Powerful Test Transformer
At the Leipzig Spring Fair, TuR wins a gold medal for the most powerful test transformer of its time, which then even adorns a postage stamp. It generates a test voltage of 1.2 MV and can be transported by rail. A special feature at the time: the bushings come from the company HSP in Cologne, Germany —a non-socialist foreign country.

1991
Siemens AG takes over the transformers, high-voltage systems and medical technology divisions.
1995
Foundation of HIGHVOLT Prüftechnik Dresden GmbH.

1998
Resonance Test System for 400 KV Extruded Cables
From the 1990s onwards, advances in cable technology make it possible to transmit ever higher voltages. HIGHVOLT’s work is instrumental in establishing resonance testing of these cables as a globally accepted standard technology. For the first time, HIGHVOLT also develops a mobile system for the on-site testing of cable systems.

2002
HIGHVOLT becomes a member of the Reinhausen Group.
2024
Ready for the Future
In the three decades of its existence, HIGHVOLT has set new standards with numerous innovations. The products of the Dresden-based company are more in demand than ever in view of the growing global demand for energy. In order to meet the growing demand for modern high-voltage testing technology, a new production site was opened in Klipphausen in August 2024.
