With around 600,000 visitors and over 3,600 exhibitors, Bauma 2025 took place in Munich from April 7 to 13. Bauma is considered the world's leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material systems, mining machinery, construction vehicles, and construction equipment. Wölfle was also successfully represented and presented the latest innovations in the commercial vehicle sector. Wölfle components are found in a large proportion of construction machinery, hence: Wölfle inside. Wölfle offers customized solutions in the areas of thermal management, electrical and electronic systems, as well as special cabs.
With the trade fair motto "Empowering Machines of Tomorrow," Wölfle focused on intelligent thermal management for air conditioning systems and heat pumps, as well as high-voltage electrification solutions for climate-neutral, battery-powered construction machinery, thus addressing current industry issues, as electrification is also advancing in the commercial vehicle and construction machinery sectors. The search for new and innovative solutions for heating and cooling systems, as well as high-voltage wiring systems, is becoming increasingly important.
The relevance of innovative and sustainable thermal management is growing. For example, heat pumps not only heat homes, but also vehicle interiors. The Ochsenhausen-based company Wölfle uses this technology and is thus a pioneer in this changing industry, as the traditional combustion engine will soon be obsolete. This fate is increasingly affecting the commercial vehicle sector. The non-automotive supplier Wölfle is adapting to this. Company owner Thomas Wölfle sums it up: "Everything that happens in the automotive industry also affects the non-automotive industry with a time lag. The electrification of compact commercial vehicles such as municipal vehicles, excavators, and tractors has already begun."
The medium-sized company, headquartered in Ochsenhausen, and with its approximately 800 employees, develops and produces cooling and heating systems for vehicle interiors worldwide. The latest innovation is the development of a new technology using an integrated heat pump-based thermal management system, which minimizes the load on the electric vehicle's battery power while providing optimal interior comfort.
The air conditioning and heating systems of battery-powered vehicles usually run at the expense of the battery and thus also the range. Wölfle's system not only provides energy-efficient heat generation using a heat pump, but also intelligently distributes energy flows. All heat sources and sinks are intelligently interconnected in a complex cycle. For example, during winter operation, waste heat from components such as the electric motor is used to heat the vehicle interior.
The principle is comparable to a refrigerator, explains Managing Director Thomas Wölfle. "This generates cold inside, and escaping energy is transported into the living space in the form of heat. The same applies to thermal management – using adjustable coolant pumps and valves, heat and cold are absorbed where they occur and transported to where they are needed."
Wölfle's intelligent thermal management system thus takes over the air conditioning of the driver's cab, battery, electric motor, and electronics, ensuring that the components maintain the optimal temperature range. This enables safe, sustainable, and comfortable working. Furthermore, the heat pump, at the heart of the system, enables highly economical and future-oriented work with low energy costs.
These are precisely the topics that are driving the industry and were therefore the key themes throughout the entire Bauma trade fair. Wölfle's innovative solutions were met with tremendous enthusiasm, confirming once again that demand for system solutions is currently very high. Participation in the trade fair was a great success for Wölfle. As a system supplier with turnkey solutions, the company sees itself as optimally positioned for the future.
