Support for the Association grew beyond the borders of Germany. Even some foreign associations joined the “Boiler Control Association Union”, based in Hanover.

For this reason, in 1888, the German umbrella organization changed its name to “Internationaler Verband von Dampfkessel-Überwachungsvereinen” – “International Union of Boiler Inspection Associations”. While politics continued to revolve around national issues, the pioneers of the technical control program realized that security could not stop at the borders of a single country.