VDS - The grinding experts

The German Abrasives Association (VDS) is a competent contact for all technical, economic, environmental, and legal policy issues relating to the abrasives industry. Founded in Berlin in 1917, the VDS is today the largest national association for the abrasives industry in Europe.

About us

The German abrasives industry, with approximately 8,500 employees, generates annual sales of around 1.9 billion EUR. By European and also by global standards, it holds a leading position in terms of innovation, quality and environmental friendliness of its products and manufacturing facilities. The export ratio depends strongly on the product and ranges between 30 % and 70 %. The majority of German abrasives manufacturers are long-established, medium-sized companies with a very high level of specialized expertise among their responsible specialists.

The abrasives industry is a key sector. The range of applications and areas of use is as diverse as the products themselves – there is hardly an industrial manufacturing process in which specialized abrasives are not used at some point. Abrasive tools are indispensable for securing basic needs and the common good, as well as for maintaining system-critical industrial production. The leverage effect in the customer industries is enormous: approximately 3 million employees and a sales volume of around 500 billion EUR depend directly or indirectly on grinding tools and grinding applications.