Bold Heat Exchanger

What Bold Heat Exchanger does

Kühner Wärmetauscher GmbH & Co. KG (commercialized as Bold Heat Exchanger) is a third-generation, family-owned German manufacturer of custom-built industrial heat exchangers, founded in 1948 in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and headquartered today in Korntal-Münchingen, Baden-Württemberg. The company designs and produces six core product lines — air heaters (Lufterhitzer), air coolers (Luftkühler), exhaust gas heat exchangers (Abgaswärmetauscher), re-coolers/dry coolers, special solutions for novel applications such as PTFE-based latent heat storage, and integrated heat recovery systems — in finned-tube, plate, and shell-and-tube configurations across materials including stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper, titanium, and aluminum.

Every product is engineered to individual customer specifications rather than sold from a catalog, with a stated 1–2 working day response window from inquiry to initial solution and a 100% thermodynamic design guarantee. Manufacturing is conducted at a single ISO 9001 / ISO 3834-2 / HP 0 certified facility in Germany, processing approximately 250 tonnes of steel and welding ~148,000 tubes per year with a roughly 30-person workforce. Customers are enterprise industrial buyers across 15+ verticals — mechanical and plant engineering, paper, food, automotive, pharmaceutical, textile, HVAC, and energy/power — with engagement occurring exclusively through direct B2B sales (no resellers, no distributors).

The business model is one-time custom product sales with quote-based pricing tied to specifications, materials, and complexity; engineering and manufacturing are bundled in-house. Go-to-market is relationship-led, supported by the company website, technical downloads, industry events such as the Fachtagung Abwärme BW waste heat symposium, and proactive replacement/replica services for legacy installed units. The company entered a new phase in 2024 when Guido Jobst (formerly of ATEC GmbH & Co. KG in the exhaust gas industry) acquired the business, while Elisabeth Poša — who joined in 1995 and led the firm as CEO since 2007 — continues as managing director.

Name

Bold Heat Exchanger

Legal name

Kühner Wärmetauscher GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://kuehner-waermetauscher.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bold Heat Exchanger (Kühner Wärmetauscher) is a third-generation German manufacturer of custom-built industrial heat exchangers — air heaters, air coolers, exhaust gas units, dry coolers, and heat recovery systems — serving enterprise industrial buyers across 15+ verticals from its Korntal-Münchingen facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Heat Exchangers

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment (IMAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC), Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Custom heat exchangers
• Industrial air heaters
• Exhaust gas heat exchangers
• Heat recovery systems
• Process cooling equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Korntal-münchingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Heat Exchanger Manufacturing: 100% customized heat exchangers manufactured to order. Products include air heaters, air coolers, exhaust gas heat exchangers, re-coolers, and special solutions. Revenue generated from one-time product sales with pricing based on custom specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bold Heat Exchanger (Kühner Wärmetauscher) manufactures custom-built industrial heat exchangers including air heaters, air coolers, exhaust gas heat exchangers, re-coolers/dry coolers, and special solutions. Every product is individually engineered and produced in close coordination with the customer using proven technical modules, manufactured in Germany with ISO 9001 and ISO 3834-2 certified processes.

Product overview

Kühner Wärmetauscher is a third-generation family-owned German manufacturer specializing in custom-built heat exchangers. The product portfolio consists of six core product lines: Air Heaters (Lufterhitzer) for heating air and gases in HVAC and industrial drying applications; Air Coolers (Luftkühler) for cooling air and gases in process applications; Exhaust Gas Heat Exchangers (Abgaswärmetauscher) for heat recovery from hot exhaust streams; Re-coolers/Dry Coolers (Rückkühler/Trockenkühler) for removing waste heat to ambient air; Special Solutions (Sondergeräte) for highly customized applications requiring bespoke engineering; and Heat Recovery Systems (Wärmerückgewinnung) including plate heat exchangers, distribution circuit systems, and economizers. Every product is custom-manufactured in close coordination with customers, based on proven technical modules, and produced in Germany with ISO certified processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Heaters (Lufterhitzer) Air heaters used to heat air and gases for HVAC systems, dryers, and ovens. Compatible media include water, steam, water-glycol mixture, brine, thermal oil, refrigerant, CO2, air, and other substances with known properties. Designed for industrial heating applications across multiple sectors.
• Air Coolers (Luftkühler) Air coolers used to cool air and gases for air conditioning or process applications. The extracted heat can also be utilized via the medium in the tube circuit for energy recovery. Custom-designed for industrial process cooling needs.
• Exhaust Gas Heat Exchangers (Abgaswärmetauscher) Heat exchangers that remove heat from hot exhaust gas flows and transfer it to a liquid medium or air. Designs consider condensation for higher transfer efficiency, supporting heat recovery from industrial exhaust streams. Capable of handling high-temperature exhaust gas up to 600°C.
• Re-coolers / Dry Coolers (Rückkühler / Trockenkühler) Dry coolers that cool media in tubes with ambient air, or condense steam in tubes. Can be used as part of a heat pump system. Compatible media include water, water-glycol mixture, brine, seawater, refrigerant, thermal oil, and CO2.
• Special Solutions (Sondergeräte) Custom-built heat exchangers for highly specialized applications where no technical drawings, data, or samples exist. Examples include latent heat storage units with PTFE as storage medium. Designed for unique industrial challenges requiring bespoke engineering.
• Heat Recovery Systems (Wärmerückgewinnung) Heat recovery systems including plate heat exchangers, distribution circuit systems, and economizers that transfer heat from exhaust gases to other media for energy efficiency. Designed for industrial waste heat utilization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heat recovery from 800°C forge furnace exhaust produces 14,000 liters of hot water per hour, saving half a megawatt of energy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• FLY & HELP (Reiner Meutsch Stiftung)minorOthers · 1 January 2021Kühner supports the FLY & HELP foundation through sponsorship of Teamchef Bernd Albrecht who participates in the 24h race at Nürburgring to raise funds for building schools in developing countries. The 50-person volunteer team has built 15 schools since 2021, with goal of at least 3 more by 2026 start.
• IKK ClassicminorOthersPartnership for corporate health management (BGM). IKK Classic provides health management consulting, organizes annual health days, and certified Kühner with 'Exzellentes betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement' seal. Partnership since 2013 with regular health manager visits.
• Umwelttechnik BWminorOthersKühner participates in Fachtagung Abwärme BW (waste heat symposium) organized by Umwelttechnik BW. The event brings together energy consultants, engineering offices, associations, plant builders, and plant operators to discuss waste heat utilization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alfa Laval: Global leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling with a comprehensive industrial heat exchanger portfolio (plate, gasket, brazed, shell-and-tube). Overlaps with Kübner in air coolers, air heaters, and exhaust gas applications but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Xylem (Bell & Gossett): Global water technology company with Bell & Gossett brand offering heat exchangers, pumps, and hydronic heating/cooling equipment. Comparable in serving industrial process heating and cooling, but with broader product portfolio and aftermarket service network.
• SWEP (Dover Corporation): World-leading supplier of brazed plate heat exchangers owned by Dover. Overlaps with Kübner in compact industrial heat transfer but competes mainly with standardized catalog products rather than fully custom units.

Direct peers

• API Heat Transfer (formerly SPX Heat Transfer): Specialist in heat exchangers, heat transfer coils, and thermal management solutions for industrial and OEM customers. Similar focus on custom-engineered air-cooled and liquid-cooled heat transfer equipment used in process and HVAC applications.
• Kelvion: German-headquartered (formerly GEA Heat Exchangers) global manufacturer of industrial heat exchangers including plate, shell-and-tube, and finned-tube designs. Directly competes with Kübner in custom and standardized industrial heat transfer equipment for process industries.
• HTT Heat Transfer Technology: German Mittelstand heat exchanger specialist offering shell-and-tube and plate units for industrial process applications. Closely comparable in scale, custom engineering focus, and DACH-region industrial customer base.
• Funke Wärmetauscher und Apparatebau: German manufacturer of industrial heat exchangers (shell-and-tube, plate, finned tube) with comparable Mittelstand profile, custom-engineered approach, and industrial customer base across chemicals, energy, and process industries.
• Fischer Engineering Solutions: Swiss-based manufacturer of precision-engineered industrial heat exchangers, including shell-and-tube and special-purpose units. Comparable German-speaking niche peer focused on custom builds for demanding process and energy applications.

Emerging players

• Barriquand Technologies Thermiques: French manufacturer of custom-built industrial heat exchangers (plate, shell-and-tube, air-cooled) with similar specialty focus on engineered-to-order solutions for industrial customers in Europe.

Others

• VAHLE Group: While primarily known for industrial electrification, VAHLE operates adjacent industrial manufacturing competencies in Germany. Included as a regional industrial-manufacturer comparable for general Mittelstand scale and custom-build business model rather than direct product overlap.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kuehner-waermetauscher

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bold Heat Exchanger