Maintenance Dortmund 2026: Why Shortwave Infrared Heaters and Evaporative Coolers Make Sense in Industrial Halls and Workshops

Maintenance Dortmund brings together maintenance and facility management experts from industry and commerce every year. One topic is becoming increasingly important but is often considered too late: the indoor climate in workshops, maintenance halls, and service areas. Large hall volumes, frequently opened doors for vehicle and machine movements, and changing workstations make conventional heating and cooling particularly inefficient here—exactly where our solutions come in.

Heat where the work is done—not where the air is

In maintenance halls and workshops, work is rarely carried out in one fixed location: vehicles, machines, and equipment are serviced at changing stations, doors are opened for deliveries or maneuvering, and ceiling heights are often considerable. A conventional warm-air heating system primarily heats the air beneath the hall roof—where no one is working. Our shortwave TEL Forza infrared heaters target the workstations directly, for example above vehicle lifts, test benches, or assembly workstations:

• No warm-up time—ready for immediate use again every time doors are opened for vehicles to enter or exit
• Targeted rather than full-area heating—heat exactly where maintenance teams are actually working
• Efficient even in halls with high ceilings—ideal for vehicle halls, test benches, and workshops with high ceilings
• Output levels from 1.5 to 12 kW—suitable sizing from small repair stations to large maintenance halls

Cooling in summer: Evaporative cooling instead of conventional air conditioning

In summer, the challenge is reversed: workshops and maintenance halls heat up significantly due to heat from machinery, welding and testing work, and solar radiation. Conventional compressor-based cooling is often neither economical nor technically practical in the typically open, large-volume hall structures. Our mobile adiabatic evaporative coolers from the OKM series offer an efficient alternative:

• Significantly lower electricity consumption than conventional compressor-based cooling, as only water is evaporated instead of operating a refrigerant circuit
• Mobile use—flexibly positioned at changing workstations, for example directly beside vehicle lifts or testing areas
• No closed system required—also works with open doors and permeable hall structures, as are typical in workshops
• Can be combined with fresh-air supply—provides cooling and air exchange at the same time, which is particularly relevant when working with emissions or odors

A year-round solution from a single source

Whether winter heating with TEL Forza or summer cooling with the OKM series, both systems are specially designed for the large, open spaces typical of maintenance halls, workshops, and technical operating areas. For facility managers and maintenance managers, this means a year-round climate solution from a single source, without compromising on energy efficiency or investment costs.