VdS is consolidating its laboratories into a dedicated business unit while further optimizing the processes surrounding testing. The new structure lays the foundation for greater transparency and efficiency. Binding agreements on testing timelines and digitalization measurements are intended to shorten turnaround times and simplify planning for customers.
Press Release 26/2026
Cologne/Germany Oktober 9th 2026. Effective July 1, 2026, VdS’s security laboratories, fire safety laboratories, and testing services were consolidated into the new business unit Laboratories under the leadership of Gunnar Bellingen. This organizational development aims to improve the coordination of shared functions and projects, leverage synergies in a targeted manner, and thereby further strengthen laboratory activities overall.
“The demands placed on our laboratory services are constantly evolving. With the new structure, we are establishing a strong foundation to jointly drive forward digitalization and process support in particular, and to position our laboratory activities for the future in the long term,” explains Gunnar Bellingen, Director Laboratories at VdS. “This is particularly important in a market characterized by continuous technological and regulatory change – both for VdS and our customers.”
Effective July 15, 2026, Julian Peters took over as Head of the Security Laboratories from Günter Grundmann as part of the associated organizational adjustments. Günter Grundmann remains Deputy Business Unit Manager Security & Geo and will contribute his in-depth expertise and market knowledge to business development going forward. Sebastian Brose retains his role as Director of the business unit Security & Geo, as well as strategic responsibility for the security market.
Julian Peters brings extensive experience in the development, testing and certification of technical products. He has been with VdS since 2020 and, over the past two years, has played a key role in shaping and further developing customer service and the Laboratory for Water Extinguishing Systems in his role as Deputy Head of Department.
Speaking about his goals, Julian Peters, Head of the VdS Security Laboratories, explains: “For our customers, reliability and speed are just as important as technical quality. They want to know what they can expect from us and when. This is exactly where we are focusing our efforts—by agreeing on binding testing timelines at the start of each project. In the medium term, the digital support of our processes will also enable us to use existing capacities more efficiently and shorten turnaround times.”
This realignment affects the organizational structure, but not the way the testing teams operate. Existing departments and their proven working practices will remain in place. Thus, the specialized expertise and technical strengths of the individual teams will continue to form the foundation of the consistently high-quality VdS is known for.
One of the first concrete projects resulting from the consolidation is a new customer dashboard. In the future, it will enable customers to track the current status of their testing projects, providing greater transparency and planning certainty throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Image caption (VdS Laboratorien 2026.jpg): The laboratories were brought together in a new business unit on July 1, 2026. (Photo: VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH)
